Editing Response bias (section)

===Demand characteristics===
{{Main|Demand characteristics}}

Demand characteristics refer to a type of response bias where participants alter their response or behavior simply because they are part of an experiment.<ref name="Orne 1962"/> This arises because participants are actively engaged in the experiment, and may try to figure out the purpose, or adopt certain [[Human behavior|behaviors]] they believe belong in an experimental setting. [[Martin Orne]] was one of the first to identify this type of bias, and has developed several theories to address their cause.<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zAMeF0JOtY0C&pg=PA110 |title=Artifacts in Behavioral Research |last=Orne |first=Martin T. |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-538554-0 |editor-last=Rosenthal |editor-first=Robert |pages=110–137 |chapter=Demand Characteristics and the Concept of Quasi-Controls |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385540.003.0005 |editor-last2=Rosnow |editor-first2=Ralph L.}}</ref> His research points to the idea that participants enter a certain type of social interaction when engaging in an experiment, and this special social interaction drives participants to [[Consciousness|consciously]] and [[Unconscious mind|unconsciously]] alter their behaviors<ref name="Orne 1962"/> There are several ways that this bias can influence participants and their responses in an experimental setting. One of the most common relates to the motivations of the participant. Many people choose to volunteer to be in studies because they believe that experiments are important. This drives participants to be "good subjects" and fulfill their role in the experiment properly, because they believe that their proper participation is vital to the success of the study.<ref name="Orne 1962"/><ref name="Nichols 2008">{{cite journal|doi=10.3200/GENP.135.2.151-166|pmid=18507315|title=The Good-Subject Effect: Investigating Participant Demand Characteristics|journal=The Journal of General Psychology|volume=135|issue=2|pages=151–165|year=2008|last1=Nichols|first1=Austin Lee|last2=Maner|first2=Jon K.|s2cid=26488916}}</ref> Thus, in an attempt to productively participate, the subject may try to gain knowledge of the hypothesis being tested in the experiment and alter their behavior in an attempt to support that [[hypothesis]]. Orne conceptualized this change by saying that the experiment may appear to a participant as a problem, and it is his or her job to find the solution to that problem, which would be behaving in a way that would lend support to the experimenter's hypothesis.<ref name="Orne 1962"/> Alternatively, a participant may try to discover the hypothesis simply to provide faulty information and wreck the hypothesis.<ref name="Nichols 2008"/> Both of these results are harmful because they prevent the experimenters from gathering accurate data and making sound conclusions.

Outside of participant motivation, there are other factors that influence the appearance of demand characteristics in a study. Many of these factors relate to the unique nature of the experimental setting itself. For example, participants in studies are more likely to put up with uncomfortable or tedious tasks simply because they are in an experiment.<ref name="Orne 1962"/> Additionally, the [[Nonverbal communication|mannerisms]] of the experimenter, such as the way they greet the participant, or the way they interact with the participant during the course of the experiment may inadvertently bias how the participant responds during the course of the experiment.<ref name="Orne 1962"/><ref name="Cook 1970" /> Also, prior experiences of being in an experiment, or rumors of the experiment that participants may hear can greatly bias the way they respond.<ref name="Orne 1962"/><ref name="Nichols 2008"/><ref name="Cook 1970" /> Outside of an experiment, these types of past experiences and mannerisms may have significant effects on how patients rank the effectiveness of their [[Mental health professional|therapist]].<ref name="Reese 2013"/> Many of the ways therapists go about collecting client feedback involve self-reporting measures, which can be highly influenced by response bias.<ref name="Reese 2013"/> Participants may be biased if they fill out these measure in front of their therapist, or somehow feel compelled to answer in an affirmative matter because they believe their therapy should be working.<ref name="Reese 2013"/> In this case, the therapists would not be able to gain accurate feedback from their clients, and be unable to improve their therapy or accurately tailor further treatment to what the participants need.<ref name="Reese 2013"/>  All of these different examples may have significant effects on the responses of participants, driving them to respond in ways that do not reflect their actual beliefs or actual mindset, which negatively impact conclusions drawn from those surveys.<ref name="Orne 1962"/>

While demand characteristics cannot be completely removed from an experiment, there are steps that researchers can take to minimize the impact they may have on the results.<ref name="Orne 1962"/> One way to mitigate response bias is to use deception to prevent the participant from discovering the true hypothesis of the experiment<ref name="Cook 1970">{{cite journal|doi=10.1037/h0028849|title=Demand characteristics and three conceptions of the frequently deceived subject|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|volume=14|issue=3|pages=185–194|year=1970|last1=Cook|first1=Thomas D.|display-authors=etal}}</ref> and then [[Debriefing|debrief]] the participants.<ref name="Cook 1970"/> For example, research has demonstrated that repeated deception and debriefing is useful in preventing participants from becoming familiar with the experiment, and that participants do not significantly alter their behaviors after being deceived and debriefed multiple times.<ref name="Cook 1970"/> Another way that researchers attempt to reduce demand characteristics is by being as [[Neutrality (philosophy)|neutral]] as possible, or training those conducting the experiment to be as neutral as possible.<ref name="Nichols 2008"/> For example, studies show that extensive one-on-one contact between the experimenter and the participant makes it more difficult to be neutral, and go on to suggest that this type of interaction should be limited when designing an experiment.<ref name="Podsakoff 2003"/><ref name="Nichols 2008"/> Another way to prevent demand characteristics is to use [[Blind experiment|blinded]] experiments with [[placebo]]s or [[Treatment and control groups|control groups]].<ref name="Orne 1962"/><ref name="Podsakoff 2003"/> This prevents the experimenter from biasing the participant, because the researcher does not know in which way the participant should respond. Although not perfect, these methods can significantly reduce the effect of demand characteristics on a study, thus making the conclusions drawn from the experiment more likely to accurately reflect what they were intended to measure.<ref name="Nichols 2008"/>