experimenter expectancy effect

a type of experimenter effect in which a researcher’s expectations about the findings of his or her research are inadvertently conveyed to participants and influence their responses. This distortion of results arises from participants’ reactions to subtle cues (demand characteristics) unintentionally given by the researcher—for example, through body movements, gestures, or facial expressions—and may threaten the ecological validity of the research. The term is often used synonymously with Rosenthal effect.

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Psychology term of the day

January 15th 2025

ipsilateral deficit

a loss of normal function on the same side of the body as a brain lesion or brain damage. Usually, however, a lesion results in a contralateral deficit, or a loss of normal function on the opposite side of the body.