Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Research concerning administrator effects and the wider field of experimenter expectancy \neffects (Rosenthal, 1976) has established the theory that the hypotheses and knowledge \nheld by an experimenter can unconsciously influence their results. Therefore, in a novel use \nof a photographic line-up from an actual police investigation, this research aims to explore \nthe impact of administrator effects without the memory component of a recalled event. \nPrevious research in this area has used a traditional memory paradigm to test administrator \neffects, however this has clouded the issue of whether the witness is being influenced by \nthe administrator or is actually remembering the event. This research removes the memory \ncomponent and therefore concentrates on the expectancy effect of the administrator. \nIn order to further the understanding of administrator effects, this research examines \nwhether there is an aspect of interpersonal behaviour which predisposes some individuals \nto be more susceptible to inferences from others, or predisposes some to be more likely to \ninfluence individuals than others. In order to do this the Fundamental Interpersonal \nRelations Orientation: Behaviour (FIRO-B) instrument is utilised to examine the \ninterpersonal relationship behaviour of the administrator and the participant. This research \nalso identifies the cues emitted by the administrator by audio-recording the interaction \nbetween the administrator and the participant. \nUsing an experimental design, which manipulated the knowledge of the location of the \ntarget, five hundred and twenty six participants were asked to identify the person \nresponsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Line-up administrators, who were either informed of \nthe location of the suspect, informed of the location of an alternative suspect, or \nuninformed of the location of the suspect, presented the participants with the photographic \nline-up of twelve men, one of which is believed to be the person responsible for the \nLockerbie bombing. Participants were asked to pick the person they thought was the \nsuspect from the line-up, they then completed the FIRO-B questionnaire. \nAnalysis of the frequency of identifications suggests the presence of an experimenter \nexpectancy effect. A chi-square goodness of fit test indicates that significantly more \nparticipants identified the target suspect when the administrator was informed of the \nlocation of the target, than when the administrator was uninformed. Analysis of the FIRO-B \ndata found that target identifiers in the informed condition reported significantly higher \nreceived control scores than non-identifiers from an informed condition matched \ncomparison group. Target identifiers also reported significantly higher social interactivity \nand received inclusion scores than non-identifiers. \nAnalysis of the FIRO-B data from the line-up administrators found subtle differences in the \nFIRO-B scores of the administrators achieving a high number of target identifications \ncompared to administrators achieving a low number of target identifications. In particular, \nadministrators achieving a high number of target identifications reported higher levels of \nexpressed control and lower levels of received control than administrators achieving a low \nnumber of target identifications. Analysis of the transcripts of the line-ups indicate that \nadministrators in the informed condition interacted with their participants for longer, and \nexhibited more verbal cues. Administrators who obtained a target identification also spoke \nto their participants for longer. Those administrators who spoke to their participants for \nlonger reported higher levels of expressed control and lower levels of received control. \nThe results of this study point to an experimenter expectancy effect. Beyond that though \nthere appears to be an aspect of interpersonal behaviour that may be responsible for a \npredisposition to influence or to be influenced. This thesis, in line with previous research \nadvocates the use of ‘double-blind’ line-up procedures in order to eradicate the possibility \nof an administrator effect. However, it also highlights the importance of considering the \nsocial interaction between the experimenter and the participant that is at the heart of social \npsychology research with human participants. In particular, the damning effect on the \nresults of research conducted by an experimenter who assumes the dominant role in a \nsocial interaction, with a participant who assumes the submissive role.
Author: Jemma Louise Hollinshead
Institution: University of Huddersfield
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W878925745