Testing Stress Manipulations Before the Study

Pilot testing helps researchers check whether a manipulation works before they run the main study. In psychology, researchers need study experiences that are consistent, or reliable, and authentic, or valid. Pilot testing lets them try out a manipulation first and see if it produces the intended effect.

Before administering any experiment it is beneficial to perform a smaller preliminary analysis, or a pilot study, to test and refine the experimental procedure. Pilot testing is the assessment of one aspect of a pilot study.

In psychological experiments, researchers have the challenge of creating experiences for participants that are consi...