Research Confederates
Research Confederates - Related Videos
06:12
Experimentation using a Confederate
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Gary Lewandowski, Dave Strohmetz, and Natalie Ciarocco—Monmouth University When orchestrating an experiment, it is important that the experience elicits the most natural reactions from the participants as possible. Researchers accomplish much of this through their creation of the experimental settings. Many research projects focus on interactions between two or more people. In these situations the environment or setting must often be less natural; often only one person...
11:13
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
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Cited by 13 •
2015
Previous research on the social dimension of stress has focused on two important variables: social identity and social support. This protocol introduces an effective experimental manipulation of these two social variables and describes their implementation in a standard stress induction paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test).
08:55
A Minority of One: Conformity to Group Norms
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2023
Source: William Brady & Jay Van Bavel—New York University It is obvious that we are influenced by those around us, but in the early to mid 1900's, psychologists began to study how potent social influence can be on our thoughts and behaviors. Motivated in part by attempts to explain the behaviors of Nazi soldiers in World War II, one topic of considerable interest at the time in psychology was conformity, the phenomenon in which people match their attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs to group...
06:15
A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
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Cited by 17 •
2017
Here, we present a protocol that provoked cortisol reactivity in a vulnerable adolescent Mexican American sample utilizing a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Saliva samples were collected at baseline, 15, 30, and 45 min post-TSST onset. Future research could utilize this modified TSST with vulnerable youth.
08:04
Cytotoxic Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy in Osteosarcoma Cells In Vitro
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Cited by 8 •
2014
The protocol reported here allows the evaluation of the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in cell lines and the optimization of the PDT settings before applying the therapy in animal models.
FAQs
Training and predetermined scripts help confederates respond consistently across participants. This consistency reduces unwanted variation in the social environment, making it easier to attribute differences in genuine participants’ reactions to the planned manipulation rather than to accidental changes in the confederate’s behavior. As a result, the design can support stronger experimental validity when researchers examine social influence or group behavior.
A confederate’s scripted response or displayed behavior creates a specific social condition for the genuine participant to experience. Researchers can then measure reactions to that condition, such as responses related to conformity, obedience, interpersonal perception, or group behavior. The important mechanism is the controlled contrast between the arranged social cue and the participant’s observed response.
If genuine participants knew which individuals were working with the investigators, they might change their behavior and weaken the study’s ability to measure spontaneous social reactions. Concealing the confederate’s role can preserve the intended social situation, but it also creates ethical responsibilities. Researchers therefore need careful oversight, risk minimization, and post-study debriefing to explain the study’s purpose afterward.
Investigators should establish the behavior the confederate will display and provide training on the predetermined script or response. The goal is to keep the social manipulation as consistent as possible across study interactions while allowing researchers to measure genuine participants’ reactions. Careful preparation is especially important when small behavioral differences could alter participants’ perceptions or group responses.
Participant protection depends on combining informed consent procedures, risk minimization, ethical oversight, and post-study debriefing. Because the design may involve deception, researchers must consider how the concealed information affects participants and limit potential risks. Debriefing then clarifies the study’s purpose and the confederate’s role, helping address the ethical consequences of the experimental setup.
This approach is useful when investigators need to observe how people respond to a controlled interpersonal situation. In psychology, applications include examining conformity, obedience, social influence, interpersonal perception, and group behavior. By arranging a consistent social context and measuring genuine participants’ reactions, researchers can study how social cues shape behavior under experimental conditions.