Research concerning administrator effects and the wider field of experimenter expectancy effects (Rosenthal, 1976) has established the theory that the hypotheses and knowledge held by an experimenter can unconsciously influence their results. Therefore, in a novel use of a photographic line-up from an actual police investigation, this research aims to explore the impact of administrator effects without the memory component of a recalled event. Previous research in this area has used a traditional memory paradigm to test administrator effects, however this has clouded the issue of whether the witness is being influenced by the administrator or is actually remembering the event. This research removes the memory component and therefore concentrates on the expectancy effect of the administrator. In order to further the understanding of administrator effects, this research examines whether there is an aspect of interpersonal behaviour which predisposes some individuals to be more susceptible to inferences from others, or predisposes some to be more likely to influence individuals than others. In order to do this the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation: Behaviour (FIRO-B) instrument is utilised to examine the interpersonal relationship behaviour of the administrator and the participant. This research also identifies the cues emitted by the administrator by audio-recording the interaction between the administrator and the participant. Using an experimental design, which manipulated the knowledge of the location of the target, five hundred and twenty six participants were asked to identify the person responsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Line-up administrators, who were either informed of the location of the suspect, informed of the location of an alternative suspect, or uninformed of the location of the suspect, presented the participants with the photographic line-up of twelve men, one of which is believed to be the person responsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Participants were asked to pick the person they thought was the suspect from the line-up, they then completed the FIRO-B questionnaire. Analysis of the frequency of identifications suggests the presence of an experimenter expectancy effect. A chi-square goodness of fit test indicates that significantly more participants identified the target suspect when the administrator was informed of the location of the target, than when the administrator was uninformed. Analysis of the FIRO-B data found that target identifiers in the informed condition reported significantly higher received control scores than non-identifiers from an informed condition matched comparison group. Target identifiers also reported significantly higher social interactivity and received inclusion scores than non-identifiers. Analysis of the FIRO-B data from the line-up administrators found subtle differences in the FIRO-B scores of the administrators achieving a high number of target identifications compared to administrators achieving a low number of target identifications. In particular, administrators achieving a high number of target identifications reported higher levels of expressed control and lower levels of received control than administrators achieving a low number of target identifications. Analysis of the transcripts of the line-ups indicate that administrators in the informed condition interacted with their participants for longer, and exhibited more verbal cues. Administrators who obtained a target identification also spoke to their participants for longer. Those administrators who spoke to their participants for longer reported higher levels of expressed control and lower levels of received control. The results of this study point to an experimenter expectancy effect. Beyond that though there appears to be an aspect of interpersonal behaviour that may be responsible for a predisposition to influence or to be influenced. This thesis, in line with previous research advocates the use of ‘double-blind’ line-up procedures in order to eradicate the possibility of an administrator effect. However, it also highlights the importance of considering the social interaction between the experimenter and the participant that is at the heart of social psychology research with human participants. In particular, the damning effect on the results of research conducted by an experimenter who assumes the dominant role in a social interaction, with a participant who assumes the submissive role.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:646817 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Hollinshead, Jemma Louise |
| Contributors | Canter, David ; Youngs, Donna |
| Publisher | University of Huddersfield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/24473/ |
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