The Orne Experiment

The Orne Experiment, conducted by psychologist Daniel Orne in the 1960s, examined the influence of demand characteristics in psychological research. Orne wanted to see if participants would alter their behavior based on what they believed the experimenter expected from them. He created scenarios where participants were led to think they were being tested for special abilities. The results showed that participants often acted in ways that they thought would fulfill the experimenter's expectations, highlighting how participants' perceptions can shape the outcomes of psychological studies. This raised important questions about objectivity and validity in experimental psychology.