Demand Characteristics (OCR A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes

7.2.10 Demand Characteristics

Demand characteristics - any cue from the researcher or research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the true purpose of the investigation.

• This may lead to a participant changing their behaviour within the research situation. This links to the Hawthorne effect. This is where individuals modify an aspect of their behaviour in response to their awareness of being observed.