Final answer:
Controlling researcher bias can be accomplished through methods like single-blind studies where scorers are unaware of participants' group assignments, using placebos in control groups, and ensuring inter-rater reliability in observational studies.
Step-by-step explanation:
An accurate example of controlling researcher bias involves ensuring that the individuals scoring an experiment's outcomes are unaware of the assignment of participants to experimental or control groups, a method known as a single-blind study. This approach is effective in preventing experimenter bias, which can occur when a researcher's expectations inadvertently skew the study's results. In a single-blind study, such observer bias is minimized because the scorers are blind to participants' group assignments and therefore less likely to let their expectations influence their assessment of behaviors or responses such as sloppy handwriting or computational errors.Another method for controlling researcher bias is the use of a placebo in control groups, which helps to manage expectancy bias. This technique ensures that participants' responses are not influenced by their knowledge of the treatment they receive. Furthermore, establishing clear criteria for recorded observations and utilizing inter-rater reliability, where multiple observers independently assess the same behaviors, also guards against observer bias.To address response bias, such as the "Bradley effect" where respondents might not truthfully disclose their preferences, researchers should be aware of this possibility and consider it when interpreting survey results. In observational studies, standardized criteria for behavioral classification and comparison of observation by multiple independent observers are crucial to ensure data reliability and validity.