Overcoming the ‘Subject Artifacts’: A Critique

Abstract

This paper attempts a critical survey of the various methodological innovations aimed at counteracting the ‘subject artifacts’ thought to be present in the typical experiment in psychology, primarily on account of (1) the practice of non-representative sampling and (2) a failure to consider the several contaminating motivations aroused in the subjects of psychological research. It is argued that (1) efforts aimed at the elimination of selection biases are misapplied, being founded in an altogether unreasonable approach to scientific inquiry; (2) the various proposed modifications in research procedures intending to circumvent the motivational artifacts are themselves beset by serious difficulties and are likely to lessen rather than enhance the quality of data obtained in psychological research.