I remember learning of this in Psychology class:

When an individual knows the intention of a certain test or evaluation
technique and conforms their response to appease the results.

An example:
John is being evaluated for an eating disorder. John already knows how
to respond to the questions to achieve a result he specifically wants.


I cannot remember the term that describes this. If you know it please help!!

Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 17 Nov 2005 18:54 PST

Are you thinking of social desirability bias?

"Some problems with questionnaire and interview studies are that
people may give the answer they believe the interviewer wants to hear
(social desirability bias)..."

http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/rall_v5_ch7_supp.pdf

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Clarification of Question by jonharman-ga on 17 Nov 2005 19:11 PST

This is close and on the right track but the difference with what I am
thinking of is that it is not necessarily social.

The term has been sitting on the tip of my tongue for a couple weeks
now. It is not conformation bias or self-serving bias either.

Please let me know if you find anyhting else :)

Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 08 Dec 2005 22:03 PST

There have been several notorious cases involving child sexual abuse
where the courts decided the charges were based on false memories that
resulted from thearpists asking leading and suggestive questions
during interviews with the children, with the kids trying overly hard
to please the interviewers.  The phenomenon is known as "accommodation
syndrome".

Could that be the term you are thinking of?

I think you are looking for something called 

Demand Characteristics

found here:

<A href="http://www.gerardkeegan.co.uk/glossary/gloss_d.htm">Scroll
down to: Demand Characteristics</A>

Are you thinking of the placebo effect? 

Placebo Effect     

The phenomenon in research where the subject?s beliefs about the
outcome can significantly effect the outcome without any other
intervention.
(http://allpsych.com/dictionary/)

Here are two more terms you might find interesting:

Blind Study

As a way to avoid the placebo effect in research, this type of study
is designed without the subject's knowledge of the anticipated results
and sometimes even the nature of the study.  The subjects are said to
be 'blind' to the expected results.
(http://allpsych.com/dictionary/)

Subject debriefing (explains to the subject what the researcher was looking for)
http://www.ors.duke.edu/irb/criteria/debrief.html

"Expected response" or "appropriate response" maybe?