What can occur when participants are overexposed to a measure?

The testing effect refers to the phenomenon where repeated exposure to a measurement tool or test can lead to changes in participants' performance. When participants are overexposed to a measure—such as a survey, assessment, or other forms of evaluation—they may become more familiar with the questions or tasks involved. This familiarity can artificially inflate their scores or alter their responses due to improved recall or practice effects, rather than a true change in the underlying skill or attribute being measured.

In contexts of research and program evaluation, recognizing the testing effect is important because it can threaten the validity of the results. Researchers need to consider how repeated measurements can influence participants’ responses and should implement strategies to mitigate this effect, such as using different measures or waiting periods between assessments.

The other considerations listed, such as internal validity, maturation, and mortality, pertain to different aspects of research design and participant dynamics, each addressing issues like the integrity of the study, natural developmental changes, or participant dropout rates, but they do not specifically encapsulate the consequences of overexposure to a measure in the same way that the testing effect does.