A person who replies to a survey, questionnaire, or legal proceeding, particularly the defending party in a lawsuit.
From Latin 'respondere' meaning 'to answer back', from 're-' (back) + 'spondere' (to pledge). The legal sense developed in medieval Latin as court procedures formalized.
In psychology research, respondent bias is a major concern - people often give answers they think researchers want to hear rather than their true opinions. The term 'respondent conditioning' was Skinner's preferred alternative to 'classical conditioning' because it emphasized the organism's response.
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