In what situations is it ethical to deceive participants in an experiment?
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If, in order to counter the demand effect, researchers cannot disclose their research hypotheses, the failure to disclose is not considered deception. Show General statements about the purpose of the research, as well as a full description of the research tasks and activities, should be provided in the consent form. Inappropriate Use of Deception The IRB discourages the use of deception when:
Justification for Using Deception If the subjects will be deceived, the ethical and regulatory requirement to fully inform subjects must be waived by the IRB. There are three criteria that must be met in order for the waiver to be approved. In addition, it is usually necessary to debrief subject after the research.
“Minimal risk means that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.”
Ameliorating Deception Protocols must include procedures for ameliorating possible negative effects of deception. In addition to thorough debriefing that explains the need for deception, emphasis should be placed on correcting any false feedback given to participants about their performance, competency, or other personal characteristics. Participants whose behavior was recorded without their knowledge, such as during a fake “break” in study, should be given the opportunity to request that the recording be destroyed. If a study was designed to provoke negative behaviors, participants should be told that most people react the way they reacted and that their behavior was a normal response. Debriefing Debriefing for participants who were deceived includes a description of the deception and an explanation about why it was necessary. The discussion should presented in lay language and should be sufficiently detailed that participants will understand how and why they were deceived. If the study included multiple deceptions, each should be addressed. If participants were filmed without their knowledge, they must be given the option to ask that the researchers do not use the film Delayed Debriefing Delayed debriefing is an option if participants are part of a group that may share information about their experience in the research. If researchers will use a delayed debriefing, the consent form must state additional information will be available at the study and participants’ contact information should be collected. The contact information should not be linked to the study data. Informed Consent Informed consent forms and scripts may never contain deception. Researchers may not make false statements during the consent process. Deception is the intentional misleading of subjects or the withholding of full information about the nature of the experiment. Investigators may mislead or omit information about the purpose of the research, the role of the researcher, or what procedures in the study are actually experimental. Deception increases ethical concerns because it interferes with the ability of the subject to give informed consent. Deception may be necessary in certain types of research so that results are not biased. Federal regulations permit deception, but there are established limitations on the use of deception. The investigator must provide scientific and ethical justification for deceptive procedures for the IRB review and approval. The deceptive practice or information should not increase the risks of the study, and subjects must be fully debriefed. Subjects must have the opportunity to ask questions about the new information and be given the opportunity to withdraw from the study and have their data removed. Deception may not be utilized to obtain enrollments in the study. Some research can be conducted only without the full knowledge of the research subjects. The use of deception in research raises special ethical concern. One consideration is whether the deception is necessary. An investigator proposing to use deception should justify its use. Present federal rules prohibit the use of deceptive techniques which place subjects at more than minimal risk. The U.S. Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) provided guidance on the use of deception requiring that the IRB determines and documents the following:
UNLV IRBs require investigators to debrief subjects who have been deceived during participation in research activities. The debriefing should include a detailed description of the ways in which deception was used. The investigator is responsible for ensuring that the subject leaves the research setting with an accurate understanding of the deception. The debriefing process, including any written materials, should be explained to the IRB as a part of submitted protocols. |
