Use Of Deception In Research In California
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The study must not involve more than minimal risk to the subjects. The use of deceptive methods must be justified by the study's significant prospective scientific, educational, or applied value.
For studies involving deception, debriefing materials should explain the design and procedures used for deception, and the reason(s) why deception was necessary. After debriefing participants in studies that have involved deception, it may be necessary to re-consent participants.
Deception should only be used when its use is the only way to answer the research question. Research plans that involve the use of deception must be adequately justified and, in most cases, will require that research participants be informed about the deception at the conclusion of their participation.
Active deception involves intentionally providing inaccurate or false information to participants (e.g., one study team member tells participants that they will be engaged in a cooperative task with other participants, but instead they will be interacting with other members of the study team).
In addition, guidelines and regulations permit research without valid consent only when it poses no greater than minimal risk. Current practice thus prohibits studies that use deception and pose greater than minimal risk, including studies that rely on deceptive methods to evaluate experimental treatments.
Deception studies provide participants with an alternative explanation for the purpose of the study or provide them with misleading information about the study. Some studies may not directly deceive the participant but will withhold some information, such as the reason why a participant was selected for the study.
