Which of the following is a rule that researchers must follow when using deception in their research?

Definition

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.

Regulations

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:

• The research involves no more than minimal risk to the subjects;
• The waiver or alteration of the consent will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the subjects;
• The research could not practicably be carried out without the waiver or alteration; and
• Whenever appropriate, the subjects will be provided with additional pertinent information after participation.

Debriefing

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.

Some types of research might entail less than full disclosure at the outset, but not involve actively deceiving participants with misleading information. For instance, a researcher might truthfully explain to a participant the general topic of the research, but not be able to explain the specific focus of the study at the outset, at risk of altering the phenomenon in question. Less than full disclosure at the outset should, in general, be easily handled by providing participants with a full explanation at the end of the study, in the form of a verbal or written debriefing, followed by re-consent. Issues that may need to be addressed through the debriefing include the following.

• Privacy: A participant might reasonably feel that their privacy has been violated, if the researcher has collected information that the participant considers private, and not something they initially consented to. They might also feel that their privacy has been violated if the information collected is to be used to some other end than they would agree with
• Misinformation: If a deceptive scenario deliberately misrepresents facts about real individuals, groups, or states of affairs in the world, the researcher has a responsibility to set the record straight. This involves not only clearly identifying which elements of the study were outright fabrications or misrepresentations, but also providing a positive statement of actual facts. This could be particularly important if the topic relates to issues that participants might reasonably be expected to consider important
• Temporary and residual harm: If a deceptive scenario involves provision of false information that might be understood as applying to participants themselves, or to a group they belong to, the researcher should address and attempt to minimize any temporary negative arousal that might occur during the deception, such as frustration due to false failure feedback; the researcher should also address and attempt to minimize any residual misconceptions that might actually last beyond the period of the study itself.
   

To manage such issues, researchers should abide by the following guidelines, as suggested by the TCPS.

• Studies involving active deception should have a clear and defensible scholarly motivation. Each of the deceptive elements of the study should be necessary, with a clear rationale to back this up
• Participants should be provided with a complete, plain-language debriefing that explains very frankly:
  
  • which elements of the study were deceptive
  • why these were necessary
  • how the study relates to a broader, important area of knowledge
• Once participants have been fully debriefed, they should be given the opportunity to re-consent to the use of their data, so it is clear that they have in fact given informed consent, and understand that they are otherwise free to withdraw their data
• Research involving active deception should be relatively low risk and, should not involve therapeutic interventions, or highly vulnerable groups and sensitive topics.
   

Some additional points for researchers to consider are the following.

• Initial consent: It is a good practice to make the initial consent process as informative as possible, keeping as much deception out of it as possible. To this end, it may make sense to mention explicitly that while it is not possible to fully explain the study in advance, participants will be provided with a full debriefing at the end.
• Tone: A sensitive and informative debriefing can go a long way to mitigating possible adverse effects of deception. Participants should not leave feeling they have been duped. Researchers should work diligently to ensure that debriefings really are received and absorbed, using plain language with participants, about deceptive elements, and to situate the study in the larger area of interest.
• Mitigating potential harms: Researchers should be sensitive to the fact that the specific focus of a particular study might relate to issues that are actually of some personal concern to participants. In situations where this is reasonably foreseeable then it would be a good practice for the researcher to have on hand contact information for relevant services or general background information so that participants can pursue any larger questions or issues raised by the study.
• Training: Given the complexity and sensitivity of issues surrounding deception and debriefing in research, supervisors should work closely with students to provide training and raise awareness regarding good practices for the use of these methods.
   

If active deception is properly thought through and properly handled, it is not inherently unethical; participants who have been properly debriefed should be unlikely to find fault with the study, or to wish to withdraw from it. If participants do have concerns, however, they should be in a position to contact the Research Ethics Board (REB), and the researcher should work with the REB to address any issues.

What is a rule that researchers must follow when using deception in their research?

What must a researcher do if deception is used in an experiment?

What must a researcher do when using deception in an experiment quizlet?

Which of the following is the central reason why researchers use deception in their research?