What are the 3 conditions to using deceit in research?

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.

Informed consent is the most essential part of research ethics. The requirement to explain an experiment to the participants who provide tissues/information in order to obtain their voluntary consent is absolutely necessary in any research project. It is an expression of respect regarding the autonomy of the person who participates in the experiment. Why and how is informed consent required and what if some information is intentionally withheld to facilitate the participation? This paper will briefly review the history of informed consent, discuss the components of an ethically valid informed consent and examine deception in research. Sometimes, deception is used in Social, Behavioral and Educational Research (SBER) in order to obtain accuracy information. Can this be justified? There is no doubt that, for some psychological and sociological experiments, the less the subjects know the better. The Bystander Apathy Experiment and the Milgram Experiment will be used here as examples that are discussed and analyzed. In general, deception is not acceptable in human studies. Occasionally, it is necessary to mislead the participants who are subjects of a study in order to obtain unbiased information. The Institute Review Board (IRB) must review very carefully the proposals that use deception or misrepresentation. The reasons that deception is necessary for the study purpose need to be justified in depth and there must be provision in the procedures to protect the participants. When the study is completed, it is essential that a debriefing by the investigator is provided that explains any deception or incomplete disclosure involved; this should also help the subjects to deal with any distress or discomfort experienced in the research.

If, in order to counter the demand effect, researchers cannot disclose their research hypotheses, the failure to disclose is not considered deception.

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:

  • Alternative methods can be used that will yield valid study results.
  • The deception deprives participants of the opportunity to protect their own interests.
  • The missing information affects the participants’ ability to assess the risks of participation.

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.

  1. The risk must be no more than minimal.

“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.”

  1. The rights and welfare of the subjects will not be adversely affected. 
  2. The research could not practicably be carried out without the waiver. This does not mean that it would be inconvenient to conduct the study without the waiver. It means that deception is necessary to accomplish the goals of the research.

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.

What are the 3 different types of deception?

Buller and Burgoon (1996) have proposed three taxonomies to distinguish motivations for deception based on their Interpersonal Deception Theory:.
Instrumental: to avoid punishment or to protect resources..
Relational: to maintain relationships or bonds..
Identity: to preserve "face" or the self-image..

Under what conditions may a psychologist use deception in a study?

(a) Psychologists do not conduct a study involving deception unless they have determined that the use of deceptive techniques is justified by the study's significant prospective scientific, educational, or applied value and that effective nondeceptive alternative procedures are not feasible.

What is deceit in research?

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.

What is one of the guidelines for using deception in a research study?

Deception or incomplete disclosure should only be used when no reasonably effective, alternative methods are available to achieve the goals of the research. Only study procedures that involve minimal risks (as determined by the IRB) can include deception or incomplete disclosure.