Forgoing Debriefing in Deceptive Research: Is It Ever Ethical?

Abstract

The use of deception in research is generally permitted so long as participants are debriefed at the conclusion of their participation. Several authoritative research ethics guidelines allow investigators to omit debriefing under certain circumstances, however. Here we examine various justifications for forgoing debriefing in deceptive research, including concerns about subject pool contamination, the risk that revealing the deception will be harmful or distressing to participants, and issues of practicability. We conclude that, contrary to current practice, omitting debriefing is ethically acceptable only when debriefing is impracticable, the deception is innocuous, and no reasonable person would object to involvement in the research.

Keywords:

• debriefing (experimental)
• deception
• informed consent

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The views expressed here are our own and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Bioethics, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Public Health Service, or the Department of Health and Human Services. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Clinical Center, NIH. We acknowledge Benjamin Chan, Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Barry Schwartz, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, and David Wendler for their helpful comments.

Notes

This article is not subject to U.S. copyright law.

¹What constitutes deception in research is a matter of considerable debate (see, e.g., Kemmelmeier, Davis, & Follette, 2003, for controversies), and several research ethicists distinguish different types of deception (e.g., lying vs. withholding information). In this article, we are chiefly concerned with false beliefs that interfere with informed consent. The U.S. federal regulations require that in order to give informed consent, participants must be told the purpose of the research, the procedures involved, and the risks and benefits of participating (Common Rule, 45 CFR 46 [5], 116[a], 1991). This article uses deception as shorthand for any communication that intentionally produces false beliefs in participants about one or more of these elements. This can be accomplished through outright misinforming participants or through withholding key information. Thus, researchers might deceive participants by concocting an elaborate cover story, by concealing relevant information about the procedures, or by providing a description of the research so vague that it misleads participants about the study's true purpose. Yet we would not consider it deceptive if researchers failed to inform participants about study hypotheses, treatment groups, or any information beyond what is required for informed consent.