Deception
Definition
In psychology, deception refers to the act of misleading or lying to participants about the true purpose or nature of a study.
Analogy
Think of deception as a magician's trick. The magician may tell you they're going to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but in reality, they've already hidden the rabbit inside. Just like the magician, researchers sometimes need to hide their true intentions so that participants' responses are genuine and not influenced by what they think is expected.
Related terms
Covert Observation: This is when research participants are unaware that they're being observed for a study. It's another form of deception used in psychological research.
Demand Characteristics: These are cues that inform participants about what is expected from them which can influence their behavior during an experiment. Deception can help minimize these characteristics.
Informed Consent: This is an ethical requirement where participants must be fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in research before participating. However, in cases involving deception, full information cannot be provided upfront.
"Deception" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (20+)
- What ethical issue surrounds using deception in psychological research?
- In psychological research, why is the use of deception considered ethically problematic?
- Why is deception sometimes used in psychological studies?
- According to APA guidelines, when can deception be allowed in psychological studies?
- What is the primary ethical concern when conducting research involving deception in psychology?
- Which scenario best represents an ethical breach regarding deception as per APA guidelines?
- How have ethical standards in psychology evolved regarding the issue of deception?
- What is a significant ethical concern regarding deception in psychological studies?
- Why can deception potentially be considered unethical in psychological studies on neuroplasticity?
- Why might using deception in a psychological study raise ethical concerns?
- Which ethical principle may be violated when a researcher uses deception in a classical conditioning experiment?
- Under which condition could deception possibly be justified in psychological studies involving memory?
- What does deception imply in terms of ethics when conducting psychology experiments on encoding?
- Which ethical concern is most likely to arise when a psychologist fails to inform a participant about the use of deception in an experiment?
- How does deception, when not justified by significant scientific or humanitarian value, breach ethics in psychology?
- Which ethical principle may potentially conflict when a psychologist uses deception while conducting research on adolescent development?
- Why is it ethically important for psychologists studying memory loss in elderly individuals to avoid any form of deception?
- What ethical concern is most closely associated with conducting psychological experiments involving deception?
- Why might using deception in psychological research be ethically problematic?
- According to APA guidelines, when is deception permissible in psychological research?
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