Question

Consider the following experiment. Each participant interacted for an hour with another person who was actually a research confederate (an actor working for the researcher). The confederate either presented herself as similar or dissimilar to the participant. After this interaction, both persons agreed to return 1 week later for another session with each other. When the real participants returned, they were falsely informed that the person they had met the week before had died. The researchers then compared how long the participant spent viewing a picture of the “deceased” depending on whether the person had presented as similar or dissimilar to them. The participant was never told that the reported death was untrue.

Write a hypothesis that is tested in this study.

Discuss the ethical issues raised in the experiment.

What would you recommend the experimenters do to protect the participants and minimize risk of harm?

Answer 1

Null Hypothesis- The amount of time spent by the participant in viewing the picture of the research confederate will have no relationship with the degree of similarity or dissimilarity between them and the confederate.

Alternate Hypothesis- The amount of time spent by the participant in viewing the picture of the research confederate will have no relationship with the degree of similarity or dissimilarity between them and the confederate.

Ethical Issues- This experiment is unethical in nature as the participants are given false information about the death of a person whom they met one week back. This clearly violates the APA ethical code which says that deception should only be used when it is absolutely necessary, and this deception in a research should not result in physical pain or emotional distress to the subject.

Recommendation - The method of the study needs to be changed, the participants should not be falsely told that the person they met the previous week had died, as this would be an unethical study.