I also was covering ethics today and a student asked a question about
debriefing. In an experiment like a drug trial where the participants
are not told whether they are getting the drug or getting the placebo
but is told they will be getting one or the other, is the researcher
required to reveal which group a participant was in after the conclusion
of the study IF that participant indicates he or she does not want to
know? My thought was, the fact that the participant does not want to
know suggests that telling them may do more harm than good. But, I
figured I'd check the collective wisdom of this list to see what other
had to say. --SLS, who would have preferred it if the student asked
about the minimum cage size that is legal for housing a rat ;-)
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+ _----_ Sherry L. Serdikoff, Ph.D., BCBA +
+ * * School of Psychology +
+ * O O * James Madison University +
+ * * MSC 7401 {)__(} +
+ *(. .)* Harrisonburg, VA 22807 (oo) +
+ \ / E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -o0o-=\/=-o0o- +
+ \/ Telephone: 540-568-7089 +
+ FAX Number: 540-568-3322 +
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