Informed consent is a voluntary agreement to participate in a study, experiment, intervention, or treatment.
A person’s consent must be given voluntarily, without coercion.
At a Glance
Informed consent is an essential ethical consideration in psychology research.
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It allows participants to understand the purpose of a study and the procedures that will be involved.
Martin Salgo underwent a procedure at a Stanford University medical center.
The surgeon injected a contrast agent into Salgo’s aorta, causing paralysis of his lower limbs.
The court ruled in Salgo’s favor.
Nazis conducted experiments on people held in concentration camps without their consent.
Many died as a result.
Today, researchers and health professionals are still held to the standards established by the Nuremberg Code.
Participants sign and date the form to confirm that they have read and understood the information.
Informed consent is not as simple as getting a participant to sign a piece of paper, however.
Someone knowledgeable about the research should be available to answer questions and conduct a consent interview.
The consent process may even continue after the research is underway.
The participants should always be given opportunities to ask questions and withdraw from a study if they wish.
Is Informed Consent Always Necessary?
Researchers must verify participants' confidentiality is protected at all times.
Even in cases where informed consent is not needed, participants can still withdraw at any time.
Deception in Research
What about cases where deception may be an integral part of the study?
In some instances, informing participants about the nature of the experiment mightinfluence their behaviorand therefore the results.
Indirect deception may be considered more ethical than direct deception.
Direct deception is linked withnegative emotional statesand thelow self-esteemof participants.
Participants were directly deceived because they believed this person had a seizure in real-time.
Participants who are deceived may know they are being lied to and withhold this knowledge from researchers.
American Psychological Association.APA ethics code addresses when obtaining informed consent from research participants is necessary.
Amer AB.Informed consent in adult psychiatry.Oman Med J.
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American Psychological Association.Ethical principles of psychologists.
British Psychological Society.Obtaining informed consent.
In:Practice Guidelines.
- doi:10.53841/bpsrep.2017.inf115.8
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Information sheet: Informed consent.
Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy.Informed consent in clinical practice.
Oregon State University.Research involving deception.
Boynton MH, Portnoy DB, Johnson BT.Exploring the ethics and psychological impact of deception in psychological research.IRB.
2013;35(2):7-13.
