Debates on the Use of Deception in Psychology Research

Year 2023, Volume: 43 Issue: 3, 367 - 392, 25.12.2023

Ayşe Tuna

https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2021-985973

Abstract

Deception is often used in scientific research as it is thought to contribute to the research process. Deception basically occurs when participants are given false or incomplete information about the purpose, content, or processes of a study. The most common types of deception involve giving false feedback about performance, including a participant in a study without their knowledge, not providing information or giving false information about the measurement tools being used, and giving false information about the roles of other people in a study. Deception is frequently used in psychology studies, especially in social psychology. Researchers use deception in subjects such as prosocial behaviors, conformity, and social dilemmas to determine participants’ instant reactions removed from social desirability and to measure behaviors in their form closest to social reality. However, deception raises questions about ethics, methodology, scientific and professional repute, and trust in researchers. The most critical ethical concern is that a researcher may cause physiological or psychological harm to participants, even if said researcher has no such intention. Discussions on methodology have focused on the ability of the use of deception to harm the participant pool and of deception to affect a participant’s future responses and reactions and on how studies that use deception are less reproducible. These debates are not only based on ethics and methodology. Deception is also thought to be able to damage trust in scientists and psychologists. Hence, researchers are recommended to use deception only as a last resort. The essential purpose of this article is to draw attention to the risks of deception and what precautions can be taken against these risks. Deception is currently considered an indispensable part of scientific research processes. Indeed, for some studies to not use deception is practically impossible based on the subject and content. In such a context, if a study that is to be conducted plans to use deception, benefit would be had in thinking about the risks of deception and in planning what can be done to eliminate risks so as to prevent any possible negative consequences.

Keywords

deception, deception and ethics, deception and methodology, consequences of deception

Psikoloji Araştırmalarında Aldatma Kullanımı Üzerine Tartışmalar

Abstract

Araştırma süreçlerine katkı sağlayacağı düşünülerek bilimsel araştırmalarda sıklıkla aldatma kullanılır. Aldatma en temelde katılımcılara çalışmanın amacı, içeriği veya süreçleri ile ilgili yanlış veya eksik bilgi verilmesi şeklinde gerçekleşir. En sık kullanılan türleri, performans hakkında sahte geri bildirim verme, katılımcıyı bilgisi olmadan çalışmaya dahil etme, kullanılan ölçüm araçları hakkında bilgi vermeme veya sahte bilgi verme ve çalışmadaki diğer kişilerin rolleri hakkında sahte bilgi vermedir. Sosyal psikoloji alt alanı başta olmak üzere, psikoloji çalışmalarında da aldatma yönteminden faydalanılır. Katılımcıların sosyal istenirlikten uzak, anlık tepkilerinin belirlenebilmesi ve davranışın sosyal gerçekliğe en yakın şekli ile ölçülebilmesi amacıyla araştırmacılar olumlu sosyal davranışlar, uyma, sosyal ikilemler gibi konularda aldatma kullanır. Bununla birlikte aldatma etik, yöntemsel, bilimin/mesleğin itibarı ve araştırmacılara güven konusunda bazı soru işaretlerini barındırır. Araştırmacının böyle bir amacı olmasa da katılımcılara fizyolojik veya psikolojik zarar vermesi en mühim etik endişedir. Yöntem üzerine yürütülen tartışmalarda, aldatma kullanımının katılımcı havuzuna zarar vereceği, aldatmanın katılımcının gelecekteki yanıtlarını/tepkilerini etkileyeceği ve aldatma kullanılan çalışmaların daha az tekrarlanabilir olması üzerine odaklanılmıştır. Tartışmalar yalnızca etik ve yöntem temelli değildir. Aldatma kullanımının aynı zamanda bilim insanlarına, psikologlara yönelik güveni de zedeleyeceği düşünülmektedir. Bu nedenle araştırmacıların “son çare” olarak aldatma kullanmaları önerilmektedir. Bu makalenin en temel amacı aldatmanın barındırabileceği riskler ve bu risklere karşı hangi önlemlerin alınabileceği konusuna dikkat çekmektir. Günümüzde aldatma, bilimsel araştırma süreçlerinin olmazsa olmaz bir parçası olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Nitekim bazı çalışmalarda konu ve içeriğe bağlı olarak aldatma kullanmamak neredeyse imkansızdır. Böyle bir bağlamda, yürütülecek bir çalışmada aldatma kullanılması planlanıyorsa aldatmanın riskleri üzerine düşünmek, riskleri ortadan kaldırabilmek için neler yapılabileceğini planlamak, olası olumsuz sonuçların önüne geçmek için faydalı olacaktır.

Keywords

Aldatma, aldatma ve etik, aldatma ve yöntem, aldatmanın sonuçları

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