Debriefing

Debriefing is the process of explaining to research participants the general purpose of the research in which they have participated and answering questions they may have. It involves providing participants with the opportunity to obtain information about the nature of the study and the manipulations that were employed and correcting any misconceptions they may have. This entry looks at the reasons for debriefing and the steps taken during debriefing.

Both 45 CFR part 46, which are federal regulations dealing with the protection of human subjects, and the American Psychological Association require a debriefing when deception, either in the form of providing misleading information or failing to provide complete information, has been employed in a study. Although a debriefing is typically undertaken in a face-to-face interaction between the researcher and the participant, written debriefings may be employed in research that is conducted online. A thorough debriefing allows the investigator to identify any suspicions a participant may have about the research, including correctly guessing the hypotheses under investigation, as well as to explain any deception that was employed and ensure that the participant exits the research feeling as well as she or he did when entering.

When deception has been employed in a study, the careful researcher will want to determine whether participants have “figured out” the true purpose of the research and correctly guessed the researcher’s hypotheses. The debriefing allows the researcher to begin by asking participants if they have heard about the study from others or if they have suspicions about how the study was represented to them. The researcher may also query participants about specific manipulations that were critical parts of the methodology to determine whether they were understood as intended.

[Page 467]Participants may be invited to ask questions about the research and to assess their feelings about and reactions to their participation. This portion of the debriefing provides the researcher with important information that may dictate whether the data provided by the participant are useful. If the participant has not deduced the true purpose of the research and did not fail to be misled by the deception, then the data are most likely free of subject reactivity and may be included in the data set for subsequent analysis.

After assessing participants’ perceptions of the study, the debriefing then discloses the true purpose of the research, including the hypotheses under investigation and any deception that was employed, and explains why deception was necessary. Deception is typically employed when the researcher is concerned that participants will not respond truthfully in the research situation. For example, if the researcher is interested in behavioral manifestations of prejudice and discloses this to the participant, it is likely that the participant will behave in a way so as to engender a favorable impression, that is, in a way to appear nonprejudiced. The researcher must mislead the participant about the true purpose of the study so that the participant will not try to manage an impression. This may be the only way to obtain valid information about prejudicial behavior.

When deception is used in research, the researcher is obligated to disclose any deceptive information that was provided to the participant or to provide any information that was withheld. Deliberately deceptive information would include being told that the investigator was measuring one behavior, when in fact he or she was measuring another. Withheld or incomplete information would be when the investigator fails to tell the participant that the purpose of the study is to investigate prejudice.

...