Abstract
This study tested whether participants who deny knowledge about a study and agree to maintain confidentiality should be trusted. 75 female and 33 male undergraduates from a small, private university participated. Their ages ranged from 17 to 43 years (M = 19.9, SD = 2.8). Participants were given vital information about a problem-solving study by a confederate, then were asked on a questionnaire about possessing such information. Only 31% of informed participants gave that information. 69% did not indicate on the questionnaire they had been informed, which is a concern. After signing a confidentiality agreement, participants were asked by another confederate to share information. Although participants rarely gave information to the confederate, in a follow-up survey conducted after the study was complete, 46% admitted they gave information to others outside of the experimental setting, and 20% admitted they had heard information before they arrived to take part in the study.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.