What is a deception study?
As a participant, you may encounter studies that use deception as part of their research design. Here's what you need to know.
A deception study is one where researchers intentionally withhold or misrepresent certain information about the study. This might include:
Being told you're interacting with another participant when you're actually communicating with an AI bot
Being told the study is about one topic (like marketing) when it's actually about something else (like discrimination)
Being told about potential bonus payments that may not be real (though researchers should only do this when necessary, when it is part of the study design)
Your consent matters
Before you can be invited to a deception study, you must have indicated that you're comfortable participating in such studies. Researchers use a prescreener to ensure only willing participants are invited. However, you won't be able to tell which studies involve deception beforehand.
Your privacy is protected
Deception studies cannot collect your personally identifiable information without you knowing, even if researchers won't use it. For more information on our policy about studies collecting personal information, see Personal information in studies.
You'll be debriefed
At the end of any deception study, researchers must provide a thorough explanation of the study's true purpose. Depending on the nature of the study, you may also receive:
Support information if the study dealt with sensitive topics
Another opportunity to withdraw your consent for your data to be used
For more information, see Can I run studies that deceive participants?