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Why Pretend to Deceive?

University of Massachusetts at Boston

Campbell (1969) has suggested that one way of avoid ing the ethical problem created by deception is to announce to all members of a subject pool that some experiments will involve deception. This paper argues that Campbell's suggestion can be improved by identifying the experiments employing deception. Two basic ways of creating false impressions are examined. One (illusion) is cooperatively produced; the other (delusion) is imposed. Psychological research because of its public nature fails to meet the necessary requirements for successful delusion and overtly or covertly must rely on illusion. A policy of identifying experiments which require false impressions could in time earn psychology the reputation for honesty essential to sound practice.

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