Social contract theory and the ethics of deception in consumer research
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Deception of research participants is a pervasive ethical issue in experimental consumer research. Content analyses find as many as three‐fourths of published human participant studies in our field involved some form of deception, almost all of which employed experimental methodologies. However, researchers have little guidance on the acceptability of the use of deception, notwithstanding the codes of root disciplines. We turn to theories of moral philosophy and use social contract theory specifically to identify conditions under which deception may be justified as morally permissible. Seven guiding principles for research practice are formulated and their implications for consumer researchers are identified, together with practical recommendations for decision making on studies involving deception.
Source: Journal of Consumer Psychology
Institutions: INSEAD, ESCP Business School, The University of Melbourne
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3125856289