I think that the topic of the usage of deception is quite controversial due to the ambiguity and vast opportunities for interpretation of what is considered “harmful” to an individual. What circumstances may seem as safe and harmless to one person, may be devastating or debilitating to others. Who exactly is the arbitrator of these decisions and what makes them qualified? If we have learned one thing over the last few years, it may be that not everyone seems to view science from the same perspective. We can hope that those who administer research studies have their ethics and moral compass pointing in the right direction, but history has demonstrated the contrary in previous studies such as the Little Albert Experiment (infant behavior study), the Milgram Experiment (electric shocks as punishment), the Stanford Prison Experiment (participants took on the roles of guards or prisoners) and the now infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study which involved the denial of syphilis treatment to African-American males in Alabama from 1932 until 1972.

Back in the 1920’s, I don’t think there was as much of a concern over the ethics of studies with children such as the “The Little Albert Experiment” where a young infant was conditioned to fear specific animals (Cheezy, 2010). I can only speak from my personal experience of having parents who were born in the 30’s and raised me in the 60’s and 70’s, where corporal punishment was often the norm at home and in some schools. Corporal punishment has been used in both secular and religious educational systems in many societies in past centuries, up until recently (Baron, 2005). What was considered an acceptable method of treating children years ago is no longer. I am pretty confident that while this type of experiment and relative study was acceptable at the time, today this would be considered child abuse and/or child endangerment.

I think even though some experiments from the past or current day, can be considered unethical despite the rewards of such studies. This is where the common debate of “just because we can do something, should we” might continue (Epstein, 2022). To go down a bit of a darker path consider the following. Even though people perform evil actions or questionable behavior, whether as the researcher or the participant, how does the science advance to recognize or prevent such actions? Experimentation and studies are a necessary, evil determined by current culture, society, and our current morality police.

I would hope that today, researchers would have more of a plan to effectively and thoroughly defuse whatever fear or anxiety that would be introduced to the participants from the experiment. Additionally, this study seems quite weak in that there was only one child participant. Perhaps more participants would broaden the sample of the study. Other criteria such as age, gender and prior exposure to animals or sounds would play a role in the outcome of this type of experimentation. Different breeds of whatever animal species could also affect the outcomes, as a large Doberman Pincher might be a bit more aggressive towards a child than say a diminutive Teacup Terrier.

I think we often personally justify some level of deception if it appears to be for the greater good of humanity, society, nature, or other select demographics. However, when it comes to us or someone close to us, becoming the object of such deception for the greater good, do we still look at the deception as acceptable? Realizing that allowing some transparency will possibly taint the results, I feel that there needs to be some level of honesty, preferably beforehand and definitely afterward if we are to expect and respect people to be future participants in any studies or experiments. Otherwise, people will continue to lose trust in those administering the research studies and make their own adjustments as perceived necessary or simply choose not to participate to begin with. These options seem readily apparent in the current day as some parents feel that their children were unwilling participants in their children’s education, having been severely interrupted or compromised during the COVID-19 pandemic. This event could be viewed as a mass case study or research experiment where there may have been no clear plan or protocols in place previously to determine what may be considered deceptive, harmful, or maybe even abusive to those involved. I feel that much time and further research will help us to better determine if the deception was justified and at what cost mentally and physically.

References:

Baron, J. H. (2005). Corporal punishment of children in England and the United States: current issues. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, New York, 72(1), 45–46.

Cheezy, John. “The Little Albert Experiment.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 June 2010,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBfnXACsOI

Epstein, D. (2022, June 4). Medical Futility: Just Because We Can Do Something. . .Should We? SoMeDocs: Doctors on Social Media. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://doctorsonsocialmedia.com/medical-futility-just-because-we-can-do-something-should-we/

Rahwan, Z., Fasolo, B. & Hauser, O.P. Deception about study purpose does not affect participant behavior. Sci Rep 12, 19302 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21972-0

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