At the conclusion of a laboratory experiment investigating the impact of performance anxiety on cognitive processing speed, participants were given the following debriefing statement:
'The testing phase is now complete. We have successfully recorded your scores on the math and logic puzzles. Thank you for participating in this research. Do you have any general questions about the session today?'
During the experiment, participants had been subjected to deception: they were given pre-programmed, false negative feedback (specifically being told they scored in the bottom 15% of the population, regardless of their actual performance) in order to induce temporary performance anxiety.
Suggest two additional points that should be added to this debriefing statement to ensure the ethical treatment of the participants. For each point, explain why it is necessary in the context of this study.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
