Debrief: what should researchers do?

• A. Researchers should discuss the aims of the research with the participants and ensure they know how they've contributed to meeting the aims.
• B. Debriefing should be avoided to protect data.
• C. Debriefing should reveal the exact hypotheses to all participants.
• D. Debriefing is optional and may be skipped.

Answer: (A)

Debriefing is the step after a study where researchers explain what the study was about and help participants make sense of their involvement. The key idea is to leave participants with a clear understanding of the aims and how their actions contributed to meeting those aims. This promotes transparency, reduces potential confusion or distress, and allows researchers to address any misconceptions or concerns. It also gives participants information about their rights and contact details in case they have questions or want to withdraw their data.

That’s why discussing the aims and showing how participants’ contributions connected to those aims is the best approach. Debriefing should not be avoided or skipped, and while it’s appropriate to reveal the true aims, simply stating every hypothesis to all participants isn’t the point if deception was used and needs careful handling.