Factors Influencing a Persons Reaction to Informed Consent

Abstract

The present study examined how social and physical demand characteristics influenced the willingness of 128 volunteer undergraduates to participate in a drug experiment. Subjects read an informed consent form about an experiment and then received different amounts of supplemental information about the study presented orally by a physician-confederate in a medical school setting. After making an initial decision about participation in the study, participants were tested for their comprehension about the experiment. All subjects who indicated an interest in the project were asked to attend a second meeting in the Psychology Department when they were asked if they wished to change their original decisions. Because high trust was placed in the physician-confederate, there were no differences, no effect for the differing oral presentations was found. However, a significant number of subjects changed their decisions to participate at the second session. The relationship of these and other findings to clinical research and practice were discussed.