A research study offers elderly men who have, in the past, been prison inmates $1,500 for participation in an all-day workshop at which they agree to be hypnotized and tell stories of incarceration, which are later published

Question

The research participants are allowed to listen to the tapes of what they say under hypnosis and to withdraw permission to use any part of the information. Why is this scenario a violation of self-determination?
a. Allowing participants to withdraw permission to use part of the research information violates the study integrity and represents deception.
b. It is an example of coercion.
c. Prisoners are a vulnerable population and should not be used as research subjects.
d. What is said under hypnosis may not be true.

Answer 1

ANS: B
The right to self-determination is based on the ethical principle of respect for persons. This principle holds that because humans are capable of self-determination, or controlling their own destiny, they should be treated as autonomous agents who have the freedom to conduct their lives as they choose without external controls. A subject's right to self-determination can be violated through the use of (1) coercion, (2) covert data collection, and (3) deception. Coercion occurs when an overt threat of harm or excessive reward is intentionally presented by one person to another to obtain his or her compliance. In the example, offering elderly men $1,500 for one day could be considered offering an excessive reward: therefore, it is an act of coercion violating the human right to self-determination.