Informed Consent and Perceptions of Risk and Harm in Survey

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

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Abstract

Researchers have an obligation to inform participants in research of the risks of harm to which they may be exposed as well as of any potential benefits, and to do so in ways that facilitate comprehension of the information presented. This project uses laboratory research, Web-based experiments, tests of informed consent statements with representative samples of the population, and a validation survey to answer the questions such as the following: What risk of disclosure is the public willing to accept? Is disclosure of some kinds of information considered more harmful than others? Are some intruders into the data perceived as more harmful than others? Do people perceive relationships between expected risk of harm on the one hand, and magnitude of harm and likelihood of disclosure on the other, in a manner consistent with the mathematical implications of those terms? How can researchers accurately inform participants about disclosure risks without unnecessarily deterring their participation? Our formulation of these research questions will be guided by the findings of the Project investigating statistical disclosure risks and limitations.