Illusions of Reality: A History of Deception in Social Psychology

James H. Korn

SUNY Press, Jan 1, 1997 - Psychology - 204 pages

Some psychologists think it is almost always wrong to deceive research subjects, while others think the use of deception is essential if significant human problems are to receive scientific study. Illusions of Reality shows how deception is used in psychological research to create illusions of reality--situations that involve research subjects without revealing the true purpose of the experiment. The book examines the origins and development of this practice that have lead to some of the most dramatic and controversial studies in the history of psychology.

Social psychology may be the only area of research where the research methods sometimes are as interesting as the results. The most impressive experiments in this field produce their impact by creating situations that lead research subjects to believe that they are taking part in something other than the true experiment, or situations where subjects are not even aware that an experiment is being conducted. These illusions of reality are created by using various forms of deception, such as providing false information to people about how they perform on tests or by using actors who play roles. The research described in Illusions of Reality includes significant and controversial experiments in the history of psychology that sometimes took on the characteristics of dramatic stage productions. The ethical issues raised by this research are discussed, and the practice of using deception in research is placed in the context of American cultural values.

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a fine book.

Contents

• Varieties of Deception: 1
• Deception in Strange Places: 2
• May I Watch You Urinate?: 3
• Defining Deception: 4
• The Significance of Deception in Research: 6
• Social Significance of the Research: 7
• Ethical Questions: 8
• Deception Is a Characteristic of American Culture: 9
• Deception in Other Social Sciences: 10
• A Sense of History: 11
• The Growth of Deception: 13
• 1921 to 1947: 18
• 19481989: 20
• Percent and Number of Articles Using Deception in Various Journals from 1948 to 1989: 23
• Social Psychology Becomes Experimental: 25
• Experimental Social Psychology: 28
• Lewins Legacy: 39
• Lewin in America: 43
• The Father of Deception: 49
• Military Deception: 55
• Assessment of Men: 56
• Stress and Deception in Military Research: 61
• The Ditching Situation: 62
• Three Threats to Life and Limb: 63
• Demolitions: 64
• Military Medicine: 66
• A Voice of Independence: 69
• Independence and Conformity: 70
• An Independent Voice: 77
• Leon Festinger The Seminal Theorist: 81
• The Seminal Theorist: 82
• Predissonance Years: 83
• Dissonance and the Shaping of Social Psychology: 85
• I: 89
• Prophecy and Privacy: 90
• The Festinger Family: 95
• Stanley Milgram and the Illusion of Obedience: 97
• Behavioral Study of Obedience: 98
• Revelation: 101
• Variations on a Theme: 103
• The Ethics of Obedience Research: 106
• II: 110
• The Stage Production Era: 113
• Directions for Deception: 114
• Ubiquitous Watergate: 117
• Ubiquitous Deception: 121
• Chemical Deception: 122
• Helping in False Emergencies: 127
• Aggression and Pleasuring: 131
• Life with Bogus Strangers: 133
• Into the Nineties: 134
• Questions of Right and Wrong: 137
• Informed Consent in Medicine and Law: 145
• The Deception Debate: 148
• Vulnerable Experimenters: 150
• Did Psychologists Break the Law?: 151
• The Albany Shock Experiments: 152
• The Pittsburgh Victims: 153
• Research Ethics in 1993: 156
• Deception in Psychology and American Culture: 159
• Con Men and Sitcoms: 160
• Popular Philosophy: 162
• Social Psychology and Academic Life: 164
• The Power of Positive Illusions: 171
• Acceptable Deception and Effective Illusions: 172
• Social Psychology as a Positive Force: 174
• Notes: 177
• References: 185
• Index: 201

About the author

James H. Korn is Professor in the Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, and Fellow of the American Psychological Association and of the American Psychological Society.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Illusions of Reality: A History of Deception in Social Psychology; Illusions of Reality: A History of Deception in Social Psychology
• Author: James H. Korn
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: SUNY Press, 1997
• ISBN: 0791433072, 9780791433072
• Length: 204 pages
• Subjects: Medical / Psychiatry / General; Psychology / General; Psychology / Social Psychology; Social Science / Sociology / General