Which ethical concept is most directly relevant to Solomon Asch's study on conformity, and why?

• A. Confidentiality, because the privacy of participants' responses was the primary concern.
• B. Deception, because participants were misled about the purpose of the study and the roles of other group members.
• C. Informed consent, because participants needed to be aware of the true nature and potential risks of the conformity experiment.
• D. Right to withdraw, because participants were required to stay until the end of the experiment.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the context of Solomon Asch's conformity study, which involved participants being placed in a group setting where confederates intentionally gave incorrect answers to observe if the participant would conform.
2. Step 2: Identify the ethical concepts listed: Confidentiality, Deception, Informed Consent, and Right to Withdraw, and consider their definitions and relevance to psychological research.
3. Step 3: Analyze why 'Deception' is particularly relevant: in Asch's study, participants were not fully informed about the true purpose of the experiment or the fact that other group members were confederates, which means they were misled.
4. Step 4: Contrast this with other ethical concepts: Confidentiality relates to privacy of data, Informed Consent requires participants to know the true nature of the study beforehand, and Right to Withdraw ensures participants can leave at any time; while important, these were not the primary ethical concerns highlighted in Asch's study.
5. Step 5: Conclude that 'Deception' is the most directly relevant ethical concept because the study's design involved deliberately misleading participants to maintain the integrity of the conformity investigation.