What ethical issue was raised in the Andrade study?

The Andrade study raised significant ethical concerns primarily due to the deception involved regarding the memory task requirements. In this research, participants were misinformed about the nature of the experiment. They were led to believe that they were engaging in a straightforward task while in truth, the study aimed to investigate the effects of doodling on memory performance. This deception is ethically problematic because it undermines the principle of informed consent—participants should be fully aware of what they are participating in to make an educated decision about their involvement.

This ethical issue highlights the importance of transparency in psychological research and raises discussions about the balance between obtaining valid results and ensuring that participants are fully informed about the research procedures and aims. Understanding these ethical dimensions helps reinforce the standards of conducting research responsibly within the field of psychology.