Debriefing and Post-Experimental Procedures
Travis D. Clark, Ginette C. Blackhart · Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2023
The steps social and behavioral scientists take after the end of a study are just as important as the steps taken before and during it. The goal of this chapter is to discuss the practical and ethical considerations that should be addressed before participants leave the physical or virtual study space. We review several post-experimental techniques, including the debriefing, manipulation checks, attention checks, mitigating participant crosstalk, and probing for participant suspicion regarding the purpose of the study. Within this review, we address issues with the implementation of each post-experimental technique as well as best practices for their use, with an emphasis placed on prevention of validity threats and the importance of accurate reporting of the steps taken after the experiment ends. Finally, we emphasize the importance of continuing to develop and empirically test post-experimental practices, with suggestions for future research.