Cover stories hide study purposes because informed participants would not act naturally

Evidence

Participants in social psychology studies are intelligent and inquisitive people who are responsive to what happens around them. Because of this, they are not always initially told the true purpose of a study. If they were told, they might not act naturally. Thus, researchers frequently need to be creative, presenting a credible rationale for complying with procedures, without revealing the study’s purpose. This rationale is known as a cover story, and is often an elaborate scenario. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4564

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘cover story’ — the standard deception device in social psychology experimentation.