Cognitive development and the understanding of informed consent

The informed consent process is an important criterion for all research studies. However, researchers rarely ask or even consider how many participants truly understand the informed consent information and their research rights. Currently, researchers base a participant’s ability to understand informed consent information and research rights on age. In the present study it was hypothesized that cognitive development is a predictor of ethical knowledge. Accordingly, it was argue d that a participant’s ability to understand informed consent and research rights should not be based on a participant’s age but instead on the participant’s cognitive development. Students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga completed the Inventory of Piaget’s Developmental Tasks and the Research Participants Bill of Rights measurement. Results demonstrated a positive correlation between cognitive development and ethical knowledge. Upon running a multiple regression, it was found that cognitive development is a predictor of ethical knowledge.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Pearse, Lindsey Elizabeth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Metzger, Richard L.
• Weathington, Bart L.; Ourth, Lester Lynn
• College of Arts and Sciences

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/362

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1502