Preserving the ethical propriety of statistical devices

C. D. Herrera (1996) introduced an innovative argument against the use of deception in psychological research. In essence, Herrera contended that because of the presumed problems with null hypothesis statistical testing, researchers could not justify their continued use of deception in research. Although this is an interesting argument, there are several alternative perspectives that must be considered. In examining these alternatives, the author concluded that psychologists may continue to use deception under certain circumstances outlined in the American Psychological Association's ethical code of conduct.