PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF AN INFORMED-CONSENT PROCEDURE - AN EMPIRICAL-INVESTIGATION

Seventy-eight women and 46 men rated a hypothetical therapist describe d as either a paraprofessional (BA in English) or professional (PhD in psychology) with either less than 1 or greater than 9 years of experi ence. They received either a transcript containing a conversation abou t informed-consent issues accompanied by a written form or a control t ranscript with no informed-consent discussion. Participants gave highe r ratings to a therapist who used an informed-consent procedure and re ported more willingness to recommend him to a friend and to go to him themselves. They rated professionals who used informed consent as more expert and trustworthy than those who did not. They rated experienced therapists higher overall and as more expert than inexperienced thera pists.