Reference no: EM133263997

This study is designed to assess the sexual behaviors of adults diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The investigators plan to recruit individuals who currently have an STD diagnosis. They will contact people aged 18 - 45 whose names are on a list provided by a local doctor to participate in the study. Participants will be told that the study is designed to assess people's group decision-making abilities. Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires about personal topics, such as their health, sexual behaviors, diet and exercise. They will then be placed in a room with a pair of confederates and an experimenter in a white coat, under the premise of engaging in a group decision-making task. During the decision-making task the confederates will begin a discussion about their sexual activities. The confederates will ask the participant increasingly personal questions about his or her sexual activities. If participants are hesitant to engage in discussion, the experimenter in the white coat will remind them that it is imperative that they continue their discussion to make sure they work as a team to finish the decision-making task. The session will be videotaped without the participant's knowledge and the tapes will later be coded for information participants provide about their sexual behaviors. To be able to match the tapes with the questionnaires, researchers will put the names of the participants on the tapes as well as the questionnaires. 

1. Do you think the study has scientific merit and, if so, does the potential gain in knowledge outweigh the possible risks to participants?
2. Are participants sufficiently informed about the study in advance to decide if they want to participate? If deception is used, is it necessary and are participants adequately debriefed?
3. Are privacy and confidentiality guaranteed?