Which ethical criterion requires that participants are informed about the study's nature and potential impacts?

The criterion that requires participants to be informed about the study's nature and potential impacts is informed consent. This ethical principle ensures that individuals voluntarily agree to participate in research after being fully informed about what the study entails, including its aims, methods, anticipated risks, and potential benefits. This process respects the autonomy of participants, allowing them to make an educated decision about their involvement.

Informed consent is crucial because it establishes a foundation of trust between researchers and participants. It also upholds ethical standards by ensuring that individuals are not misled or coerced into participation. While other concepts like deception, debriefing, and the right to withdraw are also important in ethical research practices, they do not specifically encompass the initial requirement of providing information necessary for participants to give their consent.

Deception might involve withholding specific details to maintain the integrity of the study, but participants must still be given the opportunity to withdraw their consent later. Debriefing occurs after the study to explain the purpose and to manage any misconceptions related to deception used during the research. The right to withdraw emphasizes that participants can exit the study at any time, but does not itself require prior information about the study’s nature. Thus, the correct answer highlights the foundational role of informed consent in ethical