Alcam of sports psychologists is investigating the effects of different reinforcement.schedules an alhletes' performance one melivatisan. They plan to recruit high school athletes from va-kue teams lo participete in the atudy.Which ethical consideration shou Id researchers prioritize when recruiting high athictes for their research? A Deceive pollicipants about the stick's true purpose in order ta reduce response bias B Ostain informed assant from the adjules and infarmed consent from their parents (C) Difer financial ir pentiwes to encourage participat an among high-school attictes D Restrict the stury in only; athleves already famila:with reinforcement schedules

The correct answer is **B. Obtain informed assent from the athletes and informed consent from their parents.**<br /><br />Here's why:<br /><br />* **Informed Assent (Athletes):** Since high school students are minors, they cannot legally give consent. However, researchers must obtain their *assent*, meaning they must agree to participate after being informed about the study in a way they can understand. This includes explaining the purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits of the research.<br />* **Informed Consent (Parents):** Because the athletes are minors, their parents or legal guardians must provide *informed consent* for their participation. This means the parents must be fully informed about the study and give their permission for their child to participate.<br /><br />Why the other options are incorrect:<br /><br />* **A. Deceive participants:** Deceiving participants is generally considered unethical in research, except in very specific circumstances where deception is absolutely necessary for the study's validity and alternative methods are not available. Even then, debriefing afterward is crucial. In this case, there's no reason to deceive the athletes.<br />* **C. Offer financial incentives:** While small incentives are sometimes permissible, offering substantial financial incentives to high school students can be considered coercive, especially if the incentive is large enough to influence their decision to participate against their better judgment or their parents' wishes.<br />* **D. Restrict the study:** Restricting the study to athletes already familiar with reinforcement schedules might introduce bias into the sample and limit the generalizability of the findings. The researchers are likely interested in the effects of reinforcement schedules on a broader population of high school athletes.<br />