Misinformation in Political Science

The American Political Science Association recently cautioned against the use of 'misinformation' (giving research participants false information about the state of the world) in research with human subjects. This recommendation signals a growing recognition, as experimental research itself grows in prevalence in political science, that deceptive practices pose ethical problems. But what is problematic about misinformation in particular? I argue that while this question certainly has an ethical dimension, misinformation is bad for inference too. Misinformation moves us away from answering questions about the political world effectively. I discuss a straightforward solution to this twofold problem: tell the truth. Researchers can overcome many of the ethical and inferential pitfalls of experimental research by giving their participants information that they could encounter in the actual world.