title: Introduction to the special section on empirical underpinnings of the ethics of alcohol administration in research settings.
abstract: This article introduces the special section of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors that focuses on the ethics of administering alcohol to human research participants, particularly those with a history of alcohol abuse or dependence. It is argued that many assumptions underlying ethical decision making can be put to an empirical test. These assumptions involve the degree to which participants can understand and give informed consent as well as the types and magnitude of possible risks associated with consuming alcohol in a research setting. The research literature relevant to these assumptions is reviewed in this series.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA. brandont@moffitt.usf.edu
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Brandon
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lisman
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism; D003657:Decision Making; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006805:Human Experimentation; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent