Differential recall of consent information and parental decisions about enrolling children in research studies.

In the present simulation research, the authors examined the relations between the type of information that low-income parents (N = 116) recalled from informed-consent materials and their hypothetical decision to enroll a child in a clinical study. The authors gave parents or guardians of Head Start children information about a medical protocol involving high risk and significant potential benefit to child participants. Differential recall of the various categories of information (procedures, benefits, risks and costs, rights, and other) showed that relative to all consent information conveyed to them, participants recalled most about procedures and least about their child's rights as a study participant. Relative to their own recall, they also recounted most about procedures, slightly more about benefits than risks, and least about research rights. The pattern of recall differed among those who agreed to enroll and those who declined. The ratio of recalled risks to benefits predicted enrollment decisions.