Chapter 2 - Research Ethics

What is research ethics?

Principles and guidelines that determine how researchers should conduct research responsibly and protect participants

What are some major questions researchers must consider before conducting research?

Whether to use human or animal participants, how to acquire the sample, what ethical guidelines apply, and what the sample will look like

What is the Nuremberg Code?

A set of ethical principles for conducting research with human participants

What does the Nuremberg Code say about voluntary participation?

Participation must be completely voluntary, and participants must have the capacity to give consent.

What is informed consent?

Participants are given enough information about the purpose, procedures, risks, duration, and their rights to decide whether to participate.

What does informed consent say about withdrawal?

Participants have the right to decline or discontinue participation at any time.

What is minimal risk?

research risk is no greater what what a person experiences during their daily lives

What is the risk-benefit ratio?

Determining whether the potential benefits of the research justify the risks to participants.

What should researchers do to minimize harm?

Take steps to avoid unnecessary physical or psychological harm and provide proper protection and follow-up care

When should research be stopped?

If continuing becomes harmful or impossible, either the participant or researcher should be able to stop the experiment.

What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

A committee that reviews research proposals to determine whether the research is ethical and worth the risks.

What does an IRB evaluate?

Participant recruitment, informed consent, procedures, risks, and plans for protecting participants afterward.

What is the primary responsibility of the IRB and researcher?

Assessing the risk-to-benefit ratio of the study.

What must research proposals submitted to an IRB contain?

Accurate information about the proposed research.

What special protection is required for participants in subordinate positions?

They must have alternatives to participation without penalty.
Ex: A student can write a paper instead of participating.

When can informed consent be waived?

When research creates no stress or harm, such as certain anonymous surveys, normal classroom practices, or institutional research.

What is an excessive inducement?

An unreasonably large reward or payment that could pressure someone into participating.
Ex: $100/hour for a very simple task

When is deception allowed?

Only when no other reasonable alternative exists, and it should not be used when potential risk is high.

What is active deception?

Giving participants false or misleading information.
Ex: Telling participants a fake purpose for the study.

What is passive deception?

Withholding information or secretly observing/conditioning participants.
Ex: Secretly recording someone's behavior

What are some problems with deception?

Participants may feel duped, lose self-esteem, become suspicious of research, or experience effects from the deception.

What is perseverance?

the continued effects of deception after the study is over

What are three alternatives to deception

1. role playing

2. obtaining prior consent to deception

3. debriefing

What is role playing?

Fully informed participants are asked to act as if they experienced the experimental treatment.

What are the major ethical requirements for animal research?

Animals must be treated humanely, supervised by trained researchers, and protected from unnecessary pain, discomfort, infection, and illness

When are painful procedures with animals allowed?

Only when other methods are unavailable, with appropriate steps taken to minimize pain.

What are alternatives to using animals in research?

In vitro methods (using tissue samples instead of living animals) and computer simulation