Ch 7: Ethics in Research

IRB

institutional review boards

what is the task of the irb?

review all planned studies in advance in order to protect the participants from possible harm and preserve participants’ rights and welfare

what is the goal of the irb?

protect human subjects

what is not the irb’s job?

to make sure the research contributes to science

what is the irb not used for?

animal research

what review board is used for research?

animal care & use committee (iacuc)

irb procedure

• review the plan of the study

• can require changes

• careful attention to the consent form (participants must be informed about the nature of the study and potential risks)

• monitors progress at least once a year

what are principles the irb will look out for?

informed consent and confidentiality

informed consent

all individuals who are participants in a study must give their informed consent before data are collected

confidentiality

all individuals data must be kept confidential

how do journals incentivize adherence to ethics?

may formally require an explicit mention of human-participants issues

how does federal funding incentivize adherence to ethics?

grant-funding agencies like national science foundation (nsf) or national institutes of health (nih) require adherence to these principles

informed

participants must be informed in advance about:

• the nature of the study

• any risk of harm it may bring

consent

participants must consent, usually in writing, and must be capable of giving consent

legally capable (consent)

they have to be old enough to consent themselves (18+ in the US)

cognitively capable (consent)

they must be cognitively capable of consent (you often cannot ethically get consent from adults who don’t understand what you’re saying to them)

confidentiality is not the same as what?

anonymity

true or false: anonymity is rare in statistical studies

true

anonymity

participants are anonymous

all participants must give their ____________ ____________ before taking part

informed consent

all information about individuals participants must be kept ________________

confidential

deception is allowed only when it is ______________ to the study, does not hide information that might influence a participant’s ________________ to participate, and is explained to participants as soon as possible

necessary, willingness