Deck 3: The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

Question 1

Ethical obligations to one's colleagues in the scientific community

A)require that technical shortcomings and failures of the study be revealed.
B)encourage researchers to ignore negative findings.
C)encourage researchers to describe their findings as the product of a carefully preplanned analytical strategy.
D)require researchers to report only the positive discoveries.
E)encourage researchers to insert their personal views into the research

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Ethical issues are distinguished from political issues in research in that

A)ethics deals more with the substance of research.
B)politics deals more with the methods of research.
C)there are no formal codes of accepted political conduct whereas there are codes of ethical conduct.
D)formal political codes of conduct are being revised to reflect ethical codes of conduct.
E)ethical issues and political issues are synonymous in the research process.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The main reason that codes of ethics exist are that

A)ethical issues are both important and ambiguous.
B)both the state and federal governments require them.
C)researchers would be both unwilling and unable to make ethical decisions without them.
D)the directors of the professional associations require and enforce them.
E)people are naturally unethical.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Josephine is a student at Consolidated Community College and is planning to do a study on how eating disorders affect academic performance.Who must review her research before it can be done?

A)the federal government
B)the state government
C)the American Sociological Association
D)the Institutional Review Board
E)coworkers

Question 5

Tara asks you "What constitutes informed consent in social research?" You tell Tara

A)it refers to the voluntary participation of the subject.
B)it refers to no harm to subjects.
C)it refers to the assurance that all information will be kept confidential.
D)it refers to the combination of no harm to subjects and the assurance that participation is voluntary.
E)it refers to the combination of no harm to subjects and the assurance that all information will be kept confidential.

Question 6

The primary ethical research issue raised by the Milgram study was

A)the willingness of people to harm others when "following orders" required it.
B)the administration of electrical shocks to the pupils.
C)the effects of the methods on the pupils.
D)the effects of the methods on the teacher.
E)the examination of obedience as a topic for study.

Question 7

Ethics in social research

A)is defined as general agreements shared by researchers as to what is proper and improper in the conduct of scientific inquiry.
B)may stem from religious, political, and pragmatic sources among others.
C)may vary from one social research community to another.
D)may vary from one point in time to another.
E)all of these choices are correct.

Question 8

Which of the following was NOT suggested by Kathleen McKinney as a way to ensure the right to privacy in doing research on sex?

A)anonymous surveys
B)anonymous interviews
C)disguising the person or group being studied
D)reporting data at the group level
E)All of these choices were suggested by Kathleen McKinney.

Question 9

Jenny agreed to participate in a study of friendship patterns.During the study she was asked to name her three best friends.Jenny could not think of anyone to name.She felt awful because she suddenly realized that she had no friends.This research most clearly demonstrates the ethical problem of

A)deception.
B)no harm to participants.
C)voluntary participation.
D)the value placed on anonymity.
E)value-free reports of the data.

Question 10

The distinction between the ethics and politics of social research is that

A)politics deals mostly with the methods employed while ethics deals mostly with the substance and use of research.
B)politics has an established code of conduct while ethics does not.
C)politics is more important.
D)ethics deals mostly with the methods employed while politics deals mostly with the substance and use of research.
E)the ideology is different.

Question 11

The lack of intrusion of the researcher's own political position on research is called

A)value-free research.
B)anonymity.
C)confidentiality.
D)the identity of the researcher.
E)deception.

Question 12

Professor Winer sent a mail questionnaire to 2,000 subjects.Winer told subjects that their responses would be anonymous.After the first mailing,400 completed surveys were returned.For a second follow-up mailing,Winer should mail

A)2,000 questionnaires.
B)1,000 questionnaires.
C)400 questionnaires.
D)1,600 questionnaires.
E)50 questionnaires.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is NOT found in the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices?

A)We shall maintain the right to approve the release of our findings, whether or not ascribed to us.
B)We shall select research tools and methods of analysis because of their special capacity to yield a desired conclusion.
C)We shall protect the anonymity of every respondent, unless the respondent waives such anonymity for specified uses.
D)We shall not knowingly imply that interpretations should be accorded greater confidence than the data actually warrant.
E)All of these choices are cited in the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices.

Question 14

Trained as a lawyer,Charles decides to do research on the lawyer-client relationship.He wants to examine the patterns of interaction between lawyers and their clients.He asks for your advice on the ethical issues involved in doing social research.You tell Charles

A)there are no ethical problems involved in social research.
B)his legal training has prepared him for the ethical issues that social scientists confront in doing social research.
C)he will need to learn about the ethical standards used by social scientists in doing social research.
D)social science research ethics are identical to the ethical standards used by lawyers.
E)if he had gone to a better law school, he would not need to do this research.

Question 15

When names are removed from questionnaires and are replaced with identification numbers so that only the researcher can later link a response to a particular name,the researcher should tell the respondent that the information is

A)anonymous.
B)confidential.
C)anonymous and confidential.
D)harmless.
E)safe.

Question 16

Professor Johnson is conducting a study of the drinking behaviors of college students.She intends to follow the students throughout their college career,beginning with her introductory class.The survey is a graded part of the midterm and final exams that she gives.The students are given informed consent forms to sign,and the professor assures confidentiality.What ethical problem is present in her project?

A) no harm to participants.
B) voluntary participation.
C) value-free reports of data.
D) deception.
E) value placed on anonymity.

Question 17

Which of the following techniques of data collection is MOST likely to make a guarantee of anonymity difficult?

A)interviews
B)mailed questionnaires
C)secondary data analysis
D)unobtrusive measures
E)The data collection technique does not affect the guarantee of anonymity.

Question 18

Which of the following could potentially be harmful to subjects?

A)responding about everyday behavior
B)asking them to sign an informed consent form
C)asking them to identify their deviant behavior
D)ensuring their anonymity in the final report
E)debriefing them about their participation afterwards

Question 19

Sally,a conflict theorist,and Ralph,a structural functionalist,decide to set their personal values and views to the side for the duration of a joint research project.By setting aside their personal values and views they are most clearly trying to

A)avoid harming subjects.
B)behave ethically.
C)maximize any political findings.
D)enhance their intersubjectivity.
E)assure their right to privacy.

Question 20

The ethical issue of voluntary participation is most closely related to which one of the following?

A)analysis and reporting
B)deception
C)anonymity
D)informed consent
E)IRB boards

Question 21

Debriefing is particularly helpful in responding to which ethical issue?

A)confidentiality
B)voluntary participation
C)analysis and reporting
D)deception
E)informed consent

Question 22

A researcher performs an experiment that involves the subjects viewing violent images on television.Afterwards the researcher talks in-depth to each of the subjects to find out if any psychological harm was done.This procedure is known as

A)anonymity.
B)debriefing.
C)follow-up.
D)privacy.
E)interview.

Question 23

Serving as an expert witness:

A)is something all researchers should do.
B)carries more ethical implications than political implications.
C)carries more political implications than ethical implications.
D)is something that researchers should never do.
E)violates confidentiality and anonymity.

Question 24

In which of the following research designs is the lying of participants a particularly common problem?

A) surveys.
B) laboratory experiments
C) field experiments.
D) field research.
E) natural experiments

Question 25

What should have Laud Humphrey have done in his "Trouble in the Tearoom" study to uphold ethical standards?

A)debriefed subjects
B)allowed subjects to decline to be studied
C)remained nonpolitical
D)promised confidentiality
E)revealed his identity

Question 26

Bernetta did a study in which she,the researcher,could not identify a given response with a given respondent.She employed:

A)anonymity.
B)deception.
C)value free research.
D)confidentiality.
E)informed consent.

Question 27

Who serves on Institutional Review Boards?

A)students
B)study participants
C)legislators
D)faculty members
E)university president and administration

Question 28

The main ethical issue in Laud Humphreys' study of homosexuals was

A)inaccurate reporting of results.
B)anonymity.
C)deception.
D)confidentiality.
E)the topic itself.

Question 29

What was the major ethical concern that plagued Zimbardo's Prison Experiment?

A)privacy
B)confidentiality
C)political
D)psychological harm to subjects
E)debriefing

Question 30

Debbie did an experiment and was particularly concerned that her subjects base their voluntary participation on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.This is an example of:

A)a code of ethics.
B)an Institutional Review Board.
C)informed consent.
D)deception.
E)confidentiality.

Question 31

The norm of voluntary participation threatens which aspect of the research process the most?

A)Operationalization
B)Theory
C)data analysis
D)Generalizability
E)writing a report

Question 32

The only partial exception to the lack of political norms is the generally accepted view that

A)governments should not dictate codes of ethics.
B)a researcher's personal political orientation should not interfere with or influence the research.
C)politics should not be discussed in social research because no one can agree on what should be done.
D)professional associations should incorporate more about politics in their codes of ethics.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT one of the four main claims Babbie makes regarding the link between politics and social research?

A)Science is not untouched by politics.
B)Science does proceed in the midst of political controversy and hostility.
C)Scientists should look to politicians for research projects.
D)Awareness of ideological considerations enriches social research.
E)Researchers can participate in public debates, expressing both their scientific expertise and personal values.

Question 34

The main ethical issue in Stanley Milgram's study on obedience (electric shocks)was

A)voluntary participation.
B)inaccurate reporting of results.
C)confidentiality.
D)no harm to participants.
E)no debriefing given.

Question 35

Social research and politics have been particularly controversially intertwined in what area?

A)racial relations
B)school violence
C)family violence
D)reducing the number of people on welfare
E)political indiscretions

Question 36

Regarding the reporting of study shortcomings,researchers should:

A)tell readers about the shortcomings.
B)include them only in oral presentations.
C)make it look like there were not any shortcomings in the study.
D)explain why the shortcoming were really no big deal.
E)treat it no differently than any other study.

Question 37

The participants in Cameroon's study could only be linked to their survey responses by the researcher himself,and he will not release that information.He employed:

A) anonymity.
B) deception.
C) informed consent.
D) confidentiality.
E) value free research.

Question 38

If a research study was not rigorously preplanned and organized,it is best to

A)not share the study.
B)report on the exact design used.
C)make it look more preplanned and organized in the report.
D)feel sorry for yourself.
E)ignore the problems.

Question 39

A researcher employs face-to-face interviews to measure drug use among high school students.The researcher guarantees to keep the identity of the respondents a secret.The researcher is promising the subjects

A)anonymity.
B)protection.
C)confidentiality.
D)security.
E)deception.

Question 40

Which one of the following is false regarding the lessons of Babbie's discussion of politics?

A)Science is not untouched by politics.
B)Science does proceed in the midst of political controversy and hostility.
C)An awareness of ideological considerations enriches the study and practice of social research.
D)Researchers should not participate in public debates and should not express both their scientific expertise and personal values.
E)Political issues often appear in scientific research.

Question 41

The report that outlined what ethical standards should be recognized to ensure participant safety is the

A)Belmont Report.
B)Kerner Report.
C)Christopher Report.
D)Lyle Report.
E)None of the above.

Question 42

The increased use of _________ methods in social research has provided new difficulties for researchers to navigate regarding protection of subjects

A) qualitative.
B) visual.
C) audio.
D) quantitative.
E) survey

Question 43

The most problematic element of Laud Humphrey's homosexuality study was:

A)conducting the research in a public location.
B)the controversial topic.
C)tracking subjects and visiting their home under false pretenses.
D)not identifying himself as a researcher.
E)not conducting a debriefing with participants.

Question 44

One of the infamous experiments that lead to the development of Institutional Review Boards was the:

A)Manhattan Project.
B)Sigma Project.
C)Tuskegee Experiment.
D)Belmont Experiment.
E)Stanford Prison Experiment

Question 45

The process of outlining to participants the nature of research to be conducted,as well as any potential risks to be had,is known as

A)disclosure.
B)informed consent.
C)debriefing.
D)acknowledgement.
E)orientation.

Question 46

How can anonymity be ensured in paper-based mail surveys?

A)using pseudonyms
B)assigning random identification numbers
C)only using last names
D)only using first names
E)you can not have anonymous mail surveys

Question 47

Harm to participants can include all but which of the following?

A)revealing details of previous sexual behavior
B)psychological distress from recalling traumatic memories
C)physical injury as part of an experiment
D)revealing unpopular opinions to others
E)not compensating them adequately

Question 48

The researcher whose research on human sexuality during the 1940s and 1950s outraged the public and caused some to call for the closing of his research institute was

A)Stanley Milgram.
B)Laud Humphreys.
C)Alfred Kinsey.
D)Theodore Sheckler.
E)James Coleman.

Question 49

The controversial study that proposed that lower IQ scores by African Americans were the result of biological differences was performed by

A)James Coleman.
B)Arthur Jensen.
C)Alfred Kinsey.
D)Edward O. Laumann.
E)Jesse Helms.

Question 50

Malik is planning to perform a research study in which he asks college students about their sexual behavior.What ethical issue will be of greatest concern to him?

A)voluntary participation
B)no harm to participants
C)deception
D)analysis
E)reporting

Question 51

Participation of subjects in a research project should always be

A)coerced.
B)paid.
C)first-come, first-served.
D)public.
E)voluntary.

Question 52

The Tuskegee experiment that prompted the creation of the Institutional Review Board was measuring the effects of what disease?

A)tuberculosis
B)HIV
C)syphilis
D)cancer
E)swine flu

Question 53

The need for norms against harming research subjects has dramatized in part by horrendous violations by __________ researchers.

A)social science
B)political
C)sexual
D)medical
E)academic

Question 54

The process in which researchers can discover any problems caused by the research after it has been conducted is

A)informed consent.
B)debriefing.
C)deception.
D)analysis.
E)registration.

Question 55

Which study population is controversial with regard to voluntary participation in research?

A)college students
B)physicians
C)prisoners
D)police officers
E)teachers

Question 56

Daniel is conducting research and,when finishing his manuscript,realizes that his findings are skewed due to a problem with data collection.He chooses to just not mention this in his discussion and conclusion.He has committed the ethical violation of:

A)reporting.
B)confidentiality.
C)anonymity.
D)no harm to participants.
E)voluntary participation.

Question 57

A major ethical concern regarding the United States census involves its

A)deception used to get personal information.
B)confidentiality protections.
C)reporting and analysis.
D)undercounting of the urban poor.
E)exclusion of law enforcement officers.

Question 58

Deception is commonly seen in which kind of research?

A)Survey
B)Interview
C)Experimental
D)Medical
E)sexual behavioral

Question 59

Stanley Milgram's study was one that measured

A)conformity.
B)deviance.
C)crime.
D)mental illness.
E)physical stamina.

Question 60

A researcher is interested on the effects of race on educational attainment.The researcher hopes to find that race has no effect.What professional norm is this researcher violating?

A)confidentiality
B)objectivity
C)no harm to subjects
D)voluntary participation
E)no harm to subjects

Question 61

The norm of voluntary participation threatens the social research goal of generalizability.

Question 62

Social scientists agree that objectivity is necessary for research.

Question 63

Only very controversial research topics,like race relations and abortion,are affected by issues of objectivity.

Question 64

Informed consent combines the principles of voluntary participation and no harm to subjects.

Question 65

At the conclusion of his research project,Fred interviews his research subjects to discover whether they have problems because of their participation in the research project.Fred is engaged in the debriefing process.

Question 66

The ethical issues are readily apparent in research projects.

Question 67

Since it simply counts the population,the Census Bureau avoids political issues in research.

Question 68

Any agency wishing to receive federal funds for research must establish an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Question 69

To remain objective,sociologists should not get involved in political debates regarding topics they study.

Question 70

IRBs work to ensure that the agency doing the research is protected against lawsuits by human subjects.

Question 71

It is always unethical to deceive subjects.

Question 72

Informed consent outlines the potential risk to participants in a research study.

Question 73

After telling subjects that their participation in the research study was voluntary,Jeremy was correct in thinking that he no longer had to deal with any ethical problems.

Question 74

It is easy to be aware of possible factors that could harm subjects.

Question 75

Ethical constraints on researchers only extend to their subjects.

Question 76

Everyone agrees that Lisa's research does NOT inflict physical harm on her subjects.Lisa is pleased by this agreement because she no longer has to be concerned with the issue of harm to subjects.

Question 77

Debriefing is useful for all social research.

Question 78

It is often as important to report that two variables are unrelated as to report that they are related.

Question 79

Which of the following would constitute an especially vulnerable population to conduct research with?

A) police officers.
B) teachers.
C) college students.
D) researchers.
E) prisoners.

Question 80

As a scientific enterprise,science attempts to achieve the equivalent of objectivity through intersubjectivity.