Question 1

Some participants may require more than a basic explanation of the deception they were exposed to in a study. What are two techniques or strategies that can be used to help alleviate or address their concerns?

Accepted Answer

1. Provide additional information and resources: One technique to address the concerns of participants who require more than a basic explanation of the deception in a study is to provide them with additional information and resources. This could include offering them access to relevant research articles, books, or other materials that can help them better understand the reasons for the deception and its implications. By providing participants with more in-depth information, they may feel more empowered and informed about the study and its ethical considerations.

2. Offer personalized discussions or counseling: Another strategy to alleviate the concerns of participants is to offer personalized discussions or counseling sessions. This could involve arranging one-on-one meetings with the participants to address their specific concerns and questions about the deception in the study. By providing a space for open and honest communication, participants may feel more supported and have the opportunity to express their concerns in a safe and confidential environment. Additionally, offering counseling services can help participants process their emotions and thoughts related to the deception, ultimately helping them feel more at ease with their participation in the study.

Question 2

(a) What is an Institutional Review Board, (b) what is it composed of, and (c) what is its purpose?

Accepted Answer

(a) An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee that is responsible for reviewing and approving research involving human subjects.

(b) An IRB is typically composed of a diverse group of individuals, including scientists, non-scientists, and community members. This composition ensures that a wide range of perspectives are considered when reviewing research proposals.

(c) The purpose of an IRB is to ensure that the rights and welfare of human subjects participating in research are protected. This includes assessing the potential risks and benefits of the research, as well as ensuring that informed consent is obtained from participants. The IRB also evaluates the ethical and scientific validity of the research to ensure that it meets regulatory and ethical standards. Overall, the IRB plays a crucial role in safeguarding the well-being of research participants.

Question 3

What are two arguments for the use of deception in scientific research, and two arguments against deception, of any kind, in research?

Accepted Answer

Two arguments for the use of deception in scientific research are:

1. Ethical considerations: Some researchers argue that deception is necessary in certain studies to maintain the integrity of the research. For example, in studies involving human behavior, participants may alter their behavior if they are aware of the true purpose of the study, leading to biased results. In these cases, deception may be necessary to ensure the validity and reliability of the research.

2. Advancing knowledge: Deception may be justified if it leads to significant advancements in scientific knowledge. Some researchers argue that the potential benefits of the research, such as understanding human behavior or developing new treatments, outweigh the ethical concerns of deceiving participants.

Two arguments against deception, of any kind, in research are:

1. Violation of autonomy: Deception in research violates the autonomy of participants by not fully informing them of the true nature of the study. This can lead to a breach of trust and undermine the voluntary nature of participation, as participants are not able to make fully informed decisions about their involvement.

2. Ethical considerations: Deception in research raises ethical concerns about the treatment of participants. It can lead to psychological harm, stress, and mistrust in the research community. Researchers have a responsibility to prioritize the well-being and rights of participants, and deception may compromise these ethical principles.

Question 4

(a) Provide two research situation examples where a debriefing would be extremely necessary, and two examples where a debriefing is likely unnecessary - be sure to explain why a debriefing would be necessary or unnecessary for each of the four examples. (b) Is debriefing ever a bad idea? Explain why or why not.

Accepted Answer

The answer of (a) Provide two research situation examples where...

Question 5

"Enlightenment effects" refer to the idea that people may respond or behave differently after learning about psychological concepts, effects, or procedures (i.e., after they become "enlightened" about their behavior or someone else's behavior). (a) How is this related to deception? (b) When might enlightenment effects pose a major threat to the reliability and validity of scientific research?

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Enlightenment effects" refer to the idea that...

Question 6

If federal guidelines dictate that participants provide informed consent before participating, how do we accomplish this with observational field research (where participants may not even know they are "participating?" In other words, under what conditions is it currently appropriate to not obtain informed consent from participants? Explain your reasoning, and provide two examples where consent might not be necessary to obtain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If federal guidelines dictate that participants provide...

Question 7

The Internet offers many new opportunities to conduct observational research (that may not require informed consent). However, not all online studies or experiments are excused from obtaining informed consent from participants prior to their participation. Provide two examples of online studies where consent would not be required, and two examples of online studies where participants' consent would be required. Be sure to explain why those examples would or would not require participants' consent.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Internet offers many new opportunities to...

Question 8

Provide one scientific (i.e., pertaining to the methodology of a study, or to the reliability and validity of results) and one ethical reason for why ensuring participants' confidentiality is important. Be sure to explain why they are scientific and ethical reasons for ensuring confidentiality.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide one scientific (i.e., pertaining to the...

Question 9

Provide examples of two situations that would call for a thorough IRB review. Explain why a full IRB review would be necessary for these examples.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide examples of two situations that would...

Question 10

(a) What is one argument in favor of IRBs reviewing the methodological quality of a research endeavor, beyond basic assessments of participant protection, justification for the project, and qualifications of the experimenters involved? (b) What is one argument against IRBs reviewing the methodological quality of research proposals?

Accepted Answer

The answer of (a) What is one argument in favor...

Question 11

Besides the blatantly obvious examples of ethical violations, what are some of the "routine" practices that scientists engage in that might be considered ethically dubious if information about these practices is omitted in publications? (a) Provide two examples where "routine" practices are ethically questionable when scientists do not mention that they used those practices. (b) Explain why failing to mention some research practices could be considered scientifically or ethically questionable?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Besides the blatantly obvious examples of ethical...

Question 12

The Association of Psychological Science (APS) has implemented new data disclosure rules for all manuscript submissions, including: (a) that all excluded observations and the reasons for exclusion be reported; (b) that all independent variables or manipulations, as well as dependent variables used in the study, be reported; and (c) that information on how the final sample size was obtained be reported. Explain the ethical justifications for these guidelines, and how these guidelines have broader implications for how scientists conduct research.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Association of Psychological Science (APS) has...

Question 13

Why is outside funding (e.g., from a private cooperation or organization) a concern for the ethics of scientific research? What sort of conflicts may be introduced when science is funded by private organizations?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is outside funding (e.g., from a...

Question 14

Why have some scientists argued that racial or ethnic differences should be off-limits from scientific research (or at least reporting ethnic/racial differences should be off-limits)? Provide one argument in favor of this proposal, and one argument against this proposal. (b) Provide one example for when publishing findings on racial or ethnic differences may be irresponsible or ethically questionable, and one example for when not publishing findings of these differences may be irresponsible or ethically questionable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why have some scientists argued that racial...

Question 15

What is informed consent, and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is informed consent, and why is...

Question 16

What are some solutions to the ethical problem of deception?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are some solutions to the ethical...

Question 17

Were the "obedience studies" of Stanley Milgram ethically justifiable? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Were the "obedience studies" of Stanley Milgram...

Question 18

Discuss the practice of "debriefing" human participants. Is it always required? Is it always a good thing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the practice of "debriefing" human participants....

Question 19

You conducted a study that investigated whether people's moral beliefs made them more likely to engage in helping behavior when a person is in need; therefore, you measured behavioral intent (i.e., how likely would you be to help a person in this situation). In providing informed consent, participants were informed that they would be completing a survey that asked about their general beliefs and how they think they would respond in certain situations. After completing those items, participants were told that the study was finished and they were thanked for their time. After the ostensible completion of the study, as participants left the laboratory building they all encountered a confederate in need of help. Participants' behavioral response (helping or not, and in what way) to the confederate in need was recorded as the participants' final data point.
Can you use this behavioral measure in your analyses (the way the scenario is currently described) - why or why not? Since the participants' behavior occurred in a public place (outside the laboratory building), does the participant need to provide informed consent, or is it considered "in the public domain?" Does the informed consent participants initially provided include permission to use their behavior as data in your research? If your answers to any of these questions is "no," what could you do to make that behavioral data useable?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You conducted a study that investigated whether...

Question 20

You conducted a longitudinal study of teenagers' alcohol and substance use behaviors, including data regarding their use of illicit drugs. In the informed consent form, you acknowledged (both in writing and verbally to each participant) that there is always a remote possibility that the information they provide could be seen, intentionally or unintentionally, by people who are not involved with the research project; e.g., if there was a fire in the laboratory building, and rather than burn up all of participants' responses, all of your paper-and-pencil data was strewn across the grounds outside of the building. Because it was a longitudinal study, you had a record of participants' names and their corresponding ID numbers, but kept that record in a separate locked file cabinet in a different part of the lab relative to participants' data. However, after the fire, the document with participants' names and ID numbers fell in the same place as participants' data. Then, before you could collect all of the documents, some were stolen, including the document with the names and IDs, along with some participants' data. Should you contact those participants to tell them what happened? Should you just hope that there are no catastrophic consequences for those participants? What else could or should you do? What are your ethical obligations to participants?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You conducted a longitudinal study of teenagers'...

Quiz 20: Social Responsibility and Ethics in Social Research