Question 1

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner is deciding whether he needs to give participants a reason for waking them up several times during the night. He knows that he cannot tell them the real reason, but he is unsure whether he should deceive them (give them a false reason why he is waking them up) or provide them with no cover story at all. Which of the following issues should be considered most heavily when deciding whether to use deception?

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Which of the following ethical violations proposed by the Belmont Report was NOT committed in the Tuskegee Study?

Accepted Answer

The ethical violation of not providing monetary payments for participation was not committed in the Tuskegee Study. The other violations, including harm to participants, lack of respect for participants, and selecting participants from a disadvantaged social group, were all present in the study.

Question 3

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
To address the Belmont principle of beneficence, Dr. Kushner would need to ask which of the following questions?

Accepted Answer

To address the Belmont principle of beneficence, Dr. Kushner would need to ask how he can decrease potential harm experienced by his participants by ensuring their safety and well-being throughout the study. Options A, C, and D relate to other principles of research ethics (justice, informed consent, and competence).

Question 4

In considering whether research is ethical, which of the following are balanced against each other?

Accepted Answer

When considering whether research is ethical, it is important to balance the potential risk to participants against the value of the knowledge that can be gained from the study. This is often referred to as risk-benefit analysis, and it is a crucial part of ethical research design. While other factors (such as time investment and financial cost) may also be important to consider, they are typically outweighed by the ethical imperative to protect study participants from harm.

Question 5

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Imagine that Dr. Kushner is a clinical psychologist who volunteers his time at a local prison counseling several inmates. Because of his connections there, he is considering using prisoners as his participants. The institutional review board (IRB) that reviews his committee must have which of the following as a member?

Accepted Answer

An institutional review board (IRB) that reviews research involving prisoners must include a prisoner advocate as a member to protect the rights and welfare of the prisoners. Including a criminal justice professor or the prison warden is not required, and having a prisoner as a member may create a conflict of interest.

Question 6

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Upon receiving institutional review board (IRB) approval, Dr. Kushner trusts his graduate student to conduct the study. However, his graduate student does not conduct the study and instead provides Dr. Kushner with invented results that support his hypotheses. This is known as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Data fabrication involves making up data or results and recording or reporting them, which is what the graduate student did by inventing results that were never actually collected.

Question 7

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner plans to tell his participants that the reason he is waking them up during the night is to recalibrate the EEG machine. This would be an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Deception through commission involves actively giving false information or misleading participants about some aspect of the research, which is what Dr. Kushner is doing by telling participants he is waking them to recalibrate the EEG machine.

Question 8

Which of the following is true of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

The Belmont Report was indeed written at the request of the U.S. Congress, following public outcry over unethical research practices, notably the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an example of coercion?

Accepted Answer

Offering extra credit is not considered coercion as it does not involve physical or psychological harm or threats. The other options involve some form of coercion, such as hinting at negative consequences or offering excessively large incentives.

Question 10

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner asks his participants to provide informed consent. Doing this is adhering to which principle of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

The principle of respect for persons requires obtaining informed consent from participants before conducting research.

Question 11

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
As a psychologist who primarily does research, Dr. Kushner is most concerned with which APA standard of ethics?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Kushner is most concerned with APA Standard 8, which deals with research and publication ethics, including the ethical treatment of research participants.

Question 12

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Which of the following is true regarding obtaining informed consent in Dr. Kushner's study?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Kushner needs to obtain informed consent because there is a likelihood of risk in his study, as participants will be intentionally sleep deprived and may potentially experience negative cognitive effects. Informed consent ensures that participants are aware of any risks and can make an informed decision about whether to participate in the study.

Question 13

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner's decision about the type of participants to recruit should be informed by which of the following principles of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a...

Question 14

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner suspects that the people who will most benefit from his study are high school and college students, who are asked to perform cognitive functions in various states of sleep deprivation. Given this information, what type of participants should Dr. Kushner recruit for his study?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Kushner is specifically interested in how sleep deprivation affects cognitive performance in high school and college students. Therefore, he should recruit this population, which is represented by option C - students from a community college. The other options, such as people with insomnia, employees from a daycare center, and patients from Dr. Kushner's clinical psychology practice, are not relevant to the type of participants he wants to study.

Question 15

Which of the following events did NOT occur in the Tuskegee Study?

Accepted Answer

Participants in the Tuskegee Study were not deliberately given or infected with the disease (syphilis); rather, the study observed the natural progression of untreated syphilis in African-American men who were already infected.

Question 16

You submit a study for approval by the institutional review board (IRB), and they tell you that written informed consent is required. Which of the following can be excluded from your informed consent document?

Accepted Answer

A description of the study's hypotheses can be excluded from the informed consent document. The primary purpose of informed consent is to inform participants about the nature of the study, including any potential risks and benefits, and to outline the procedures involved. It is not necessary to include specific hypotheses, as these do not directly impact the participant's decision to participate or their welfare during the study.

Question 17

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Imagine that Dr. Kushner is a clinical psychologist who volunteers his time at a local prison counseling several inmates. Because of his connections there, he is considering using prisoners as his participants. Why is this choice potentially problematic?

Accepted Answer

The Belmont Report outlines special protections for prisoners as research participants due to their vulnerable status and potential for coercion. Dr. Kushner would need to ensure that he is adhering to these guidelines to avoid ethical violations.

Question 18

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner plans to use deception in his study and is thinking about a debriefing session. Which of the following is true of the debriefing?

Accepted Answer

According to the ethical guidelines, participants must be fully informed and provided with an explanation for any deception that occurred during the study. Therefore, Dr. Kushner must inform the participants of the reasons for the deception during the debriefing session. The debriefing session should also be offered to all participants, not just those who were troubled by the study. Additionally, the potential medical applications of the study do not exempt Dr. Kushner from providing a debriefing session.

Question 19

The aim of the Tuskegee Study was to examine which disease?

Accepted Answer

The Tuskegee Study, also known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, was a research study conducted in Tuskegee, Alabama from 1932 to 1972 by the U.S. Public Health Service to examine the natural progression of syphilis in African American men who were not informed they had the disease and were not offered medical treatment.

Question 20

According to the Belmont Report, which of the following groups of people is entitled to special protection?

Accepted Answer

The Belmont Report identifies individuals with developmental disabilities as a group entitled to special protection. This is supported by the principle of respect for persons, which recognizes the need for individuals with limited autonomy or decision-making capacity to be afforded additional protection in research. Women, members of minority religious groups, and refugees may also be vulnerable populations in research, but they are not specifically identified as entitled to special protection by the Belmont Report.

Quiz 4: Ethical Guidelines for Psychology Research