Research Ethics PDF

Intended Learning Outcome By the end of Week 5, you should be able to: 1) Illustrate examples of ethical issues on scholarly work and to participants.  THE EVOLUTION OF ETHICS IN RESEARCH  During World War II, the Nazis conducted gruesome experiments on human beings w...

Intended Learning Outcome By the end of Week 5, you should be able to: 1) Illustrate examples of ethical issues on scholarly work and to participants.  THE EVOLUTION OF ETHICS IN RESEARCH  During World War II, the Nazis conducted gruesome experiments on human beings who were prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.  The prisoners (both male and female) were:  injected with painful chemicals  their genitals were exposed to radiation to test methods of human sterilization  deliberately burned with chemicals to simulate the effect of bombs  put in freezing air or ice water for hours at a time, so treatments for burns & cold exposure can be tested.  injected people with gasoline, live viruses, and forced people to ingest poisons  Mengele’s medical experiments on twins  In effect, many of the people who were experimented on were killed, maimed, or disfigured by the Nazi experiments.  Those who were not killed by the experiments were subsequently sent to the gas chamber because the injuries from the experiments left them unable to work in the concentration camps. The NUREMBERG Trials  In 1946, the atrocities committed by Nazi scientists were investigated in War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremberg.  16 doctors and administrators were found guilty of "willing participation in the systematic torture, mutilation, and killing of prisoners in experiments."  This led to development of the: Nuremberg Code (1947) -first international code of research ethics -mandated that research involving human beings must follow the following directives: 1. voluntary, informed consent from research participants; 2. no coercion to participate in research; 3. only properly trained scientists should carry out research; 4. any risks must be outweighed by the benefits of the research; 5. research should be designed to minimize risk and suffering 6. participants can end the experiment at any time. 1974 Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Research issued by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral research Basic ethical principles: Respect for persons Right to make personal decisions Beneficence Minimize risks and maximize benefits Justice Fairness in burden and benefits 1974 Belmont Report Basic ethical principles: Respect for persons Every human being is an autonomous person with right to make his or her own decisions about research Provides extra protections for vulnerable populations (those who are economically or educationally disadvantaged, prisoners, or pregnant women) and individuals with diminished capacity (children or cognitively impaired persons) while respecting their self-determination to the greatest extent possible. The notion of informed consent comes from the principle respect for the person. 1974 Belmont Report Basic ethical principles: Beneficence The obligation to minimize risk of harm and maximize possible benefits to individuals. Forms the basis for the risk/benefit analysis at the core of IRB approval. Also refers to each researcher’s responsibility to estimate potential risks as truthfully and accurately as possible before proposing any research. 1974 Belmont Report Basic ethical principles: Justice The fairness in both the burdens and benefits of research. Example: the Tuskegee syphilis study which is an example of injustice. The principle of justice requires that researchers select their samples fairly to ensure that some people are not being manipulated. Justice means that research subjects should come from the groups most likely to reap the benefits.  THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES APA Ethical Standards (2002) The goal of responsible research is to advance understanding about human behavior and processes in ways that will ultimately benefit humanity… …and in ways that safeguard the well-being of human research participants.  INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB)  An institutional committee that reviews proposed research to safeguard the safety and rights of human participants.  To protect the subjects of psychological research, the federal government formulated legal and ethical guidelines.  Human participants are protected by a federal law.  This law required each institution that accepts research funding from Department of Health and Human Services to set up a review committee called an Institutional Review Board (IRB).  Institutional Review Board (IRB):  Evaluates research design  Evaluates ethical procedures  Evaluates potential benefits  Identifies at risk subjects  INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB) Risk/benefit analysis is a determination, made by an IRB, that any risks to the individual are outweighed by potential benefits or importance of the knowledge to be gained.  Informed Consent - the subject agrees to participate after having been informed about the nature of the study. Procedures are fully explained Questions are given answers Fully informed of potential risks and benefits Consent is freely given No use of force or coercion Can drop out at any time Assured of privacy and confidentiality Researchers can not waive liability “No” doesn’t mean “Convince me”.  Consent Form Clear, understandable language, in the reading level of participants Signed by both participants and researchers Kept for documentation Verbally reinforce the information *Not necessary for minimal risk studies Assent or agreement of minor children ages 7 and above is usually a requirement of their participation. To the extent possible, assent is also obtained from cognitively impaired subjects both adults (e.g., adults with Alzheimer’s) and children (e.g., children with autism or learning disabilities.  Deception and Full Disclosure APA Standard: Deception in Research a) Psychologists do not conduct a study involving deception unless they have determined that the use of deceptive techniques is justified by the study’s significant prospective scientific, educational, or applied value and that effective non- deceptive alternative procedures are not feasible. b) Psychologists do not deceive prospective participants about research that is reasonably expected to cause physical pain or severe emotional distress. c) Psychologists explain any deception that is an integral feature of the design and conduct of an experiment to participants as early as is feasible, preferably at the conclusion of their participation but no later than the conclusion of the data collection, and permit participants to withdraw their data. - Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) Debriefing Explain true nature and purpose of study Erase any negative consequences  Anonymity and Confidentiality  Participants’ identities are protected  Collect data anonymously  Identify data by code numbers  Report average or group scores  Disguise identifying details  Data is treated with discretion  Store data in a secure place  Keep confidential  Use only for purposes explained to the participants  PROTECTING THE WELFARE OF ANIMAL SUBJECTS - The humane care and treatment of animals a) Psychologists acquire, care for, use, and dispose of animals in compliance with current federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and with professional standards. b) Psychologists trained in research methods and experienced in the care of laboratory animals supervise all procedures involving animals and are responsible for ensuring appropriate consideration of their comfort, health, and humane treatment. c) Psychologists ensure that all individuals under their supervision who are using animals have received instruction in research methods and in the care, maintenance, and handling of the species being used, to the extent appropriate to their role. d) Psychologists make reasonable efforts to minimize the discomfort, infection, illness, and pain of animal subjects. e) Psychologists use a procedure subjecting animals to pain, stress, or privation only when an alternative procedure is unavailable and the goal is justified by its prospective scientific, educational, or applied value. f) Psychologists perform surgical procedures under appropriate anesthesia and follow techniques to avoid infection and minimize pain during and after surgery. g) When it is appropriate that the animal’s life be terminated, psychologists proceed rapidly, with an effort to minimize pain, and in accordance with accepted procedures. -Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) Ethical Reports Fraud Plagiarism Authorship Credit  Fraud Data falsification/fabrication Report procedures and findings honestly and accurately Safeguards: Peer Review Replication Competition  Plagiarism To represent someone else’s ideas, words, or written work as one’s own TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM 1) Take complete notes, which include a complete citation of the source: Author’s name, title of article, journal name, volume number, issue number, year of publication, and page numbers. For books, include the author’s name, the title of the book, the year, the names of the editors (if it is an edited volume), and the publisher’s name, city, and state. 2) Within your report, identify the source of any ideas, words, or information that are not your own. 3) Identify any direct quotes by quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quotes and indicate where you got the quotes. Include the page number where you found the quote. 4) Be careful with paraphrasing (restating someone else’s words). There is a great temptation to lift whole phrases or catchy words from another source. Use your own words instead or use quotes. Again, be sure to give credit to your source. 5) Include a complete list of references at the end of the report. In psychology, references are written in APA style, and the style is somewhat different for each type of source. 6) If in doubt about whether a citation is necessary, cite the source anyway. You will do no harm by being especially cautious. (and citing many sources will inform the reader that you have read more of the important articles in your research area.  Authorship Credit Take responsibility and credit only for work that you’ve made a significant contribution Duplicate publication is prohibited  Situation: An experimenter studying the effects of stress gave subjects a series of maze problems to solve. The subjects were led to believe that the problems were all quite easy. In fact, several had no solution. Some of the subjects were visibly upset by their inability to solve the problems. At the end of the study, the experimenter did not explain the procedures. What ethical principles apply in this case? What should the experimenter have done?