Chapter 4 Flashcards
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Determined the effect of untreated syphilis in black men, even when there was treatment, leading to many dying. This led to many African Americans being suspicious of health services and research participation.
How did the Tuskegee Experiment break ethical codes?
- The participants were not treated respectfully - they were lied to and had information withheld from them. Therefore, they could not consent.
- The participants were harmed - their treatment was withheld from them and they had to go through many risks with the “treatments.”
- The participants were from a targeted disadvantaged social group - African American men
The Milgram Obedience Studies
The study on authority and whether or not participants would administer 450 volts to a man they thought they were already hurting - just cause a researcher told them to do so
What was the ethical balance Milgram’s studies presented?
While it was stressful to the participants and since they were not fully debriefed on the complete situation (they weren’t told about whether the actor was actually unharmed), his studies did contribute crucial lessons on authority and some participants even felt grateful.
What is the Declaration of Helsinki?
It guides ethics in medical research and practice.
The 3 principles of the Belmont Report
- Respect for persons
- Beneficence
- Justice
What are the 2 provisions of the Respect for Person’s Principle?
- Individuals potentially involved in research should be treated as autonomous agents
- People that have less autonomy are entitled to a special protection with informed consent
What does informed consent entail?
Researchers can not mislead (trick without debriefing), coerce (force by suggesting negative consequences) or unduly influence (force by suggesting negative consequences) a participant. It is not required when data is anonymous in a survey or if the data was recorded in public
What sort of special protection do people with less autonomy get?
Children, prisoners or people with intellectual disabilities can not always give informed consent - as children and the intellectually disabled can have comprehension issues and prisoners are easily coerced.
How does a researcher apply the principle of beneficence?
Researchers must carefully assess the risks and benefits of the study they plan to conduct and how the community might benefit or be harmed. They also ensure people’s personal information remains disclosed and make sure they were anonymous
What is the difference between an anonymous study and a confidential study?
In an anonymous study, researchers do not collect any potentially identifying information while confidential studies collect some but prevent disclosure (sometimes by encryption)
Why is medical research a bit easier to assess than psychological research for ethics?
Medical research can assess the harm done physically - while psychological research has to ethically reason mental/emotional damage
What do researchers consider with the principle of justice?
They have to consider whether the demographic of participants are representative of the kinds of people who would benefit from the results.
What are the 5 APA general principles for ethics?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Respect for Persons
- Fidelity and Responsibility
- Integrity
What does the Institutional Review Board (IRB) do (8.01)?
They are responsible for interpreting ethical principles and ensuring that research using human participants is done ethically. One member is a scientist, other has academic interests outside the sciences and one must be a community member not tied to the institution (+ prisoner advocate with prisoners)
