Chapter 4- Ethical guidelines for psychology research

Question 1

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Answer 1

The study began to study untreated syphilis in African American men in the 1930s. At the time, researchers thought that syphilis impacted different organ systems in different races, despite a lack of evidence for this theory. The participants were not told that they had syphilis, but that they were getting free treatment (placebos and spinal taps to monitor progression of the disease) for “bad blood”. When an effective treatment (penicillin) became available in the 1940s, participants were not told or given treatment. Dozens of participants died over time, and some of them infected their partners, resulting in some of their children being born with congenital syphilis.

Question 2

What unethical choices were made in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? (3)

Answer 2

1. The participants were not treated respectfully- not told that an effective treatment existed and might have felt pressured to participate. They also didn’t give informed consent.
2. The participants were harmed- painful procedures, no treatment
3. The participants were a targeted, disadvantaged social group- syphilis affects all types of people, but only poor African American men were chosen for the study.

Question 3

Milgram study

Answer 3

Investigated obedience to authority in the 1960s, although participants were told they were studying the affects of punishment on learning. The “learner” (a confederate) was given an electric shock, the teacher (the participant) was given a sample shock, and then gave shocks to the learner when they messed up on the learning task. Researchers told the teachers to keep going as the shocks kept increasing and the participants eventually protested. 65% of the teachers kept following instructions and gave maximum shocks to the confederate. Milgram conducted 18 or more variations of this study.

Question 4

What were the ethical issues with the Milgram study?

Answer 4

The study was very stressful for the participants, who thought that they were giving shocks to a real person. In the debriefing after the first study, participants discovered that the learner was unharmed, but were not told that he hadn’t actually received shocks, so some participants were still distressed. Milgram was surprised by how many people obeyed initially, but in future variations it was known how many people would obey and how stressful the study would be. The study raises issues of the balance of benefits to society with risks to the participants. Researchers did gain a lot of knowledge from the study, and some participants benefitted with learning more about themselves.

Question 5

The Belmont Report

Answer 5

The report was created in 1974 for use in biology, medicine, psychology, anthropology, and sociology in response to the Tuskegee Study. 3 principles:

1. Respect for persons
2. Beneficence
3. Justice

Question 6

Respect for persons (2)

Answer 6

1. Everyone should be treated as autonomous agents- they should be able to make decisions for themselves, without coercion or undue influence. Informed consent should also be obtained.
2. Individuals with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection- children, prisoners, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities

Question 7

Beneficence

Answer 7

Researchers must protect participants from harm. Benefits to participants/society must outweigh risks to the participants. Participants must have access to more advantageous treatment, and the personal information of the participants must be protected.

Question 8

What are examples of risks from a psychological study? (8)

Answer 8

1. Emotional distress
2. Psychological trauma
3. Embarrassment
4. Loss of employment- financial loss
5. Social stigmatization
6. Shame or guilt
7. Invasion of privacy
8. Breach of confidentiality

Question 9

What are some ways that risks from a psychological study can be mitigated?

Answer 9

1. Confidentiality
2. Privacy
3. Anonymity
4. Debriefing
5. Emphasizing voluntary nature of participation and freedom to refuse to answer or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty

Question 10

Anonymous study

Answer 10

Researchers do not collect any potentially identifying information (names, birthdays, etc.). They also strip away the identifiers of the computers used.

Question 11

Confidential study

Answer 11

Researchers collect some identifying information for contacting people at a later date if needed, but prevent it from being disclosed. They can save data in an encrypted form or store people’s names separately from other data.

Question 12

Justice

Answer 12

Equitable selection of participants- the sample of participants must represent the people who can benefit from the research. For example, if people of all races, genders, and socioeconomic statuses can be affected by syphilis, the sample must represent that. If researchers want to only study one ethnic group or other demographic group, they must demonstrate that that group is disproportionately impacted by the issue.

Question 13

Institutional review board

Answer 13

Committee responsible for ensuring that research using human participants is conducted ethically. Most colleges, universities, and research hospitals have an IRB. An IRB should prevent unethical research, but not prevent ethical research from being conducted if it’s controversial. These panels consist of 5 or more people, and are a mix of scientists, community members, and advocates. In the US, research conducted by private businesses doesn’t have to use an IRB or follow any particular ethical guidelines.

Question 14

APA’s ethical standards for research

Answer 14

1. Institutional review boards
2. Informed consent
3. Deception
4. Debriefing
5. Research misconduct- data fabrication and data falsification
6. Plagiarism
7. Animal research

Question 15

Data fabrication

Answer 15

When researchers invent data that fits their hypotheses instead of seeing what really happens in the study (or even running the study).

Question 16

Data falsification

Answer 16

When researchers influence a study’s results by selectively deleting observations or influencing their subjects to act in a certain way.

Question 17

Informed consent

Answer 17

A researcher’s obligation to explain the study to potential participants in language they can understand, and give them a chance to decide whether to participate.

Question 18

Deception

Answer 18

Sometimes, it’s necessary for researchers to omit information or lie in psychological studies. If studying what someone would do during a staged theft, informing them that the theft was staged and their actions were being observed beforehand would make the data useless. Benefits of lying must outweigh the risks, and participants must be informed of the risks and benefits.

Question 19

Debriefing

Answer 19

When researchers have used deception, they must spend time after the study talking with each participant to describe the nature of the deception and why it was necessary. Nondeceptive studies can also include debriefing.

Question 20

Plagiarism

Answer 20

Representing the ideas or words of others as one’s own. To avoid plagiarism, you must cite the sources of all ideas that aren’t your own. Researchers also shouldn’t recycle their own test (self-plagiarize).

Question 21

3 R’s of animal research

Answer 21

1. Replacement- can we use any methods other than animal research?
2. Reduction- better techniques and methods so we have less of a need for animal research
3. Refinement- using methods to minimize animal suffering

Question 22

IACUC

Answer 22

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. This organization consists of at least 5 members- scientists, veterinarians, neutral community members. Come up with policies for the humane care and use of animals.