Ethics of Social Research Flashcards
Is ethics relevant to the trustworthiness and validity of the findings?
Yes
Who conducted the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? Beginning When?
U.S. Public Health Service beginning in 1932
What was the goal of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? (T.S.S)
To study the natural course of the disease
Where was the sample of 400 syphilis patients drawn from in the T.S.S
African-American males from Tuskegee Alabama
What treatment were the patients given in the T.S.S
Heavy metals
What were the ethical violations involved in the T.S.S?
-No consent was asked
-No information given about the condition nor treatment
-Denied patients antibiotics which could have obviously helped them
On what grounds did the T.S.S administers deny treatment to the patients?
The race and socio-economic status of the patients made it appear that they would have likely not gotten treatment under normal circumstances
What is informed consent?
The participants’ right to be informed about the nature of a research study and its risks and benefits to them prior to consenting to participation
What is the nuremberg code?
Code of ethics established after Nazi experimentation that states that all research participation must be voluntary
What was Stanley Milgram’s experiment?
Having people read word associations to another, and increasing the shock level if they could not answer
What were the ethical violations in Stanley Milgram’s experiment?
-Deceived his participants of the nature of the experiment
-failed to obtain their informed consent
-did not simply allow participants to quit when they protested
-Exposed participants to psychological distress by knowing they were capable of administering a potentially lethal shock
What changes did Jerry Burger make when he read ministered Milgram’s experiment?
-made sure respondents were screened for psychological stress
-ensured participants would quickly be debriefed
-Limited the max shock to 150 volts
The National Research Act by the U.S Congress was passed when?
1974
What did the National Research Act established?
Office for protection of Research Risks (OPRR)
What is the Common Rule?
a set of guidelines created by the OPRR which was widely adopted by federal agencies. Stipulates, among other things, that any institution receiving federal funds for research must establish an institutional review committee.
What is an institutional review board
A board that has the job of overseeing all research proposals that involve working with humans or animals. They must determine whether the benefits of a study outweigh the risks, whether consent procedures have been carefully carried out, and whether any group of individuals has been unfairly treated or left out of the potential benefits of a study
What were the allegations made against the APA by the journalist James Risen?
That the APA colluded with state agencies to make enhanced interrogations permissible under APA guidelines
What is the function of the informed consent letter?
-Lets respondents know about the project and what role they will play
-Indicates potential risks and benefits
What is the 1st element of an informed consent letter?
Nature of the project
What is the 2nd element of the informed consent letter?
What activity the participants would be involved with & time duration
What is the 3rd element of the informed consent letter?
identity of the Researchers with contact information
What is the 4th element of the informed consent letter?
Any risks to which participants might be exposed
What is the 5th element of the informed consent letter?
be advised that participation is voluntary
What is the 6th element of the informed consent letter?
participants can withdraw at any point in the research
What is the 7th element of the informed consent letter?
guarantee of confidentiality and anonymity
What is the 8th element of the informed consent letter?
a physical office that participants can contact if they have any questions or concerns
What is the 9th element of the informed consent letter?
An offer to provide detailed information about the study, what It might be used for, and a place where the findings might be put when complete
What is the 10th element of the informed consent letter?
a place for the participant to sign and date the letter indicating agreement to participate
What is the 11th element of the informed consent letter?
Ethical considerations must be present throughout the entire study
Where might there be shortfalls in an informed consent letter
Participants may not understand aspects of the project, and some might. not even know they are participating in a trial.
What difficulties are there with disclosure?
Sometimes researchers forget; other times it is deliberately difficult to disclose the nature of research that may change
What populations are difficult to access under IRB guidelines?
vulnerable populations such as those under 18 or with health issues
what does confidentiality mean?
That participant names cannot be used in any written material or discussions concerning the research project. and interview materials will be stored in a safe place free from disclosure
Why might a research create a cover story?
To allay suspicion and fears about the experiment
In what cases might ethical guidelines not be in the best interests of respondents?
When confidentiality creates candid data, but prevents you from reporting crucial findings
In what situations might it be possibly unethical to go undercover?
When you may do illegal acts or you might even bring harm to yourself
Does closeness to the research subject make the participants safer or less safe?
Researchers are not sure. Sometimes, distant observation may seem crass, but also even participant ethnography makes the researcher more involved in sticky situations
