Lecture 4

Question 1

how statistics can be used to harm communities

Answer 1

1. increase labor and exploitation of workers
2. create categories of normal/abnormal or ‘deviant’ to stigmatize or justify interventions/’corrections’
3. stereotype or misrepresent communities
4. create fear and anxiety, polarize or create conflict in communities
5. over police/over criminalize

Question 2

what are ethics

Answer 2

ethics is the study of moral principles and values that guide human behavior and decision making. it involves examining what is right and wrong, just and unjust, fair and unfair, and considering how individuals and societies should act in various situations. it does so across historical time and cultures

Question 3

what questions does ethics ask

Answer 3

• what is the right thing to do?
• what kind of person should i be?
• what responsibilities do i have to others?

Question 4

Tri-Council Policy Statement: ethical conduct for research involving humans (TCPS)

Answer 4

• TCPS: Canada’s official ethics guide for conducting research with human participants (1981)
• researchers must complete the TCPS ethics course and acquire a certificate
• research proposals must be approved by a university research ethics board (REB) to ensure the project aligns with the TCPS

Question 5

what are the core principles of the TCPS

Answer 5

1. respect for persons
2. concern for human welfare
3. justice

Question 6

respect for persons

Answer 6

recognition of a person’s intrinsic value and individual rights; ensure they are free to participate in a study without interference or coercion

Question 7

concern for human welfare

Answer 7

protection of participants physical, mental, and spiritual health and their economic and social circumstances

Question 8

justice

Answer 8

treatment of all participants with equal respect and concern

Question 9

what does the research ethics board evaluate in every application

Answer 9

1. purpose and design of research
2. inclusion and exclusion criteria
3. recruitment procedure (including compensation)
4. researchers prior experience
5. assessing benefits and risks
6. data management and protection
7. free and informed consent and withdrawal procedures
8. protecting confidentiality and anonymity
9. deception
10. dissemination / sharing results

Question 10

inclusion and exclusion criteria

Answer 10

all efforts must be taken to be as inclusive as possible on gender, sexuality, class, ability, race. cultural background, language, etc. there must be justification for any exclusions and any relations of power must be stated

Question 11

Inclusion and exclusion criteria: indigenous participants

Answer 11

you must indicate how you will comply with TCPS policy governing research with indigenous persons

Question 12

recruitment

Answer 12

you must explain to the review board: how, by whom, and from where potential participants will be recruited; where the data will be collected, and consider how your recruitment method might exclude subgroups. also avoid false claims

Question 13

what should we consider about incentives

Answer 13

if an incentive is offered it must be small to not pressure economically precarious people to participate

Question 14

what do we need to consider about non-technical language

Answer 14

your REB submission will be read by someone who is not an expert in your field, your participants are also not likely to be experts in your field so all material should be written for grade 6-8 comprehension level

Question 15

what are the types of benefits of social research

Answer 15

1. benefits to participants
2. benefits to society
3. benefits to scientific community

Question 16

what are the types of risks with social research

Answer 16

1. physical
2. psychological/emotional
3. social risks
4. financial risks
   - to individual
   - to company or organization

Question 17

free and informed consent

Answer 17

participants agreement to participate in the research should be voluntary, informed, and ongoing

Question 18

voluntary consent

Answer 18

free from coercion, threat of harm for failure to participate, excessive incentivization, undue influence in the form of unequal power relations and free to withdraw from the study and to withdraw one’s data from the study

Question 19

informed consent

Answer 19

informed of the purpose of the research and what is expected of them as participants; of risks and benefits; and of any limits on their right to withdraw

Question 20

ongoing consent

Answer 20

consent begins with initial contact with the potential participants and carries through the end of the participants involvement in the project

Question 21

how do we obtain expression of informed consent

Answer 21

expression of informed consent is usually written and it can also be offered verbally

Question 22

anonymity

Answer 22

the participant’s identity is not known to the researcher(s)

Question 23

confidentiality

Answer 23

only the researcher(s) know(s) the participant’s identity

Question 24

TCPS criteria with anonymity and confidentiality

Answer 24

• you must outline what procedures you will take to safeguard participants’ anonymity and confidentiality
• describe how data will be stores, for how long, and who will have access to it
• describe how you will protect identity of participants in your written results
• describe any limits to participants’ anonymity and confidentiality

Question 25

getting feedback and sharing results

Answer 25

• make it clear what information will be provided to participants
• indicate whether you will share your results in the form of a report, presentation, dissertation, and/or peer - reviewed article, media piece, etc.
• indicate specifically how/where participants can access these results and provide feedback