PSYC*2360 Chapter 3: Ethics and Open Science Flashcards
What are ethics?
The application of moral principles to help guide one’s decisions and behaviour
T or F: There is no definitive right or wrong answer to ethical dilemmas.
True
According to the utilitarian perspective, what should ethical decisions be based on?
Doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people
According to the altruistic perspective, what should ethical decisions be based on?
Helping without personal benefit
According to the egoism perspective, what should ethical decisions be based on?
Acting in accordance with one’s own self-interest
What is the Belmont Report?
An outline of ethical standards for research
What are the three basic ethical principles outlines in the Belmont Report?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Respect for persons
When was the Belmont Report published?
The 1970s
What is the systematic process of weighing all potential and known benefits against potential and known risks of a proposed study?
A cost-benefit analysis
What is beneficence?
Actively promoting the welfare of others
The notion that benefits should be directed towards society, the field, participants, etc. and not personal benefits for the researcher fall under which principle outlined in the Belmont Report?
Beneficence
What is nonmaleficence?
The ethical obligation to mitigate or eliminate risks to study participants
What is the difference between confidentiality and anonymity?
- Confidentiality: Individual participant information and results are kept secret from the public, but not necessarily from researchers
- Anonymity: Participants remain unidentifiable, even to the researchers
Is it easier for researchers to maintain the confidentiality or anonymity of participants?
Confidentiality
Does evidence suggest participants are more concerned with confidentiality or anonymity?
More concerned about confidentiality
What is being considered when identifying the potential beneficial application of study findings when doing a cost-benefit analysis?
The cost of not doing research
Ensuring fairness in selecting study participants and in determining who will receive the benefits of participation, and who will bear the risk, refers to which principle outlined in the Belmont Report?
Justice
What is the ethical way to distribute the costs and benefits of a study among participants?
Randomly assign participants to groups
What is clinical equipoise?
Uncertainty as to which of the two treatment options is more beneficial when conducting a study
During a study, if there is no longer clinical equipoise, what is the ethical course of action?
To end the study and make the more effective treatment available to all
What does “respect for persons” refer to in the Belmont Report?
Ensuring the autonomy of participants
Freely making an informed decision about participation in research is referred to as what?
Autonomy
What are the three main details outlined in an informed consent form?
- The general purpose and nature of the study
- The potential risks and benefits of participation
- The right to refuse participation or terminate participation at anytime without penalty
Informed consent forms be written at what grade level?
Sixth to eighth grade
What are two ways to make sure participants are reading the important information in an informed consent form?
- Summarize critical information at the beginning
- Be present as participants review the form
What is assent?
An active affirmation of a desire to participate from a person who is not able to consent themselves
T or F: Assent does not require the informed consent of an individual’s legal guardian.
False
When does the APA Code of Ethics allow researchers to forgo informed consent?
When the study involves collecting anonymous information and poses no risk to participants (including confidentiality concerns)
In addition to the three ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report, the APA Code of Ethics includes which two considerations?
- Fidelity and responsibility
- Integrity
In the APA Code of Ethics, what does “fidelity and responsibility” refer to?
Researches must never engage in behaviours that violate the trust others have in the scientific research process
In the APA Code of Ethics, what does “integrity” refer to?
Researchers must be forthright and honest as they analyze, interpret, and share the finding from their studies
What is known as the commitment to intellectual honesty and adherence to ethical principles in scientific research?
Scientific integrity
What is open science?
The practice of freely sharing scientific work along all stages of the research process
What is the difference between direct replication and conceptual replication?
- Direct: An attempt to confirm previous research findings using the original study’s exact methodology
- Conceptual: An attempt to confirm previous research findings using different methods to test the same hypothesis
Is direct replication or conceptual replication more common?
Conceptual replication
What is reproducibility?
The ability to reanalyze a study’s data and confirm its conclusions
What are questionable research practices?
Techniques for conducting research that seem reasonable in certain contexts but artificially increase the chances of finding significant results
What is p-hacking?
Taking non-significant findings and using analytical strategies that increase the chances that they will be significant
Dropping certain participants from analyses without justification until the hypotheses have support is an example of what?
P-hacking
Choosing certain variables to include in analyses while ignoring others is an example of what?
P-hacking
Reporting only significant results in an example of what?
P-hacking
What is HARKing?
Hypothesizing after results are known
What are the three badges of open science?
- Preregistered
- Open materials
- Open data
When a researcher shares hypotheses, design plans, potential sample information and intended analysis strategies, all before data collection, which open science badge do they earn?
Preregistered
When a researcher shares a study’s methods and all information needed for future replication, which open science badge do they earn?
Open materials
When a researcher shares all data collected while conducting a study and all steps taken during analysis, which open research badge do they earn?
Open data
What is a confederate?
An accomplice of the researcher
What is deception in a research study?
Intentionally misleading participants in some way
What are Institutional Review Boards?
Boards that review the ethical merit of all human research conducted at their institution
What are the three levels of classification for review by Institutional Review Boards?
- Exempt
- Expedited
- Full review
Research that poses less than minimal risk and includes a non-vulnerable population would fall under which IRB classification?
Exempt
Who reviews IRB proposals for studies classified as “exempt”?
The chair of the IRB
Research that poses minimal risk typically encountered in daily life (ex. moderate exercise, minor stress from testing or surveys, etc.), and includes a non-vulnerable population would fall under which IRB classification?
Expedited
Who reviews IRB proposals for studies classified as “expedited”?
The chair of the IRB or a qualified IRB member
Research that poses a greater-than-minimal risk typically encountered in daily life (ex. maximal exercise, stressful testing, questions about illegal activities, etc.) or a vulnerable population would fall under which IRB classification?
Full review
Who reviews IRB proposals for studies classified as “full review”?
A committee of at least five IRB members
What is The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee?
A board that reviews the ethical merit and research procedures for all animal research conducted within an institution
What is the file drawer problem?
A bias in which only not statistically significant findings that support a researcher’s hypothesis are published
