Research Ethics

Question 1

Nuremburg Code

Answer 1

Applies more to medical than behavioural studies

• Informed consent
• Human research based on animal work
• Benefits > Risks
• Qualified personnel to run studies
• Physical and mental pain must be avoided (including physiological distress)
• Injury or death must always be avoided

Question 2

Declaration of Helsinki

Answer 2

• Federal funding tied to agreement with Nuremburg code
  
  • Ethics and violations
  • Set of ethical principles regarding human experimentation developed for the medical community by the World Medical Association (WMA)

Question 3

Belmont Report

Answer 3

• Respect for persons: choices must be respected
  
  • Beneficence: compensation
  • Justice: no coercion or exploitation

Question 4

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Answer 4

Established where research is conducted.

Levels of risk and approval
* Expedited and a full review

Reviewed annually, updates
Participants (human) and subjects (objects)

Question 5

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Answer 5

Untreated course of syphilis in African Americans in Southern USA

Lack of informed consent, deception, with holding information and available treatment, putting people at risk, exploitation of a group, no briefing

Question 6

Witchita Jury Case

Answer 6

Attorney’s comments on jury deliberations; jurors were taped -> fear of future tape-ing, later banned

Compromising the integrity of a social institution, lack of informed consent, invasion of privacy

Question 7

Milgram’s Obedience Study

Answer 7

Advertised as a learning experiment, told that they would teach word association, every error -> increasingly strong shock delivered, tested how people respond to instruction, how far would people go?

Deception, unanticipated psychological harm

Question 8

Zimbardo’s Prison Study

Answer 8

Roles and attributions: how quickly people took on roles and conformed

Harm to subjects, lack of neutrality as a researcher

Question 9

Bronchoscopy Study

Answer 9

Accidental death
Excessive lidocaine used and resulted in death 2 days later
Exploiting a vulnerable population, inadequate informed consent

Question 10

Restaurant Letter Study

Answer 10

Tested restaurant response to criticism; fake complaints, firing resulted and lawsuits were filled

Deception, lack of informed consent, infliction of emotional distress

Question 11

Revisiting your rights as a participant

Answer 11

• [Signed] informed consent
  
  • Right to participate
  • Compensation
  • Known risks and benefits
  • Confidentiality
  • Debriefing (deception or not)

Question 12

Animal research is acceptable if and only if:

Answer 12

• Discomfort and stress are minimized
  
  • There are benefits to humans and animals
  • These benefits could not be obtained via other methods (computer models, cell structures, etc)

Question 13

The 3 R’s of Animal Research

Answer 13

Reduction
Refinement
Replacement

Question 14

Reduction (animal research)

Answer 14

Reduce the number of animals used in experiment as much as possible

Question 15

Refinement (animal research)

Answer 15

Improve the way that animals are cared for and always been keen to reduce pain and suffering

Question 16

Replacement (animal research)

Answer 16

Replace experiments on animals with alternative techniques