Week 5 : Research ethics

Question 1

Moral foundations

Answer 1

• Ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned w/ morality
• can also refer to the set of principles + practices that provide moral guidance in a particular field
• many kinds of ethical issues can arise in scientific research w/ human participants

Question 2

3 core principles

Answer 2

Guidelines of the TCPS 2 are based on following 3 core principles…
(1) respect for persons
(2) concern for welfare
(3) justice

Question 3

3 groups of ppl affected by scientific research

Answer 3

(1) the research participants
(2) the scientific community
(3) society

Question 4

(1) respect for persons

Answer 4

• Respect ppls autonomy w/ informed consent
• ways to violate… failing to disclose risks, failing to make study understandable, coercion
• vulnerable populations cannot always grant consent
• consent required to be given voluntary + ongoing

Question 5

(2) concern for welfare

Answer 5

• the be ethical, the risks of research must be outweighed by benefits
• ways to violate… not doing everything to mitigate risks + conducting bad study
• respecting privacy + maintaining confidentiality

Question 6

(3) seeking justice

Answer 6

• study should be conducted justly… fair compensation, risks + benefits must be distributed equitably across groups + researches promote trust
• violate… low compensation, one group participants and other group benefits, lying
• deception… some research questions impossible to answer without deceiving research participants

Question 7

Historical overview of ethics codes

Answer 7

1947 : Nuremberg codes
1964 : Declaration of Helsinki
1978 : Belmont reports
1998 : TCPS
2010 : TCPS 2

Question 8

Review ethics board (REB)

Answer 8

• every uni has one
• goal is to oversee all research w/ human subjects + ensure its ethical

Question 9

Ethical review process

Answer 9

(1) submit ethics application
(2) they evaluate risk level (delegated vs full review(
(3) either approve it or request changes

Question 10

Ethics application

Answer 10

• study rationale
• informed consent
• compensation
• debriefing
• deception
• data handling

Question 11

Informed consent

Answer 11

• obtaining + documenting ppls agreement to participate in study
• more than just the consent form
• ensure participants understand… the study procedure, they can leave if they want, potential risks/discomfort, what will happen to data, who they can contact abt their rights
• situations in which informed consent isn’t necessary

Question 12

Debriefing

Answer 12

• reveal full purpose of the study ASAP
• minimize any harm that may have occurred
• reveal any deception

Question 13

Deception

Answer 13

• study must be low-risk to have deception
• deception may include… misinforming participants abt purpose, using confederates, phone equipment, false feedback, not telling ppl full design

Question 14

Information Age concern

Answer 14

Open data sharing:
- uploading data online so others can verify results
- benefits… improve trustworthiness, pedagogical value, maximizes use of scientific research
- costs… confidentiality breach. de-identification not as simple as it looks

Question 15

Putting ethics into practice

Answer 15

1. know + accept ur ethical responsibilities
2. identify + minimize risks
3. identify + minimize deception
4. weigh risks against benefits
5. creare informed consent + debriefing procedures
6. get approval
7. follow through (honestly + accurately)