Week Three Flashcards
The moral system that determines whether actions are
right or wrong, good or bad.
Ethics
Moral value of actions are determined by their
consequences.
Utilitarianism
◦ Individuals possess rationality and the capacity to
make moral decisions autonomously.
◦ Respecting their autonomy means treating them as
ends in themselves rather than as means to an end.
Kant’s Deontological Ethics
People are to be treated as autonomous
agents in research studies
Respects for Persons
Specifies that research does not harm the individual,
and that is maximizes possible benefits and minimizes possible harms
Beneficiance
Specifies that benefits and burdens should be shared equally
amongst members of society
Justice
The freedom to say yes or no to participating in a research study
once all the possible risks and benefits are explained in detail.
Informed Consent
◦ The control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of
sharing oneself with others.
◦ If research subjects share information because they trust a
researcher, the researcher must keep that information private.
Privacy and confidentiality
Subjects are not told the true purpose of the experiment/study
because that knowledge would invalidate or affect the results
Deception
Informing participants about deception after data collection
Debriefing
The ASA Code of Ethics allows deception only if there is no
alternative way to do the study and only if the research involves
no more than ——- risk to the research subjects.
Minimal
◦ A group of people who cannot give informed consent, including
those who are underage or have diminished mental capacity.
◦ Includes…
◦ Minors (under age 18).
◦ Those with limited mental capacity.
◦ Those who are currently incarcerated.
Vulnerable Populations
◦ Established in 1978 to protect human subjects against
ethical violations in academic research.
◦ IRBs are comprised of committees that review and approve
research protocols before the research begins.
◦ Studies can still be unethical even with IRB guidelines; some
researchers argue they are too constrictive
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)
Researchers’ interests or loyalties compromise the way they
design, conduct, or report their research.
Conflicts of interest
◦ When data analysis or reporting of findings is willfully biased.
◦ Researchers are blind to their own selective interpretations.
Data Fabrication
When research is used to legitimate a policy position already
decided upon.
Co-option
