Ethics and Social Research

Chapter 3

Introduction

Ethical principles in research The set of values, standards, and principles

used to determine appropriate and acceptable conduct at all stages of the research process

Introduction

Stop and Think Do you know of any research projects in the

social sciences, medicine, or biology where researchers did something that was ethically questionable?

What was it about the study that raised questions for you?

Introduction

Historical perspectives on research ethics American Psychological Association (APA) American Sociological Association (ASA)

Introduction

Historical perspectives on research ethics Total disregard for the human dignity perpetrated

during World War II by researchers in concentration camps controlled by Nazi Germany

Air pressure Cold water Treatment of wounds Exposure to chemical-warfare agents Essential to have voluntary consent of human

subjects

Introduction

• Historical perspectives on research ethics

• Nuremberg Code • Principles about research on human beings

Introduction

• Historical perspectives on research ethics Atomic Energy Commission

Conducted research on the effects of radiation on human subjects, including medical research on using radioisotopes to diagnose or cure disease

Semi-comatose cancer patients were injected with plutonium to determine how much uranium was needed to produce kidney damage

Introduction

• Historical perspectives on research ethics The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Conducted by the United States Public Health Service to study the effect of untreated syphilis to determine the natural history of the disease

Project began in 1932 and lasted 40 years Sample began with 399 poor black men with late-stage

syphilis. In the end, the study included a total of 600 men. Offered free medical care in exchange for their medical

data. None were told that they had syphilis. More than 400 were not offered the standard treatment for

syphilis. They were also not provided penicillin when it became available as a cure.

Many of the men died of the disease and some unknowingly transmitted the disease to their wives and children.

Introduction

• Historical perspectives on research ethics Institutional review board (IRB)

The committee at a college, university, or research center responsible for evaluating the ethics of proposed research

Levels of IRB review

Quiz – Question 1

What is the primary factor to consider in determining the needed level of IRB review?

Introduction

Focal research “Ethical Concerns and Researcher

Responsibilities in Studying Women with HIV/AIDS”

Process of conducting research Ethical practices

Using informed consent procedures Respondent’s privacy and confidentiality Preserving the integrity of the respondent’s

narratives

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Ethics A set of moral and social standards that

includes both prohibitions against and prescriptions for specific kinds of behavior in research

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Protect study participants from harm

The principle that participants in studies are not harmed, physically, psychologically, emotionally, legally, socially, or financially as a result of their participation in a study

Milgram experiment

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Voluntary participation and informed consent

The principle that study participants choose to participate of their own free will

Informed consent A statement that describes the study and the

researcher and formally requests participation

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Stop and Think Who should give informed consent in a study

involving students under 18? The students? Their parents? Both?

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Voluntary participation and informed consent

Passive consent When no response is considered an affirmative

consent to participate in research; also called “opt out informed consent

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Voluntary participation and informed

consent Are participants really volunteers?

Have you ever been asked by an instructor while your were his or her student to participate in a study they were conducting?

Were you ever asked while in a class to complete a questionnaire or participate in an interview?

Did you feel an pressure or did you feel you could decline easily?

Are students in these situations truly volunteers?

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in researchVoluntary participation and informed

consent Is it ethical to observe people in public,

without there knowledge? Study college students by letting them assume

you are one of them Gather data by attending an AA meeting

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Anonymity and confidentiality

Anonymity When no one, including the researcher, knows the

identities of research participants

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Anonymity and confidentiality

Confidentiality (privacy) When no third party knows the identities of the

research participants Keeping the information disclosed by study

participants, including their identities, from all other parties

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Principles regarding participants in research Anonymity and confidentiality

Tearoom Trade - Humphreys

Quiz – Question 2

What two principles did Humphrey’s violate?

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Ethical issues concerning colleagues and the general public Honest reporting

The ethical responsibility to produce and report accurate data

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Ethical dilemmas during and after data collection Who owns the data? Whose interpretation counts? Who has veto power? What are the researcher’s obligations after the data are

collected? Can the data be used against the participants? Will the data be used on their behalf? Do researchers have an obligation to protect the

communities and the social groups they study or just to guard the rights of individuals?

Principles for Doing Ethical Research

Ethical dilemmas during and after data collection Conflicts between ethical principles

Research by Ptacek (1988) Research by Yassour-Borochowitz (2004)

Conflicts Between Ethical Concerns and Legal Matters Research by Calvey (2008) Research by Leo (1995) Research by Scarce (1995)

Conflicts Between Ethical Principles and Research Interests Research by Jackall (1998) Research by Frankenberg (1993) Research by Rollins (1985) Research by Lauder (2003) Research by Ward and Henderson (2003)

Ethics and Publishing Results

Research by Ellis and colleagues (2008)

Making Decisions to Maximize Benefit and Minimize Risk Think about the consequences of doing a

given study as opposed to not doing the study

Consider all options and methods to find a research strategy that balances being ethical, being practical, with the likelihood of obtaining good quality data

Summary

Protect research participants from harm Get informed consent Be sure the study participants have not been

pressured into volunteering Collect data anonymously or keep data confidential Submit the research proposal to a review board Provide accurate research findings Consider responsibilities to research colleagues and

the general public Maximize benefits and minimize risks

Quiz – Question 3

Of the following ways to do research, which is likely to involve the most serious ethical concerns?

a. In person interviews

b. Mail in questionnaires

c. Observation in a public place

d. Analyzing data from a secondary source

e. Content analysis