Ethics

IRB and Animal Care

• Subjects (participants) can always withdraw from participation

• Determine Risk

Minimal or not

-if not then need permission

Informed Consent

Clear, fair and concise

• All aspects that might influence willingness to participate should be revealed.

• Length and comprehension

Are you obliged to provide information or make sure it is understood?

DECEPTION

• Social science issue.

• By lying or by omission

• Usually about the reason for the study not the methods

Low points:

• Tuskegee syphilis study.- not informed, deception about risks, not protected against risk, right to withdraw unclear

• Milgram obedience study – deception and withdrawal denied

DEBRIEFING:

• Purpose to fully explain the project and any deception.

• answer questions

• don’t rush through this

• be sensitive to unintended consequences

Confidentiality

• Informed consent form should say it and you should mean it

• This may come into conflict with other ethical principles

• Tarasoff vs California Board of Regents

• Protective privilege ends where public peril begins

• Detroit Edison

• Edison psychologists asserting a personal not a legal privilege

IRBInstitutional Review Board

• 5 members• If regularly review proposals for vulnerable populations

then - 1 member should have expertise in this area• 1 should be expert in science area• 1 in non-science area• 1 should have legal knowledge• 1 unaffiliated with institution

• weigh risks and benefits• check for consent and confidentiality • check merit – poor design should fail

FRAUD & PLAGIARISM

• DON’T DO IT• Fraud is fairly rare – consequences shame and

funding loss,sometimes legal action.• data fabrication - unusual• selective reporting• outliers ????

PLAGIARISMTaking credit for work that is not yours.

Consent Form

The purpose of this study is to determine how people say the word ‘cat’. If you choose to participate you will be asked to say the word repeatedly into a microphone. You will then listen to recordings and indicate which is your voice and how confident you are of your choice. The exercise will take about 10 minutes.

Your data will be given a number and will not be linked to your name. You may quit the experiment at any time.At the conclusion of the experiment we will be happy to discuss the predictions of our

study.If you have any questions or concerns about your participation you may contact me as

follows: Experimenter email vvv@gustavus.eduI have read the description and voluntarily agree to participate. I understand that I will be

asked to speak into a microphone and listen to recordings. I understand that I may quit the experiment at any time and that the records of my results will be kept confidential.

_______________________ _________________________ ________________Signature of Participant Name printed Date

Consent form guidelines

• Name of study.• Purpose of study.• Describe what the participants will do - not why.• They need to have enough information to choose if the

task is something they don’t mind doing. If you plan to use any kind of aversive/negative stimulus you should say so.

• If you plan to take any physiological measurements you should state that the procedures are not painful.

• How long is the task?• If more than one session say so.• How many credit points

• Can quit the experiment without penalty.• Some statement to the effect that the exact hypotheses/

predictions will be explained at the end of the study.• Your name and contact email – you also put my name

down too • Statement to sign – I have read the description on

blank… I understand the nature of the task to be blank.• I understand that I can quit the experiment at any time

without penalty.• The record of my performance will be kept confidential.• Optional but not a bad idea..• At the end of the experiment I was given a full

explanation of the study and any questions that I had were answered adequately.

• You should also number the forms so that you have an easy way of assigning an ID number to each person.

• Must have a place on the form where they legibly print their name and the section/instructor and class time of general psych.

• You will need to keep track of this information to give the extra credit points

• A receipt is essential

• See Department Page for Instructions

• For Consent Form Protocol

Animal Care

• Minimize harm, pain, discomfort(anesthesia, analgesics if needed)

• House and care for animals appropriately

• Use the fewest animals possible

• Medical care available if needed

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

• Complies with Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care

• Members – Representative from Dean’s Office

• Animal Care Facilities Manager

• Veterinarian

• Five members