Chapter 4: Ethics and Research

Activity 4.1: Ethical or Not? Activity 4.2: Some Ethical Dilemmas Activity 4.3: Violations of Ethical Practice Activity 4.4: Why Would These Research Practices Be Unethical? Activity 4.5: Is It Ethical to Use Prisoners as Subjects?

Activity 4.1: Ethical or not? In this activity, you are to pair up with another student to discuss each of the following. Then report your conclusions to the class. 1. A professional sex therapist in a large Midwestern city is interested in obtaining more information about the sexual preferences of both heterosexual and homosexual men. He designs a questionnaire that includes a number of highly personal questions and asks a professor at a nearby university to administer it to the students in her introductory psychology class. All of the students in the class are required to complete the questionnaire. Is there an ethical problem here? 2. The spread of AIDS (acquired immune-deficiency syndrome) has brought about a considerable amount of research into the effectiveness of various drugs that control the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration restricted the distribution of these drugs until they were clinically tested. During the tests, some AIDS patients would receive these drugs (the experimental group) while others (the control group would not. Some members of the control group even received a placebo. AIDS patients strongly objected, saying this was unethical. Were they justified in doing so? Why or why not? Is there an ethical dilemma here? 3. In the summer of 1972, newspapers around the country revealed that for 40 years the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) had been conducting a study to investigate the effects of untreated syphilis on black males in Macon County, Alabama. Public Health Service physicians had administered a variety of blood tests and regular examinations to 399 men who were in various stages of the disease and to 200 others who were in a control group. The study was limited strictly to compiling data on the effects of syphilis and not on ways to treat the disease. The participants were never told the purpose of the study or for what they were or were not being treated. No drugs were ever used with these men. A PHS nurse who was monitoring the participants informed local physicians as to who was participating in the study and informed them that they were not to be treated for syphilis. In fact, some of the participants who were offered treatment by other physicians were told they would be dropped from the study if they took the treatment. The participants were never aware of the danger to which they were exposed by the study. Furthermore, no effort was ever made to explain their situation to them. In fact, they were enticed with a variety of incentives to participate, such as hot meals, free treatment for other ailments, free rides to and from the clinic, even a $50 burial stipend. What ethical standards were violated in this study?

Activity 4.2: Some Ethical Dilemmas 1. A psychologist conducts the following experiment: A team of subjects plays a game of skill against a computer for money rewards. Unknown to the subjects, one team member is a stooge whose stupidity causes the team to lose regularly. The experimenter observes the subjects through one-way glass. Her intent is to study the behavior of the subjects toward the stupid team member. This experiment involves no risk to the subjects and is intended simply to create the kind of situation that might occur in any pickup basketball game. To create the situation, the subjects are deceived. Is this deception morally objectionable? Explain your position.

2. Almost all clinical trials that have studied the effects of such factors as blood cholesterol, taking aspirin, or exercise on heart attacks have used middle-aged male subjects. Womens groups have complained that this leads to better health information about men that about women. The researchers reply that in order to get clear results in the five years or so that such a study lasts, they must choose their subjects from the groups that are most likely to have heart attacks. That points to middle-aged men. What would you suggest?

3. The information given to potential subjects in a clinical trial before asking them to decide whether or not to participate might include: a. The basic statement that an experiment is being conducted; that is, something beyond simply treating your medical problem will occur in your therapy. b. A statement of any potential risks from any of the experimental treatments. c. An explanation that a coin will be tossed to decide which treatment you get. d. An explanation that one treatment is a placebo and a statement of the probability that you will receive the placebo. Do you feel that all of this information is ethically required? Discuss.

Activity 4.3: Violations of Ethical Practice Listed below in Column A are a number of violations of ethical practice. Match the letter of the violation from Column B with the example listed in Column A to which the violation refers. Column A: Practice 1. ______ Researcher requires a group of high school sophomores to sign a form in which they agree to participate in a research study. 2. ______ Researcher asks first-graders sensitive questions without obtaining the consent of their parents to question them. 3. ______ Researcher deletes data he collects that does not support his hypothesis. 4. ______ Researcher gives information to students to see whether it increases their stress when taking an examination. 5. ______The teachers in a study of punitive practices are told that it is their students who are being observed. Column B: Ethical violation a. Protecting participants from harm. b. Ensuring confidentiality of research data. c. Deception of subjects. d. Right of an individual to participate or withdraw from a study at any time. e. Reporting accurately the results of a research investigation. f. Coercion of subjects. g. Parental permission.

Activity 4.4: Why Would These Research Practices Be Unethical? Figure 4.2 in Chapter 4 in the text presents a number of individuals describing unethical research practices. Working with a partner, in the space provided below, explain why each of the statements suggests something that would be unethical. 1. We are required to ask you to sign this consent form. You neednt read it; its just routine. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2. A few cases seemed quite different from the rest, so we deleted them __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Yes, as a student at this university you are required to participate in this study. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. There is no need to tell any of the parents that we are modifying the school lunch diet for this study. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 5. Requiring students to participate in class discussions might be harmful to some, but it is necessary for our research. __________________________________________________________________

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Activity 4.5: Is It Ethical to Use Prisoners as Subjects? 1. Discuss the following question: What might be some arguments for and against using prison inmates as the subjects in a research study?

Argument For

Argument Against

Problem Sheet 4: Ethics and Research 1. My research question is: ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ___ 2. The possibilities for harm to participants (if any) are as follows: _________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ___ I would handle these problems as follows: __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ __ 3. The possibilities of problems of confidentiality (if any) are as follows: ____________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ___ I would handle these problems as follows: __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ __ 4. The possibilities of problems of deception (if any) are as follows: _______________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ___ I would handle these problems as follows: __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ __ 5. In which IRB category (I, II, or III) do you think your proposed study should be considered? State why. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

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