Ethics of Research II

1
Ethics of Research II

• Lawrence R. Gordon
• Psychology Research Methods I

2
Ethics in Research with Animals

• Development of codes paralleled human codes
• Research has proven controversial spurs for
  codes
• Science Fairs
• Canned experiments in lab courses
• Extreme positions
• Respect for All Life
• Cost/Benefit Viewpoint
• Sources of pain and suffering
• Improper maintenance
• The manipulation itself (the IV)
• By-products of the IV

3
Basic Concepts in Animal Ethics Codes

• Degree of Sentience (Lo - to - Hi)
• Protozoa
• Invertebrates
• Cold-blooded vertebrates
• Warm-blooded vertebrates
• Primates and marine mammals
• Invasiveness of Procedures (Lo - to - Hi)
• Observation of normal living patterns
• Painless experimentation
• Painless sacrifice of minimum of animals
• Invasive, under anesthesia w/o return to
  consciousness
• Pain-inflicting
• Severe or protracted pain

4
Emergent Principles

• Were part of an ecological system with rights
  and responsibilities in reference to its other
  members
• Use least invasive procedure, on the least
  sentient species that are useful to the research
  question
• Use the fewest number of animals consistent with
  scientific merit
• Avoid duplicative use (demonstrations, exact
  replications of well-established results)

5
Why Use Animals in Research?

• To control genetic background and experience
• To address important questions not ethical for
  human participants
• To provide models of human ailments and
  diseases
• Provides benefits to both humans and animals

6
APA Code Principles - Animals

• ADMINISTRATION - IACUCs (Institutional Animal
  Care and Use Committees) -- like IRBs for
  humans
• Justify the study
• Care of the animals
• Use for education? Difficult --
• Is study novel?
• Are simulations possible?

7

• NOW LETS GO BACK TO WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST
  CLASS
• Human Subjects (Issues reviewed)
• IRB review of proposed studies (Reviewed)

8
Some Major Issues

• Voluntary participation
• Informed consent
• Coercion
• Deception
• Debriefing
• Experimenter conduct

9
What the IRB Does

• Its chief function Considers costs and benefits
  of the research
• Is the research question worth the use of human
  participants?
• Because human participants do not need to
  participate in studies, their rights are the
  highest priority

10
Submitting Protocols

• Exempt from review
• Expedited review
• Full review

11
Submitting Protocols

• Exempt from review
• Educational practices
• Anonymous survey, interview, or naturalistic
  observation (no identifiers)
• Study of existing data, documents, or archival
  records that are publicly available (no ID)
• Consumer surveys (ex. Quality of dining hall
  food)

12
Submitting Protocols

• Expedited review
• voice recordings (e.g. study of speech defects)
• studies of behavior w/o manipulation or stress
• study of existing documents that are not publicly
  available
• use of noninvasive clinical assessments (such as
  weight, sensory acuity, EKG, but NOT x-rays)

13
Submitting Protocols

• Full review
• study of vulnerable populations
• use of physically invasive techniques (e.g.
  drugs, exercise, x-rays)
• psychological or emotional distress
• behavior manipulation (includes ALL deception)
• sensitive data (with ID) (e.g. drugs, sex, crime)
• videotaping (potential for ID)

14
Conditioned Emotional Reactions

• Watson and Rayner (1920) Art1 - Little Albert
  
• Research question?
• Ethical issues?
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?
• What did the full article add to the description
  in the text? Did it alter your opinion in either
  way?

15
Conditioned Emotional ReactionsMajor Findings?

• Established CER -- pairing a CS and a US
• CER generalized to other furry things
• CER transferred to a new context
• CER persisted at least a month
• CER removeable? No opportunity to try, but later
  done using suggestions made in article

16
Class Exercise You are the IRB!

• Review a protocol
• Identify the research question
• Identify methodological issues that concern you
  about the protocol
• Consider the costs and benefits of the research
• Decide to approve or disapprove the protocol
• Suggest revisions to make the study more ethical
  in your opinion

17
Stanford Prison Study

• Zimbardo (1971)
• Research question?
• Methodological issues (relating to participants
  rights, informed consent, deception, etc.)
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?

18
The Bridge Study

• Based on Dutton Aron (1974)
• Research question?
• Methodological issues (relating to participants
  rights, informed consent, deception, etc.)
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?

19
Water Conservation

• Dickerson, Thibodeau, Aronson, Miller (1992)
• Research question?
• Methodological issues (relating to participants
  rights, informed consent, deception, etc.)
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?

20
Committing Crimes

• From Kassins talk (1999)
• Research question?
• Methodological issues (relating to participants
  rights, informed consent, deception, etc.)
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?

21
Being Sane in Insane Places

• Rosenhan (1973)
• Research question?
• Methodological issues (relating to participants
  rights, informed consent, deception, etc.)
• Overall YEA/NAY?
• Revisions?

22
Fraud in Science

• Data fabrication / falsification
• Plagiarism

23
CTJ Critical Thinking Journal

• First two essays for today
• Astrology
• Predicting the future
• Review the final two pages of the Syllabus and
  begin your CTJ now!
• Review the CT guidelines carefully
• Note the questions to be used to organize journal
  entries.