Chapter 9: Ethics in Research

Chapter 9: Ethics in Research

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. A research study offers elderly men who have, in the past, been prison inmates $1,500 for participation in an all-day workshop at which they agree to be hypnotized and tell stories of incarceration, which are later published. The research participants are allowed to listen to the tapes of what they say under hypnosis and to withdraw permission to use any part of the information. Why is this scenario a violation of self-determination?

ANS:  B

The right to self-determination is based on the ethical principle of respect for persons. This principle holds that because humans are capable of self-determination, or controlling their own destiny, they should be treated as autonomous agents who have the freedom to conduct their lives as they choose without external controls. A subject’s right to self-determination can be violated through the use of (1) coercion, (2) covert data collection, and (3) deception. Coercion occurs when an overt threat of harm or excessive reward is intentionally presented by one person to another to obtain his or her compliance. In the example, offering elderly men $1,500 for one day could be considered offering an excessive reward: therefore, it is an act of coercion violating the human right to self-determination.

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2. A researcher working for Google collects data on fair treatment in the workplace. He attempts to attach one of the raw data forms to a message to himself, so that he can finish the data analysis at home that evening, but accidentally sends it to another employee who had provided data for the study. The two employees, coincidentally, have an identical opinion about fair treatment in the workplace. This best describes an example of a violation of which of the following human rights?

ANS:  A

Confidentiality is the researcher’s management of private information shared by a subject that must not be shared with others without the authorization of the subject. In the example, sending one research subject the raw data of a different subject is a direct breach of confidentiality. A breach in confidentiality can occur when a researcher, by accident or direct action, allows an unauthorized person to gain access to raw study data. The right to fair treatment is based on the ethical principle of justice. This principle holds that each person should be treated fairly and should receive what he or she is due or owed. The right to protection from discomfort and harm is based on the ethical principle of beneficence, which holds that one should do good and, above all, do no harm.

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3. In a study of outpatients experiencing panic attacks, a researcher was working in a busy clinic waiting room and left his computer to consent a new study participant. A transcription of a patient interview was displayed, and at the end of the transcription was the patient’s medical record number and a list of medications currently taken. The researcher had not closed down the screen, and when he returned to his computer, he found an adult patient playing a video game on the computer. This best describes an example of a violation of which of the following human rights?

ANS:  D

Privacy is an individual’s right to determine the time, extent, and general circumstances under which personal information will be shared with or withheld from others. This information consists of one’s attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, opinions, and records. The Privacy Act of 1974 provided the initial protection of an individual’s privacy. Because of this act, data collection methods were to be scrutinized to protect subjects’ privacy, and data cannot be gathered from subjects without their knowledge. Individuals also have the right to access their records and to prevent access by others. The intent of this act was to prevent the invasion of privacy that occurs when private information is shared without an individual’s knowledge or against his or her will. Invading an individual’s privacy might cause loss of dignity, friendships, or employment or create feelings of anxiety, guilt, embarrassment, or shame. The HIPAA Privacy Rule expanded the protection of an individual’s privacy, specifically his or her protected individually identifiable health information, and described the ways in which covered entities can use or disclose this information. De-identifying health data involves removing 18 elements that could be used to identify an individual. An important one on this list is the individual’s medical record number. In the example, the researcher’s use of an actual patient identification number on a transcription risks the human right to privacy; a code number should have been used instead.

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4. Ellen is a participant in a research study. She will receive either the customary medication to treat her metastatic colon cancer or a new medication that has shown better results in animal studies and one small human study. This is _____ research.

ANS:  C

Therapeutic research gives the patient an opportunity to receive an experimental treatment that might have beneficial results. Nontherapeutic research is conducted to generate knowledge for a discipline, and the results from the study might benefit future patients but will probably not benefit those acting as research subjects. The Declaration of Helsinki differentiated therapeutic research from nontherapeutic research. Neither descriptive nor correlational research involves treatment or manipulation of a variable. There is no evidence of coercion.

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5. A graduate student receives a mailed survey asking her to participate in research about unpleasant experiences in graduate school. She is asked to return the survey, and the instructions say, “Return of this instrument implies consent.” Why does this constitute consent?

ANS:  B

The requirements for written consent may be waived in research that “presents no more than minimal risk of harm to subjects and involves no procedures for which written consent is normally required outside of the research context.” For example, if questionnaires are used to collect relatively harmless data, a signed consent form from the subjects would not be required. The subject’s completion of the questionnaire may serve as consent. The top of the questionnaire might contain a statement such as “Your completion of this questionnaire indicates your consent to participate in this study.”

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