Deck 3: Ethics in Social Research

Question 1

Why are some groups of people called "special populations" in social research? What things must a researcher do differently when studying them?

Answer 1

Some populations or groups of research participants are not capable of giving True,voluntary informed consent.
Special populations are people who lack the necessary cognitive competency to give valid informed consent or people in a weak position who might cast aside their freedom to refuse in order to participate in a study.
Students,prison inmates,employees,military personnel,the homeless,welfare recipients,children,or the developmentally disabled may not be fully capable of making a decision,or they may agree to participate only because they see their participation as a means of obtaining a desired good-such as higher grades,early parole,promotions,or additional services.
It is unethical to involve “incompetent”people (e.g.,children,the mentally challenged)in research unless a researcher meets two minimal conditions: (1)a legal guardian grants written permission,and (2)the researcher follows all standard ethical principles to protect the participant from harm.

Question 2

What is the general ethical principle regarding deception in social research?

A)It is fully acceptable and does not involve ethical issues.
B)It is forbidden under all circumstances of ethical research.
C)It can be ethically used if essential to the research so long as subjects are not physically harmed.
D)It can be ethically used if essential to the research,but only to the minimal degree necessary and it must be followed by debriefing.
E)Deception can only be ethically used when subjects are “captive”populations (e.g.,prisoners,students,mental hospital patients,military personnel).

Answer 2

D

Question 3

How might a sponsor attempt to illegitimately influence a researcher? What can the researcher do about it and why might a researcher hesitate about being ethical?

Answer 3

A sponsor may attempt to illegitimately influence a researcher by: (1)telling the researcher,directly or indirectly,what results the researcher should come up with before the study is undertaken;(2)telling the researcher to suppress scientific information that contradicts official policy or embarrasses high officials;(3)placing unreasonable limitations on research (e.g.,withholding funding necessary to uphold generally accepted standards of research,demanding a biased sample or leading research questions,etc.);(4)telling the researcher not to reveal to participants information about who is funding the study.
For (1),a researcher should refuse to participate if she or he is told to arrive at specific results as a precondition for doing research.Legitimate research is conducted without restrictions on the possible findings that the study might yield.For (2),a researcher should negotiate conditions for releasing the findings prior to beginning the study and sign a contract to that effect.It may be unwise to conduct the study without such a guarantee,although competing researchers who have fewer ethical scruples may do so.Alternatively,a researcher can accept the sponsor’s criticism and hostility and release the findings over the sponsor’s objections.For (3),a researcher should refuse to continue a study if he or she cannot uphold generally accepted standards of research.For (4),in general,an ethical researcher will tell the subjects who is sponsoring the study unless there is a strong methodological reason for not doing so.When reporting or publishing results,the ethical mandate is very clear: A researcher must always reveal the sponsor who provides funds for a study.

Question 4

The original source for the principles of codes of ethics for research on human subjects was developed out of

A)the Amnesty International Code of 1975.
B)the Nuremburg Code used in the Nuremburg Military Tribunal on Nazi war crimes in 1946-47.
C)the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
D)the League of Nations Charter of 1919.
E)the Constitution of the United States.

Question 5

Identify and define two forms of scientific misconduct and provide an example of each.

Question 6

Professor Ivan Ishtar copied five pages from a student paper that was not protected by copyright laws and put it in an article he published but failed to give credit to the student.He also claimed to interview 10 people who he never interviewed.Professor Ishtar committed all the following activities EXCEPT which one?

A)Plagiarism
B)Research fraud
C)Scientific misconduct
D)Unethical but legal behaviour
E)Illegal but ethical behaviour

Question 7

In what ways do political pressures affect the conduct of social research? What are the three main causes of attempts to block or steer social research?

Question 8

For an honours undergraduate project,Steven Smith conducts a survey on students' beliefs and behaviours,including sexual behaviour.While distributing the questionnaire,he assures the group of students that no one will be able to trace responses to an individual.He notices where each person sat before he or she returns the questionnaire to the front of the room and memorizes who turned in the first,second,etc.,questionnaire.Which ethical principle is Steven violating?

A)Confidentiality
B)Anonymity
C)Harm to subjects
D)Concealed identity of researcher
E)Voluntary participation

Question 9

Describe the difference between anonymity and confidentiality.

Question 10

It is NOT ethical for a sponsor to do which of the following?

A)A school district wants a study of students,but demands that a researcher report findings showing an improvement in student scores during the past five years.
B)A supervisor requires prior review of questionnaire items to make some of them “leading”to make certain that the company looks good.
C)A government agency that paid for a study suppresses findings that indicate that it has not enforced a law it is supposed to and has been an overall failure.
D)A political party calls people for telephone interviews on opinions,but is really identifying potential financial contributors.It hides the true sponsor of a study by using a made-up name of a research company.
E)All of the above.

Question 11

What are the three types of harm a researcher must be aware of when conducting a study? What steps can researchers take to mitigate the potential impact of these three types of harm?

Question 12

Identify three major cases in the history of research ethics and describe the basic principles of ethical research they illustrate.

Question 13

Chad Hunt is a graduate student who studies the ways people use social assistance.Chad grew up hearing news reports and dinner table conversations about how welfare recipients are typically lazy people who abuse the system even though they can and should work.The data Chad collects indicates that the majority of people on social assistance are hard-working persons who have been displaced by economic restructuring.Chad believes his data does not accurately depict the truth of the matter,so he falsifies documents to make it appear as though abuse of social assistance is common.What offence has Chad committed?

A)Research fraud
B)Data reconfiguration
C)Plagiarism
D)Breaking confidentiality
E)Breaking anonymity

Question 14

A researcher asks some teenagers to shoplift from a drugstore while he observes so he can learn more about how they do it.This researcher may be violating the ethical principle that says

A)do not cause physical harm.
B)avoid causing psychological abuse or stress.
C)do not create new inequalities.
D)do not place subjects in legal jeopardy.
E)none of the above;it is not unethical.

Question 15

The principle of voluntary consent in social research means

A)a professor who hands out a questionnaire to students should inform students that their participation is voluntary and that they can refuse to participate without penalty.
B)many research findings actually have limited generalizability to those subjects/respondents who agree to participate in research.
C)this norm is violated in covert field research.
D)a researcher using deception should tell subjects that they can leave at any time.
E)all of the above.

Question 16

A great deal of learning about ethics is based on "famous cases." Which study is the "famous case" in which poor black men were not treated and allowed to become disabled and permanently harmed in a Public Health Service study by the U.S.federal government?

A)Tearoom Trade
B)Jury Study
C)Milgram Obedience Experiment
D)Zimbardo Prison Experiment
E)Bad Blood

Question 17

What is informed consent? Why was it developed? How does it protect research subjects?

Question 18

Describe what a whistle-blower is in social research settings,and what pressures a whistle-blower might feel to keep quiet or go public.

Question 19

How do power relations,deception,and coercion to participate in research conflict with the principle of voluntary consent?

Question 20

If a researcher conducting a survey gets "informed consent," she will

A)get an ok from funding agencies to experiment with controlled substances.
B)get permission to interview friends and family members about personal behaviour (such as sexual relations).
C)get permission to conduct the interview with the respondent after telling the respondent something about the interview.
D)get permission from other researchers to use non-random sampling.
E)get permission from people to use their actual names and addresses in published studies about them.

Question 21

Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans specifies that researchers have a duty to do which of the following?

A)refrain from researching special populations
B)share data pertaining to Canadian citizens and institutions with the Canadian government
C)refuse compensation for conducting research
D)maximize the benefits that their research has on others
E)refrain from politicizing research findings

Question 22

Which of the following terms refers to the act of disclosing the occurrence of an ethical breach,which cannot be resolved through internal procedures,to an external audience?

A)Whistle-blowing
B)Confidentiality breach
C)Scientific misconduct
D)Research fatigue
E)Involuntary consent

Question 23

Dr.Agamben delegated preliminary data analysis to his research assistant.The research assistant summarized his initial impressions of the data in a ten-page report.Dr.Agamben,impressed with the insight and eloquence of his research assistant,included passages from the report in an article for which he was the sole author.What offence has Dr.Agamben committed?

A)Fraud
B)Plagiarism
C)Deception
D)Publishing uncheck conclusions
E)Whistle-blowing

Question 24

The Dr.Nancy Olivieri case demonstrates

A)that speaking out against research that is funded by large and powerful companies can have a great personal cost,even if it is done to uphold ethical principles.
B)that speaking out against research that is funded by large and powerful companies can be rewarded by the scientific community.
C)that a researcher should remain loyal to the sponsoring organization.
D)that a researcher should exit the situation immediately.
E)none of the above.

Question 25

Professor Bernard Bellyache said,"Before I go any further,I have to run this research design past the REB." What does this mean?

A)Professor Bellyache needs to get money to conduct the research project and must go to the Internal Revenue Board to get it.
B)Professor Bellyache needs to get an ok from a local committee who checks for ethical concerns in research dealing with people.
C)Professor Bellyache does not have academic freedom and must get permission to do anything.
D)Professor Bellyache has to go to Ottawa to talk with the national lobbying organization for social science researchers.
E)Professor Bellyache is conducting a research project like the “Bad Blood”study,so he must let health officials know he won’t contaminate anyone.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the best forms of preparation suggested by your text?

A)Adopt a serious professional role
B)Do not accept assistance from funding agencies
C)Internalize a sensitivity to ethical concerns
D)Interact regularly with other researchers
E)None of the above

Question 27

What is the purpose of informed consent?

A)It means that information a researcher gets from a subject may be used in any way by the researcher,even against the desires,beliefs,or wishes of the research subject.
B)It documents that a researcher has followed the principle of voluntary participation.
C)It gives permission from the government to study certain “taboo”topics.
D)It protects researchers and teachers from outside interference when they debate ideas,investigate issues,or discuss findings.
E)It gives a researcher the right to see government documents.

Question 28

Henrietta Handlesworth got a job working at Zone Research Company.After working there for two years,she was asked to conduct a survey of customers who bought Zone Motor Corporation cars in the past two years to see how satisfied they were.Her supervisor told her not to bother sending questionnaires to people who bought a car from Zone Motor Corp.but since sold it.Henrietta thought this was wrong but wanted to keep her supervisor happy so that she could get a promotion.What ethical problem did Henrietta encounter?

A)Concealing the true sponsor
B)Suppressing findings
C)Arriving at particular findings
D)Limits on how to conduct a study
E)No ethical problem

Question 29

Which of the following is not a form of scientific misconduct?

A)Falsification of data
B)Significant,unjustified departures from generally accepted scientific practices
C)Plagiarism
D)Deceiving participants
E)Distorting methods of data collection

Question 30

Which of the following sets the standards for professional ethics codes within North American sociology?

A)CSA & SSHRC
B)CIHR & BSA
C)NSERC & CSA
D)ASA & BSC
E)ASA & CSA

Question 31

Which of the following scenarios exemplifies the keeping of confidentiality?

A)A researcher destroys her data five years after her study is completed
B)A researcher redacts the names of participants from interview transcripts before donating them to a public library
C)A researcher quantifies participants’individual survey responses and publishes the statistical means of her sample’s responses to each survey question
D)A researcher assigns a random number to each interviewee and uses these numbers,rather than participants’names,to label interview recordings
E)A researcher convenes a focus group and asks the participants to share no more than their first names with one another

Question 32

Dr.George Clemmons studies the nature of friendship bonds between children under the age of 8 years old.Since children are a vulnerable population,George must take extra precautions to ensure his research meets ethical standards.Which of the following conditions must George meet in order to avoid unethical research conduct?

A)George must obtain written permission from the legal guardian(s)of the children he plans to study.
B)George must ensure he is never alone with the children he is studying.
C)George must follow standard ethical principles to protect his child participants from harm.
D)Both A and C.
E)Both B and C.

Question 33

The Russell Ogden case is an illustration of a social researcher's obligation to uphold which ethical principle?

A)Do no harm to participants
B)Conflict of interest
C)Informed consent
D)Confidentiality
E)Do not exploit participants for personal gain

Question 34

Identify the FALSE statement about ethics in social research.

A)The individual researcher is ultimately responsible for acting in an ethical manner and protecting research subjects.
B)A researcher who lacks strong professional socialization,who is isolated from other researchers,and who is under great pressure to cut corners to produce research findings is in greater danger of doing something unethical.
C)Unethical researchers,if caught,have disgraced themselves before their peers.They may lose their jobs and never get another professional job.All their past research may be suspect.
D)It is usually more costly and time consuming to behave ethically,but there is no praise for ethical research.It is simply expected.
E)All unethical behaviour is also illegal because codes of ethics have the force of law.

Question 35

What ethical issue was NOT raised by the famous "Tearoom Trade" study by Laud Humphries on homosexuals?

A)Covert observation without informed consent
B)Protecting the research subjects from legal jeopardy
C)Protecting the privacy of respondents and confidentiality of data
D)The use of deception or lying to subjects
E)All of the above were involved.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT one of the groups identified by the Tri-Council Policy Statement as "special populations"?

A)Persons with limited mental capacity
B)Persons with familial and professional ties to the researcher
C)Persons in subservient power positions in a potential research study
D)Persons belonging to groups with a history of expression and exploitation
E)None of the above

Question 37

Which of the following terms is used to describe situations where communities develop skepticism towards research after having been "researched to death" without sharing in any of the benefits of the research?

A)Research victimization
B)Knowledge exploitation
C)Parasitic research
D)Research fatigue
E)Research exhaustion

Question 38

The use of coercion to secure participants for a research project can be a tricky issue.In which of the following scenarios is the coercion used to secure research participants considered ethical?

A)Megan,a Canadian undergraduate student,volunteered for a study in which she was asked to look at disturbing pictures and report her emotional responses because her professor made research participation a requirement of the course she was completing.
B)Chris,a prisoner at Warkworth Institution,complied with a request to be interviewed about his experience of prison violence because he was worried he would receive worse treatment from the guards if he refused to comply.
C)Brandon,a 14-year-old high school student,agreed to complete a survey on his beliefs and behaviour pertaining to drug use because the researcher was his English teacher’s wife and he worried refusing to participate would upset his teacher.
D)Brent,a graduate student at a competitive university,witnessed a group of children shoplifting at the mall.Brent told the children he would turn them in and inform their parents of the shoplifting unless thy agreed to participate in his study on peer pressure.
E)Dr.Benton,an esteemed criminologist,responds to distress calls with police officers to interview persons who have been victimized.Knowing female victims of spousal abuse might be reticent to talk to her out of loyalty to their partners,Dr.Benton secretly tells the victims their husbands will not be charged if they cooperate with her.

Question 39

What is ethical behaviour regarding the use of deception in social research?

A)Deception is always forbidden;it should never be used under any conditions whatsoever.
B)Deception can be used anytime a researcher feels he or she can learn more by using it,so long as the subjects have given their “informed consent.”
C)Deception can be used anytime a researcher feels he or she would learn more by using it,but only if the researcher afterward “debriefs”the subjects,telling them about the deception.
D)Deception can only be used if it is necessary for a specific research purpose,only to the minimal degree required for that purpose,and subjects should give informed consent before participating and be debriefed immediately afterward.
E)Deception can only be used when one is working with “special populations,”during which time debriefing is optional.

Question 40

Why is there a special concern with anonymity and confidentiality when a researcher studies "captive" populations like prisoners?

A)Gatekeepers,or those in positions of authority,may restrict access unless they receive information on subjects.
B)Pseudonyms or false names cannot be used for prisoners.
C)Researchers are legally obligated to tell the police about what they have learned from the subjects.
D)All of the above are reasons for special concern.
E)None of the above are reasons for special concern.

Question 41

Define the following:ethics

Question 42

Define the following:unnecessary stress

Question 43

Define the following:legal harm

Question 44

Define the following:Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

Question 45

Define the following:plagiarism

Question 46

Define the following:high-risk populations

Question 47

Define the following:anonymity

Question 48

Define the following:psychological harm

Question 49

Define the following:informed consent

Question 50

Define the following:research fraud

Question 51

Define the following:special populations

Question 52

Define the following:scientific misconduct

Question 53

Define the following:privacy

Question 54

Define the following:research ethics board (REB)

Question 55

Define the following:confidentiality

Question 56

Define the following:research fatigue

Question 57

Define the following:principle of voluntary consent

Question 58

Define the following:whistle-blower

Question 59

Define the following:physical harm