Deck 3: D: Ethics: Making Ethical Decisions in Research

Question 1

What is the altruistic perspective and how might it influence an individual who is trying to resolve an ethical dilemma?

Answer 1

The altruistic perspective holds that ethical decisions should be based on helping others without personal benefit.In an ethical dilemma one is likely to weigh the potential costs and benefits of a course of action.From the altruistic perspective,the best course of action is the most selfless one.

Question 2

How is the utilitarian perspective different from egoism?

Answer 2

The utilitarian perspective is the belief that ethical decisions should be based on doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.Egoism holds that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self-interest.In comparison with each other,the utilitarian perspective is more "other" focused,whereas egoism uses a more "self" focused vantage point for weighing costs and benefits in an ethical dilemma.

Question 3

Explain how the Tuskegee Syphilis Study violated the ethical principle of justice?

Answer 3

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study violated all three aspects of the Belmont Report.However,with regard to justice,the sample of study participants was not selected fairly and the risk and benefits of participation were not distributed equally.Justice ensures that researchers will avoid targeting a particularly weak or vulnerable group as participants for a study.In the case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study,researchers selected a group of participants who were poor,uneducated,and sick.Further,the researchers of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study violated justice by deciding that it was more important to learn about the long-term effects of syphilis (benefit to society)than to cure the disease in their study participants (cost to participants),leaving their participants to experience a number of negative consequences associated with syphilis,including death.

Question 4

List and define three of the American Psychological Association's five principles for conducting ethical research.

Question 5

What is the difference between confidentiality and anonymity?

Question 6

How are the Nuremberg Code for Human Experimentation and the Belmont Report similar and how are they different?

Question 7

Imagine that you are the chair of your university's IRB committee.You receive a research protocol that describes a study examining the limitations of human digestion.The proposed procedure requires participants to eat until they become sick in an effort to advance the current understanding of differential limits on eating behavior.Explain why you would approve or reject this research proposal.

Question 8

Yolanda is conducting a research study that is expected to create psychological distress in her participants.How can she minimize the residual effects of this stress so as to uphold the APA ethical guideline of beneficence and nonmaleficence?

Question 9

Marsha would like to examine self-control in toddlers.In order to do this,she has designed a study in which children will be given a marshmallow and told that if they don't eat it until the researcher returns to the room they will be given a second marshmallow.However,if they eat the marshmallow before the researcher returns they will not be given a second one.Explain to Marsha what level of IRB review this study will require.

Question 10

What is beneficence?

Question 11

What is the file drawer problem?

Question 12

Why does it matter if psychologists fail to adhere to the APA ethical guideline of scientific integrity and publish falsified results?

Question 13

Describe one way that researchers can "massage their data."

Question 14

What is minimal risk and what level of IRB review is required for studies containing minimal risk?

Question 15

Compare and contrast the Institutional Review Board (IRB)and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).