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

Question 1

Which study as the most obvious beneficence?

A) a social psychology study examining conformity
B) a developmental psychology study examining moral development in preschoolers
C) a health psychology study aimed at minimizing risk of cancer
D) a clinical psychology study examining dosage for anxiety medication

Answer 1

a health psychology study aimed at minimizing risk of cancer

Question 2

Self is to other as:

A) altruistic perspective is to utilitarian perspective.
B) utilitarian perspective is to egoism.
C) egoism is to utilitarian perspective.
D) altruistic perspective is to egoism.

Answer 2

egoism is to utilitarian perspective.

Question 3

Which of the following states that researchers have an ethical obligation to improve the wellbeing of others as much as possible?

A) freedom
B) respect
C) justice
D) beneficence

Answer 3

beneficence

Question 4

One goal when conducting research is nonmaleficence.This is an ethical objective to:

A) minimize or eliminate risks to study participants.
B) maximize risks to study participants.
C) maintain fairness in determining who will benefit and be put at risk by research.
D) allow participants to freely make their own decisions about participating in research.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the principles outlined in the Belmont Report?

A) beneficence
B) respect
C) justice
D) integrity

Question 6

Researchers can assure _____,but cannot guarantee _____.

A) anonymity;confidentiality
B) anonymity;beneficence
C) confidentiality;anonymity
D) confidentiality;respect

Question 7

Which of the following is the foundation of most ethical decisions in psychology?

A) self-interest versus what is good for others
B) tension between potential costs and benefits
C) objective versus subjective understanding of truth
D) the dichotomy between good and evil

Question 8

What is the altruistic perspective?

A) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on helping in a way that provides the greatest personal benefit
B) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self-interest
C) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on helping without personal benefit
D) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Question 9

What is the Belmont Report?

A) a report that outlines ethical principles to follow when conducting research involving humans
B) a report that outlines ethical principles to follow when conducting research involving animals
C) a report that outlines ethical principles to follow when conducting research involving children
D) a report that outlines ethical principles to follow when conducting research involving prisoners

Question 10

The belief that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self-interest is known as _____,whereas the belief that ethical decisions should be based on helping without personal benefit is known as _____.

A) the utilitarian perspective;the altruistic perspective
B) egoism;the utilitarian perspective
C) the utilitarian perspective;egoism
D) egoism;the altruistic perspective

Question 11

Ethical dilemmas in psychology are complex because:

A) there is often only one right answer.
B) there is often only one wrong answer.
C) the right answer often contradicts what would benefit the researcher.
D) there is neither a right answer nor a wrong answer.

Question 12

Which of the following is true?

A) There are no ethical guidelines governing how far scientists can go in their pursuit of knowledge.
B) There are ethical guidelines governing how far scientists can go in their pursuit of knowledge,but they are based on each scientist's own moral compass.
C) There are ethical guidelines set forth by the Belmont Report detailing how far scientists can go in their pursuit of knowledge.
D) Scientists are not allowed to use any form of deception or harm when conducting studies.

Question 13

Anonymity is:

A) when the responses and behaviors of participants become public knowledge.
B) when researcher use coding to separate participant names from data.
C) a guarantee that individual responses cannot be linked to individual participants.
D) the physical toll that study participation takes on the participants.

Question 14

How many principles are outlined in the Belmont Report?

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 15

What is the utilitarian perspective?

A) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on doing the least amount of good for people
B) the believe that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self-interest
C) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on helping without personal benefit
D) the belief that ethical decisions should be based on doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Question 16

Which of the following ethical principles is the most central to the utilitarian perspective of ethical understanding?

A) beneficence
B) integrity
C) respect
D) justice

Question 17

What is beneficence?

A) fairness in determining who will benefit and be put at risk by research
B) freedom of participants to make their own decisions about participating in research
C) an ethical obligation to improve the well-being of others as much as possible
D) a mandate prohibiting deception in research studies

Question 18

Each of the following is a benefit that counts toward the cost-benefit analysis,EXCEPT:

A) participants gain knowledge about the research process.
B) participants may receive compensation for their time and effort.
C) results of the study may benefit society and/or the field of psychology.
D) the researcher may obtain personal gain from publishing the work.

Question 19

Ethics are:

A) what a person should do.
B) what a person should not do.
C) the application of moral principles to help guide one's decisions and behavior.
D) abstract philosophical doctrines governing behavioral practices.

Question 20

The belief that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self-interest is called:

A) the utilitarian perspective.
B) egoism.
C) the altruistic perspective.
D) beneficence.

Question 21

Which best describes the use of vulnerable populations in research?

A) They cannot be used for psychological research.
B) They can be used if researchers are able to demonstrate that potential benefits outweigh costs.
C) They can be used at any point because they are an important subset of the population that needs investigating.
D) They can only be used if they need medical attention.

Question 22

Targeting studies toward _____ represents a violation of justice.

A) adults
B) children
C) college students
D) females

Question 23

If a research question requires the researcher to induce stress in participants:

A) the research cannot be conducted.
B) at the end of the study,the researcher must return participants to same or better physical and psychological state.
C) researchers must ensure the presence of residual stress after the research study.
D) it is fine as long as the researcher believes the benefits outweigh the costs.

Question 24

Jessa is a health psychologist who is examining the impact of a medication on risk of heart attack.Approximately one year into her study she realizes that participants in her experimental condition are outliving participants in her control condition.Once she realizes that her treatment offers a life-sustaining benefit,what should she do?

A) She should end the study and administer the treatment to all participants.
B) She should continue the study but allow those in her control condition to leave the study if they would like.
C) She should end the study and withhold the treatment from both groups until the study can be replicated by another scientist who can verify her findings.
D) She should continue the study,but let the control group know that they are being kept from the effective medical treatment being used in the experimental condition.

Question 25

The greatest ethical cost of Milgram's classical work on obedience,in which participants were erroneously led to believe they were delivering harmful shocks to the confederate,is that it caused _____ to the participant.

A) physical harm
B) legal harm
C) psychological harm
D) economic harm

Question 26

Justice pertains to:

A) how researchers maintain confidentiality.
B) not coercing participation in the study.
C) fairness in who is used as study participants.
D) maximizing beneficial outcomes of research studies.

Question 27

Which of the following caused the most physical harm to participants?

A) Milgram's obedience study
B) the Stanford Prison Study
C) the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
D) Wendell Johnson's stuttering study

Question 28

Autonomy means:

A) research must improve the well-being of others as much as possible.
B) promising that the identity of research participants will not be made public.
C) using other people's work without acknowledging that it is their work.
D) participants must freely make an informed decision about their participation in research.

Question 29

Imagine that you are a participant in a research study.Which of the following would you have the right to expect?

A) confidentiality
B) compensation
C) anonymity
D) deception

Question 30

During the Tuskegee Syphilis Study,researchers never told the participants they had syphilis,nor did they treat any participants for their illness.In this example,the researchers ignored the cost of:

A) physical harm.
B) anonymity.
C) beneficence.
D) integrity.

Question 31

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Study,in which participants acting as guards began to abuse other participants who were role-playing as prisoners,could not be replicated today,because it caused too much:

A) physical and legal harm.
B) psychological and financial harm.
C) physical and psychological harm.
D) legal and economic harm.

Question 32

After collecting the data for her thesis project,Rae places the master list of participants' names in a locked filing cabinet separate from where she keeps her data.Rae stores her information in this way to maintain:

A) confidentiality.
B) respect.
C) justice.
D) informed consent.

Question 33

Each of the following would be considered vulnerable populations,EXCEPT:

A) mental patients.
B) prisoners.
C) children.
D) college students.

Question 34

Jasper has proposed a study in which best friends are led to believe that there are hurt feelings and unspoken animosity in the relationship.If you were evaluating his study for adherence to the ethical principle of beneficence,which would you be most concerned about?

A) psychological harm
B) physical harm
C) economic harm
D) legal harm

Question 35

Nabil is examining whether taking the medicine,Lactaid,will make people more tolerant of lactose in dairy products.In order to do this,he assigns the participants in the control condition to eat dairy,knowing that they will not receive medication to help their digestive systems handle the lactose.In this case,which of the following should be of greatest concern to Nabil?

A) psychological harm
B) physical harm
C) economic harm
D) legal harm

Question 36

When conducting a cost-benefit analysis,each of the following is a potential cost that must be considered,EXCEPT:

A) loss of confidentiality.
B) physical harm.
C) psychological harm.
D) beneficence.

Question 37

Which of the following includes distress,concern,and lowered self-esteem?

A) physical harm
B) legal harm
C) psychological harm
D) economic harm

Question 38

Random assignment of participants to conditions help to establish:

A) beneficence.
B) respect.
C) informed consent.
D) justice.

Question 39

Which of the following is the hardest to recognize,given the personal and emotional nature of the impact?

A) physical harm
B) legal harm
C) psychological harm
D) economic harm

Question 40

Which of the following is a cost of NOT conducting research?

A) failing to find important information that will improve the human condition
B) loss of confidentiality of participants
C) psychological harm of the research
D) egoism

Question 41

Federal government is to ethical standards as:

A) American Psychological Association is to biblical rules.
B) American Psychological Association is to general principles.
C) American Psychological Association is to moral imperatives.
D) American Psychological Association is to ethical laws.

Question 42

Dr.John Watson's research with the baby known as Little Albert violated the principle of _____,because Albert's mother was Dr.Watson's employee and may have felt forced into allowing her son's participation.

A) respect for persons
B) beneficence
C) justice
D) equality

Question 43

To pass Professor Smith's class,his students must participate in his psychological study.If he makes no other options available to his students,then his actions are a violation of:

A) justice.
B) beneficence.
C) respect for persons.
D) equality.

Question 44

An ethical research study should maximize _____ and minimize _____.

A) costs;risks
B) risks;benefits
C) benefits;risks
D) nonmaleficence;benefits

Question 45

The difference between consent and assent is that:

A) consent can only be given by the participant.
B) assent can only be given by a parent or legal guardian on behalf of the participant.
C) consent is given by someone who does not have the ability to give assent themselves.
D) assent is given by someone who does not have the ability to give consent themselves.

Question 46

Which of the following is an APA general principle,but NOT one of the Belmont Report principles?

A) beneficence
B) justice
C) integrity
D) respect

Question 47

How many ethical guidelines are outlined by the American Psychological Association?

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 48

With regard to sensitive or harmful topics,like stealing,cheating,and aggression,the APA ethical considerations suggest that they:

A) cannot be investigated.
B) should be treated as any other topic.
C) require creativity to investigate.
D) do not need to adhere to the same ethical standards.

Question 49

What is a confederate?

A) an accomplice of the experimenter
B) participants who have not given assent
C) participants in other studies
D) participants who do not know the purpose of a study

Question 50

The Nuremberg Code was a direct result of:

A) the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.
B) the prison camps during World War II.
C) the Milgram study on obedience.
D) the Zimbardo Prison Study.

Question 51

Rules like "Participants have the right to skip questions," and "Participants can end the study at any point" demonstrate a researcher's adherence to which principle?

A) beneficence
B) respect for persons
C) equality
D) justice

Question 52

How do you obtain consent for mentally impaired participants?

A) you can't conduct research on a participant who is mentally impaired
B) ask that individual personally
C) ask a parent or legal guardian for consent on that individual's behalf
D) it is fine to conduct research on individuals who are mentally impaired without having consent

Question 53

Anthony is evaluating an IRB protocol that details a social psychology study on conformity.The researcher would like to conduct his work in the county jail.A review of the IRB protocol reveals that the researcher anticipates providing compensation to the sheriff,rather than to the inmates who would be the participants.For which of the following principles would this protocol be most concerning?

A) justice
B) beneficence
C) respect for persons
D) equity

Question 54

The fact that researchers must be mindful of ethical considerations throughout the entire research process demonstrates the APA guideline of:

A) respect.
B) justice.
C) integrity.
D) fidelity.

Question 55

The Nuremberg Code is to the 1940s as the Belmont Report is to the:

A) 1950s.
B) 1970s.
C) 1990s.
D) 2010s.

Question 56

Bella is conducting an online study and participants can complete her study without ever physically meeting with her.How might Bella obtain informed consent from her participants in this online environment?

A) have a written informed consent form that participants must print,sign,and mail in
B) have no consent form,because online studies are ethical by nature
C) have participants indicate consent by selecting the appropriate button
D) ask the parents of participants to submit written assent

Question 57

A person who works with the experimenter to administer a study by pretending to be a participant is called a(n):

A) imposter.
B) confederate.
C) actor.
D) traitor.

Question 58

What is the Nuremberg Code?

A) a set of ethical principles specifying the need for beneficence,justice,and respect in research involving humans
B) the tendency for researchers to avoid publishing the results from experiments where there were no significant effects of the experimental manipulation
C) a group within each research institution that determines whether a proposed research project is ethical
D) a set of principles for human experimentation stating that the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential

Question 59

Beatrice needs ten more participants in order to complete her dissertation project.Because recruitment has slowed down,she decides to offer $100 to anyone willing to participate in her study.What principle has Beatrice violated?

A) justice
B) beneficence
C) respect for persons
D) equality

Question 60

Adult is the child as:

A) consent is to assent.
B) consent is to respect.
C) assent is to consent.
D) assent is to beneficence.

Question 61

Which of the following should happen first when testing a research question?

A) conduct the study using an ethical research design
B) randomly assign participants to conditions
C) draw conclusions
D) perform a cost-benefit analysis

Question 62

What does IRB stand for?

A) Institutional Review Board
B) Internal Revenue Board
C) Internal Review Board
D) International Revision Board

Question 63

Which of the following would NOT be included on an IRB committee?

A) university faculty
B) university staff
C) community members,such as physicians
D) undergraduate students

Question 64

An IRB protocol classified as exempt will likely have which of the following characteristics?

A) it is short
B) it poses minimal risk
C) it utilizes stressful psychological tests
D) it contains no known physical,emotional,psychological,or economic risk

Question 65

Deception is often present in the:

A) cover story.
B) debriefing.
C) informed consent.
D) hypothesis.

Question 66

Malcolm is a researcher who wants to ensure that he protects the confidentiality of his participants.Which of the following would increase the confidentiality of his study?

A) separating the signed informed consent forms from the data
B) separating the debriefing forms from the data
C) storing the signed informed consent forms with the data
D) storing the debriefing forms with the data

Question 67

If Felicia wants to conduct a research study with no known risk:

A) she does not need to file an IRB protocol.
B) she needs to file an IRB protocol for an exempt study.
C) she needs to file an IRB protocol for an expedited study.
D) she needs to file an IRB protocol for a full review.

Question 68

The biggest harm caused by participants who behave unethically is:

A) not finding statistically significant results when a variable actually has an effect.
B) wasting the researcher's time and resources.
C) frustrating other research participants.
D) hurting science through the publication of potentially inaccurate results.

Question 69

Researchers must complete an IRB proposal:

A) every year to maintain their current ethical credentials.
B) every month to maintain their current ethical credentials.
C) for every research study they wish to conduct.
D) once at each research institution at which they work.

Question 70

As part of her health psychology study,Gizela would like to require her research participants to engage in maximal exercise.Because of this,her IRB study protocol will most likely be reviewed by:

A) only the chair of the IRB.
B) the IRB committee,which is composed of at least five members.
C) a qualified member of the IRB committee selected by the IRB chair.
D) the President of the university.

Question 71

How might a research participant behave unethically?

A) by not disclosing the true purpose of the study
B) by failing to understand the research hypothesis
C) by not providing honest and truthful responses
D) by not showing up on time for the study

Question 72

What is the Institutional Review Board?

A) a governing body that reviews the ethical merit of all research with humans
B) a governing body that reviews the ethical merit of all research with animals
C) a governing body that reviews the capital investment of a study and determines whether it merits being conducted
D) a governing body that reviews whether studies are likely to achieve statistical significance

Question 73

Imagine that you are designing a study to investigate a sensitive topic.Which of the following study designs would cause the most unnecessary harm?

A) randomly assigning half of the participants to personally encounter the sensitive phenomenon
B) studying the phenomenon in its natural habitat without interfering
C) having participants read secondhand accounts of the phenomenon rather than experiencing it themselves
D) having participants write about a past experience with the phenomenon rather than subjecting them re-experience it for the study

Question 74

In an experiment,the cover story is:

A) completely true.
B) totally false.
C) a mixture of truth and deception.
D) is developed based on information obtained from the literature search.

Question 75

With regard to participants' emotional responses to the research study,the debriefing tells participants that:

A) they overreacted to a hypothetical situation.
B) they underreacted as a result of the research lab being an unnatural setting.
C) any feelings they had during the study were natural.
D) their emotional responses were unusual and merit further investigation.

Question 76

When would participants receive the contact information to free counseling services provided by the research institution?

A) during participant recruitment
B) in the debriefing
C) when the study was published or presented
D) immediately after being randomly assigned to a condition

Question 77

Each of the following helps to maintain participant confidentiality,EXCEPT:

A) using a coding system to assign personal identification numbers to the data.
B) separating the signed informed consent forms from the data.
C) not asking participants to put their name on their experimental rating forms.
D) discussing a specific individual's data by name in a subsequent presentation or publication.

Question 78

IRB classifications include all of the following,EXCEPT:

A) exempt.
B) advanced.
C) expedited.
D) full review.

Question 79

If Moira is conducting a study with minimal risk and no deception,her IRB protocol would likely be classified as:

A) exempt.
B) advanced.
C) expedited.
D) full review.

Question 80

A cover story is used to:

A) tell participants what the study is about.
B) inform participants about the risks and benefits of participation.
C) divulge where deception was used in the study.
D) alert participants to their right to refuse or terminate participation at any time without penalty.