Chapter 15

Question 1

Deontology

Answer 1

Ethics must be judged in lightof a universal moral code. Certain actions are inherently unethical, should never be performed.

Question 2

Ethical Skepticism

Answer 2

Ethical rules are arbitrary and relative to culture and time.
One should make decisions according to each person’s conscience; one should do what one thinks is right and refrain from doing what one thinks is wrong.
-Research ethics can’t be imposed from the outside, mater of individual researcher’s conscience

Question 3

Utilitarianism

Answer 3

Judgments regarding ethics of a particular action depend on the CONSEQUENCES of that action.
The BENEFITS should be weighed against the COSTS.
APA is essentially utilitarian!

Question 4

Five basic benefits of behavioral research

Answer 4

• Basic knowledge
• Improvement of research or assessment techniques
• Practical outcomes (some studies provide direct practical benefits to improving human/animal welfare… immediately applicable)
• Benefits for researchers (education, students get experience)
• Benefits for research participants (research on therapy might help someone during course of study!)

Question 5

IRB

Answer 5

Institutional Review Board

• must be at every institution that conducts research and receives federal funds
• must be composed of scientific/non-scientific people, and at least one person not associated with the institution

Question 6

Six risks and ethical issues in research on human participants

Answer 6

• lack of adequate informed consent
• invasion of privacy
• coercion to participate
• potential physical or mental harm
• deception
• violation of confidentiality

Question 7

3 problems with obtaining informed consent

Answer 7

• compromises validity of study (observer effect)
• participants unable to give consent (children, vulnerable populations)
• ludicrous cases of informed consent (counting number of people in cars that pass by, lol having to get consent each time)

Question 8

objections to deception

Answer 8

• lying is immoral and deceitful SO BAD (lol)
• may lead to undesirable consequences (widespread deception makes people hate researchers, research participants may enter study beforehand expecting some type of deception)

Question 9

Debriefing does what 4 things

Answer 9

• clarifies nature of study to participant (any deception revealed)
• remove any stress or other negative consequences of study (participants must leave with no bad feelings of what they have done)
• obtain participants’ reactions to study itself
• participants should leave the study feeling good, researchers should express genuine appreciation

Question 10

3 major categories of scientific misconduct

Answer 10

1. scientific dishonesty - fabrication, falsification (distortion of data), plagiarism
2. problems of ownership and credit
3. abuse of power, sexual assault, workplace problems, discrimination