Chapter 3 Research Ethics Exam Prep

CHAPTER 3

Research Ethics

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is not true regarding ethics and research ethics?
   1. Ethics are guidelines or standards for moral conduct.
   2. Research ethics involves the application of ethical principles to scientific research.
   3. Throughout history, considerations of research ethics have coincided with the development of new scientific methods.
   4. The development of professional ethical codes for scientific research occurred relatively recently following the revelation of atrocities committed by German scientists during World War II.
2. Research ethics pertain to all except which one of the following?
   1. how research subjects should be treated
   2. how research questions are selected
   3. how data are collected, analyzed, and reported
   4. how research results are used
3. According to the textbook authors,
   1. the ethics of data collection and analysis is less important than other ethical concerns.
   2. because of pressures to publish, unethical data manipulation and data fabrication are relatively common.
   3. reporting fraudulent data hurts only the individual scientist who fabricates the data.
   4. the policy of data sharing may reduce the likelihood of scientific fraud.
4. To prevent misconduct in conducting research and reporting findings, it is recommended that social scientists
   1. carry out more replications.
   2. harshly punish dishonest researchers.
   3. make teaching research ethics an integral part of graduate training and methods courses.
   4. do background checks on all scientists who apply for research grants.
5. Which study mentioned in the text was terminated early because of its unanticipated harm to research participants?
   1. Tuskegee syphilis study
   2. Zimbardo’s prison simulation study
   3. Milgram’s study of obedience to authority
   4. Humphreys’s study of sexual encounters in public rest rooms
6. According to the textbook, the issue of potential harm
   1. rarely applies to social science research.
   2. is limited to studies that threaten the physical health of research participants.
   3. may occur in spite of researchers’ best intentions.
   4. is more easily identified in social research than in medical and biological research.
7. According to the text, a cost-benefit analysis of the risk of harm and potential benefits
   1. can be a helpful first step in examining the ethics of a proposed study.
   2. is most applicable when society as a whole serves to benefit from the research.
   3. tends to ignore the benefits that accrue to science.
   4. is ethically problematic because the ends should never justify the means of research.
8. Which research approach generally has the greatest potential for doing harm to research participants?
   1. field experimentation
   2. survey research
   3. participant observation
   4. research using available data
9. The Tuskegee syphilis study was ethically problematic because
   1. participants were exposed to a deadly contagious disease.
   2. the researchers made false promises that participants’ disease was treatable.
   3. the researchers offered participants nothing in return for their participation.
   4. it violated the principle of informed consent.
10. To obtain informed consent, you must do all of the following except
    1. inform participants that their participation is voluntary.
    2. forewarn participants about potentially harmful effects.
    3. fully disclose your research objectives and hypotheses.
    4. inform participants that they may discontinue their participation at any time.
11. Which type of study is not compatible with obtaining informed consent?
    1. laboratory experiments
    2. survey research
    3. covert participation observation
    4. structured observation
12. Milgram’s shock experiment on obedience violated current ethical standards because he
    1. used potentially dangerous levels of electric shock.
    2. failed to debrief his research participants.
    3. misled participants about the true purpose of the experiment.
    4. did not obtain participants’ informed consent to be placed in a stressful, conflict situation.
13. The use of deception in social research is
    1. illegal.
    2. permissible under certain conditions.
    3. methodologically unsound.
    4. rare because of federal ethical constraints on it use.
14. Currently, one argument against the use of deception in social research is that
    1. federal ethical guidelines make it almost impossible to use.
    2. research participants strongly resent its use.
    3. it is unnecessary because research participants respond honestly when they know the true purpose of a study.
    4. its known use makes participants suspicious, which may affect how they act in an experiment.
15. According to current ethical standards, such as those of the APA and ASA, deception is disallowed under which of the following conditions?
    1. The study involves substantial risk of harm or distress.
    2. There is no guarantee of obtaining statistically significant results.
    3. Divulging the use of deception might offend participants.
    4. The topic of the study involves illegal or dishonest behavior.
16. Debriefing
    1. should occur, ideally, in all studies with human participants.
    2. should be relatively brief in deception experiments to minimize participants’ discomfort from knowing they have been duped.
    3. is an optional requirement in deception experiments.
    4. should exclude information about the study that research participants may find unsettling.
17. Which of the following is not true of debriefing?
    1. Ideally, it should occur in all studies with human subjects.
    2. It is best to debrief subjects as soon after their participation as possible.
    3. When it is done, it should be relatively brief to minimize subjects’ discomfort from knowing that they have been duped.
    4. Research indicates that it is effective if done properly.
18. Research on the effects of deception and debriefing indicates that
    1. debriefing seldom can undo the harmful effects of deceiving subjects.
    2. the effectiveness of debriefing depends on whether informed consent was obtained.
    3. the effectiveness of debriefing depends on whether subjects experienced emotional or physical distress during the experiment.
    4. deceived subjects may report a more positive research experience than subjects who were not deceived.
19. Laud Humphreys’s study of male homosexual behavior was ethically questionable because he
    1. coerced his subjects into performing illegal acts.
    2. invaded his subjects’ privacy.
    3. risked doing physical harm to his subjects.
    4. tampered with study results.
20. In studies in which research participants’ identities are known to the researcher, such as participation observation research, the principal way to protect their privacy is to
    1. ensure anonymity.
    2. ensure confidentiality.
    3. ensure both anonymity and confidentiality.
    4. back up the data.
21. A professor doing research on deviant behavior asks the students in her classes to fill out an anonymous self-report questionnaire dealing with their use of alcohol and nonprescription drugs. In what way is this study ethically problematic?
    1. Studies of immoral behavior are inherently unethical.
    2. Anonymity may not be sufficient to protect privacy.
    3. Authorities may find out the names of the drug users and report them to the police.
    4. Participation is not voluntary.
22. According to federal regulations and ethical guidelines of professional societies such as the American Sociological Association,
    1. researchers should use all possible means to protect the confidentiality of information provided by research participants.
    2. study results should be revealed during the debriefing session.
    3. subjects should not be informed of the use of deception if this revelation will be harmful or unpleasant.
    4. subjects may be informed that they cannot discontinue their participation once they have volunteered to participate in research.
23. Most social scientists take the ethical position that
    1. the ends never justify the means.
    2. the ethics of acts should be judged in relation to the ends they serve.
    3. cost-benefit analyses are of no value in making ethical decisions.
    4. one’s subjects are ultimately responsible for deciding what is ethical.
24. Which Belmont principle led to federal regulations on informed consent?
    1. respect for persons
    2. beneficence
    3. justice
    4. security
25. Part of the application of this Belmont principle involves an assessment of potential risks.
    1. respect for persons
    2. beneficence
    3. justice
    4. security
26. Which Belmont principle requires fair procedures in the selection of research participants?
    1. respect for persons
    2. beneficence
    3. justice
    4. security
27. Suppose a researcher undertakes a study with potentially harmful side effects. Thinking that prisoners have little to lose by participating in his research, he seeks volunteers from a state penitentiary. What Belmont principle would his selection of prisoners violate?
    1. respect for persons
    2. beneficence
    3. justice
    4. security

1. The Common Rule
   1. states that you always should do unto others as you expect them to do unto you.
   2. states that research should always provide material benefits to participants.
   3. applies to research at nearly every college and university in the U.S.
   4. was written primarily for the social and behavioral sciences.
2. According to the text’s discussion of institutional review boards (IRBs),
   1. their main purpose is to review cases of scientific misconduct.
   2. they are mandated by federal regulations to review research proposals involving human subjects.
   3. they are comprised exclusively of nonscientists who are not employees of the institution.
   4. their role is to advise rather than to approve, modify, or disapprove research proposals.
3. What happens when the IRB gives a proposed study an expedited review?
   1. The IRB approves the study subject to minor modifications.
   2. The IRB disapproves the study.
   3. The IRB chairperson or a designated member of the board reviews the proposal.
   4. The IRB reviews the proposed study at its earliest convenience.
4. What does it mean, according to the Common Rule, for a study to involve “minimal risk”?
   1. The level of distress a participant might experience is no greater than what may be encountered in daily life.
   2. The odds are less than 1 in 10 that normal adults will experience discomfort from their participation.
   3. The odds are less than 1 in 100 that normal adults will experience discomfort from their participation.
   4. The odds are less than 1 in 100 that research participants will withdraw from the experiment because of the risk.
5. According the text, the doctrine of value neutrality
   1. continues to be widely accepted among social scientists.
   2. applies to the natural but not to the social sciences.
   3. is basic to the advancement of science.
   4. is no longer considered acceptable.
6. Knowing the impact of values on the research process, social scientists should
   1. remain value-neutral with regard to what they study but speak out on the dissemination of their findings.
   2. make sure their personal beliefs do not influence their interpretation of research findings.
   3. not divulge their personal beliefs and values when reporting their research.
   4. disseminate their findings to the widest possible audience.
7. What does Stacey and Biblarz’s review of studies on homosexual versus heterosexual parenting suggest about this line of inquiry?
   1. There were no significant differences between children raised by homosexual parents and children raised by heterosexual parents.
   2. Researchers’ political views on same-sex parenting affected their interpretation of research findings.
   3. Children of homosexual parents were worse off on several outcomes than children of heterosexual parents.
   4. The most positive outcomes occurred for children of co-mother parents.
8. With regard to the practical application of research findings, the text suggests that social scientists
   1. have no control over and, therefore, no ethical obligation to consider how their findings may be used by others.
   2. should emulate medical researchers and play the role of impartial experts.
   3. should consider the implications of their research and how others may use their findings.
   4. should avoid advocating particular uses of their findings.

True and False

T F 1. Research ethics apply to conducting and reporting research as well as the treatment of research participants.

T F 2. Reporting fraudulent results hurts only the individual scientist who did the reporting.

T F 3. Data sharing allows others to verify findings through a reanalysis of the data.

T F 4. In assessing research ethics, researchers often weigh the potential benefits of research against the possible costs.

T F 5. Milgram’s ultimate ethical justification for his research was that it was judged acceptable by the subjects who took part in it.

T F 6. Potential harm in social research can be difficult to anticipate.

T F 7. According to present ethical guidelines, research that may cause harm to participants simply should never be done.

T F 8. A cost-benefit analysis may justify the risk of harm to research participants.

T F 9. Informed consent amounts to a full disclosure of the purpose and procedures of the research.

T F 10. Part of informed consent is making it clear to participants that their participation is voluntary.

T F 11. Scientists must always obtain the written informed consent of research participants, even when the research involves minimal risk of harm.

T F 12. Some social scientists strongly oppose the use of deception in social research.

T F 13. The use of deception in social research is controversial.

T F 14. Deception in social research often is justified, provided that the research includes an adequate debriefing.

T F 15. Ethical codes require the timely debriefing of research participants whenever the research involves deception.

T F 16. Debriefing is most effectively carried out by writing to research participants after they have had time to think about their participation.

T F 17. With self-administered questionnaires, anonymity secures participants’ right to privacy.

T F 18. One means of protecting research participants’ privacy is to get their reaction to a research report before it is made public.

T F 19. Social scientists who promise confidentiality to their informants cannot be legally prosecuted for failing to divulge their data sources.

T F 20. The philosophical position underlying professional and federal ethical guidelines is that moral principles should allow no exceptions, no matter what the consequences.

T F 21. The main function of institutional review boards (IRBs) is to hear cases of scientific misconduct.

T F 22. Institutional review boards (IRBs) exist at virtually every college and university in the United States.

T F 23. According to the text, it is desirable for social scientists to maintain a “value-free” ideology.

T F 24. According to Howard Becker, the best way for individual researchers to deal with personal and political sympathies is to acknowledge whose side they are on.

T F 25. According to the text, scientists should restrict the dissemination of findings in order to avoid potentially unethical applications.

T F 26. Ethical standards for scientific research have been codified into a clearly defined list of do’s and don’ts.

T F 27. A researcher’s ethical obligation to protect participants’ rights ends with data collection.

T F 28. Some social scientists have gone to jail rather than divulge information obtained in confidence from research participants.

T F 29. Reviews of research on same-sex parenting indicate that biased reporting of evidence only occurs among researchers opposed to homosexual parenting.

T F 30. Social scientists are ethically obligated to consider how their findings may be used by others.

T F 31. Professional codes state that researchers should avoid advocating particular policies such as legislation supporting same-sex marriage.

Essay

1. What is the ethical obligation of scientists regarding data collection and analysis? Why is this critical to the advancement of science?
2. Identify the four major problems areas regarding the ethical treatment of human subjects. How are subjects’ rights protected by scientists in each of these areas?
3. The Belmont Report presented three ethical principles that formed the basis for the development of federal regulations for protecting research participants: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Carefully explain how these principles underlie regulations regarding risk of harm and informed consent.
4. Some scholars have maintained that social science should be completely “value-free.” That is, so far as possible, social scientists should eliminate personal values from their research, and they should remain impartial regarding the application of their findings. Their only obligation, in short, is to accurately report what they know, based on their research. Carefully evaluate the tenability of this position. Is it consistent with current ethical guidelines regarding the dissemination of knowledge?