Chapter 3: Research Ethics and Research Proposals

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is NOT a current ethical standard concerning the treatment of human subjects?

A. Research should cause no harm to subjects.

B. Anonymity or confidentiality must be maintained.

C. Researchers should fully disclose their identity.

D. Subjects should be compensated for their time and effort.

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Regarding the ability to give consent to participate in research, adolescents (ages 13–17) ______.

A. can give consent if they sign a consent form

B. are never allowed to be used in research

C. may give assent to participate but must have a legal guardian give written permission for them to participate

D. may only participate if the researcher can prove there are no possible risks to them.

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Which of the following serious human rights abuse cases led to the creation of ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects?

A. The Nuremberg War Crime Trials

B. The Stanford Prison Simulation Experiment

C. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

D. Both A and C

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Stanley Milgram's famous “obedience” studies began at Yale University in ______.

A. 1945

B. 1960

C. 1975

D. 1990

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following are some of the ethical principles emphasized by the ASA's Code of Ethics?

A. Do no harm to subjects.

B. Benefits should outweigh possible risks.

C. Researchers should disclose their identity.

D. All of these

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. ______ must occur if deception is used in an experiment.

A. Debriefing

B. Informed consent

C. Reimbursement

D. Confidentiality

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. The simple answer to the question “What is ethical research practice” is ______.

A. never using deception

B. only using children in an obviously ethical manner

C. making sure no harm is caused to subjects

D. there is no simple answer

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Consent may only be given by people who ______.

A. are competent to give consent

B. have consented voluntarily

C. are fully informed about the research

D. all of these

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. In the process of debriefing, the researcher ______.

A. explains to the subject what happened in the study and why

B. tries to make sure the participants are competent to give consent

C. discloses her/his identity partially

D. oublishes the results of the study

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Which researcher was criticized by some for failing to reveal his or her identity and the purpose of his study to the participants in a study on men who engage in homosexual behavior in public places?

A. Stanley Milgram

B. Philip Zimbardo

C. Laud Humphreys

D. Diana Baumrind

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Children are only allowed to give ______ to participate in research; their legal guardian must then provide written ______ for them to participate.

A. consent; assent

B. assent; consent

C. consent; permission

D. either A or B

Difficulty Level: Hard

12. There are special protections in place regarding research involving ______.

A. vulnerable populations

B. indecent populations

C. egregious populations

D. fearful populations

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Which Act was passed in 1996 by Congress to create stricter regulations for the protection of health care data?

A. IRB

B. IMF

C. HIPPO

D. HIPAA

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. The researcher's commitment to maintaining privacy and confidentiality ______.

A. should be included in the informed consent agreement

B. is a key ethical standard for protecting participants

C. does not apply to observations in public places or information available in public records

D. all of these

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Which of the following types of research methods generally creates few ethical problems?

A. survey

B. experiment

C. participant observation

D. explanatory research

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. What event exposed the horrific medical experiments that were conducted by Nazi doctors along with others in the name of “science” during World War II?

A. The Nazi Trials

B. The Nuremburg War Crime Trials

C. The Hindenburg Trials

D. The Holocaust

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. The “Belmont Report” of 1979 established basic principles for the protection of human subjects. Which of the following is NOT one of these principles?

A. respect for persons

B. beneficence

C. sympathy

D. justice

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Which of the following is the name for the study that explored the effects of becoming a prisoner and prison guard by creating a mock prison using students from Stanford University?

A. Zimbardo's prison simulation study

B. Milgram's Obedience Studies

C. Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment

D. Smith's mock prison study

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. ______ refers to the act of subjects being misled about research procedures to determine how they would react to the treatment if they were not research subjects.

A. The element of surprise

B. Deception

C. Misrepresentation

D. Exaggeration

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. What was created in order to ensure much more stringent regulations for the protection of health care data?

A. The Health Care Data Protection Policy

B. The Health Regulations Act

C. The Public Health Act

D. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. In the prison simulation study, the researchers did not foresee which of the following?

A. That study participants would experience stress so quickly.

B. Some “prisoners” were released with negative reactions within the first few days.

C. Those who were not severely stressed begged to get out of the mock prison.

D. All of these

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. Statements of confidentiality should be realistic since ______.

A. laws allow research records to be subpoenaed

B. laws may require reporting child abuse

C. a researcher may feel compelled to release information due to a health or life-threatening situation

D. all of these

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. As for uses of research, social scientists must ______.

A. consider their work as a subject for scientific investigation

B. not judge their work from a moral standpoint

C. consider difficulties they may face in terms of organizational control

D. all of these

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Which of the following organizations monitors IRBs, with the exception of research involving drugs?

A. The Federal Food and Drug Administration

B. The Office for Protection from Research Risks in the National Institutes of Health

C. United States Health Resources and Services Administration

D. National Archives and Records Administration

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Regulations require that IRBs be made up of ______.

A. At least five members, at least one statistician and one ethnographer

B. At least three members, all from within the institution

C. At least five members, at least one nonscientist and one from outside the institution

D. At least three members, at least one nonscientist and one from outside the institution

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. IRBs are primarily used for the following EXCEPT ______.

A. reviewing articles for publication

B. promoting adequate review of ethical standards

C. reviewing research instruments and consent forms

D. reviewing research proposals

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. ______ is a term used to refer to minimizing possible harms and maximizing benefits.

A. Beneficence

B. Justice

C. Respectability

D. Maximization

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. What should be included in an IRB proposal?

A. research instruments

B. consent forms

C. potential benefits that outweigh risks involved

D. all of these

Difficulty Level: Easy

29. Respect for persons refers to ______.

A. not reporting on observed behavior in a public area without consent

B. allowing participants to leave the study at any time without consequence

C. not interrupting participants during an in-depth interview while they are talking

D. treating persons as autonomous agents and protecting those with diminished autonomy

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. The researcher who conducted famous studies on obedience was Stanley Milgram.

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Milgram's “obedience” studies began at Yale University in 1946.

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Milgram used both undergraduates and nonstudent populations in his studies on obedience.

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Research ethics encourages us to think about research from a moral standpoint.

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Every social scientist needs to consider how to practice their discipline ethically.

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The Nuremberg War Crimes Trials were one case that led to the development of formal procedures for the protection of participants in research.

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. The Belmont Report established three basic ethical principles for the protection of human subjects.

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Institutions seeking federal funds for research involving human subjects must have a group that reviews research proposals.

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. The institutional body that reviews proposed research involving human subjects is called the Belmont Reporting Commission.

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. The American Sociological Association has adopted ethical guidelines that are more lenient than federal standards.

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. It is only important to maintain participants' confidentiality in rare cases.

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. There were no concerns about the ethical treatment of participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience studies.

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. It is very important for scientists to be open and honest about their research methods and their findings.

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. It is hard to justify any risk to human subjects or any expenditure of time and money if our findings tell us nothing about human behavior.

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Commitment to achieving valid results is not an important consideration in ethical research.

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. The goal of validity is the pursuit of objective knowledge about human behavior.

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. The act of publication is not a necessary element in maintaining openness and honesty in ethical research.

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. According to the ASA's Code of Ethics, research should cause no harm to subjects.

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Researchers are not required to reveal their identity to participants under the ASA's Code of Ethics.

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Anonymity and confidentiality must be maintained under the ASA's Code of Ethics.

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Subjects must give their consent to participate voluntarily and without coercion according to the ASA's Code of Conduct.

Difficulty Level: Easy

22. One famous study that raised questions about the ethical treatment of subjects was the Harvard University Jail Study.

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. Consent can only be given by people who are competent to consent and have done so voluntarily.

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Deception in research is unethical and is never approved by IRBs.

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. If deception is used in an experiment, the researcher must always debrief the participants afterward in order to conduct ethical research.

Difficulty Level: Easy

26. Children can give consent to participate in research if they are mature for their age and are rewarded for participating.

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. Pregnant women, prisoners, and mentally disabled persons are given special protections because of their vulnerability to coercion.

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Deception is when subjects are misled about research procedures because the researcher does not think they would understand it.

Difficulty Level: Easy

29. Maintaining confidentiality is not important and should be left out of informed consent statements.

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was passed by Congress in 1996, created stricter regulations for the protection of health-care data.

Difficulty Level: Easy

31. Survey research creates few ethical problems.

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Researchers are not expected to foresee any possible risks and benefits to their human subjects.

Difficulty Level: Easy

33. All IRBs have the same guidelines for acceptable research, so it is not necessary to check with your specific institution before planning research projects.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay Questions

1. List at least two populations that are protected in research guidelines due to their vulnerability to coercion. Explain what special considerations must be given to the two populations you selected if they are to participate in a research study.

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. What are the five primary guidelines for ethical research according to the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics (1997)?

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Describe the process of gaining assent/consent to conduct research involving children as participants.

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Explain the processes of deception and debriefing. When should these two processes be used?

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Identify and discuss the three basic ethical principles for the protection of human subjects established by the “Belmont Report” in 1979.

Difficulty Level: Hard

6. Outline the ASA's guidelines for ethical social research. Identify the situations in which each of the guidelines may be confusing, complex, or flexible.

Difficulty Level: Hard

7. In which circumstances may it be defensible for a researcher to deceive his or her subjects? If deception is defensible, what must a researcher do over the course of research to maintain ethical standards? Discuss in some detail the issues of deception during the Stanford Prison Experiment.

Difficulty Level: Hard

8. In at least three paragraphs, discuss why there is no simple answer to the question “What is, or is not, ethical research practice?”

Difficulty Level: Hard

9. Give an example of when deception may be necessary in a research study. Why would participants need to be deceived? How would you justify to an IRB that the benefits of deception outweigh the possible risks? How would you debrief participants after the study?

Difficulty Level: Hard

10. Consider the Milgram Obedience Studies and the Stanford Prison Simulation Study. Discuss at least four of the ethical concerns regarding the treatment of participants in both studies. Do you think the benefits of the knowledge that was gained from these experiments outweighed the risks to the participants?

Difficulty Level: Hard