Research Ethics

Directions:
Select the BEST response alternative for each of the questions below.

1. The acronym IRB stands for:

A) International Research Board

B) Identifying Risky Behavior

C) Institutional Review Board

D) Intrinsic Research Bias

2. If you were participating in a research study, you would expect that the researcher:

A) will already have IRB approval.

B) can obtain IRB approval at some point before data collection is completed.

C) would have IRB approval only if federal funds were used to support the study.

D) would have IRB approval only if federal funds were NOT used to support the study.

3. Members of IRB committees are tasked with:

A) weighing the risks versus benefits to both science and the research volunteer.

B) identifying possible alterations to participants' physical, mental, or emotional states.

C) finding low-risk alternatives when a study may put participants into high-risk situations.

D) All of the above.

4. For which of the following studies would informed consent be required?

A) Dr. Dataman wants to study risky driving habits by counting the number of cars driving past the campus entrance in which drivers are not wearing seatbelts. He also took note of whether they appeared to be using the phone (either talking or texting while driving).

B) Professor Pluck wanted to see if students tended to eat less healthy at the end of the semester compared with the beginning of the semester. For an hour beginning at noon each day during the first week of classes, and again during the last week of classes, she sat near the registers to observe each student's food choices. She classified each purchase as being either healthy or unhealthy. At the end of her study she calculated the average number of healthy vs unhealthy food choices for the beginning and end of the semester.

C) Both (a) and (b).

D) None of the above.

5. An important element of the ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report is that:

A) psychologists should not steal, cheat, engage in fraud, or in any way misrepresent themselves (i.e., the ethical behavior clause).

B) researchers must provide any information about their study to potential participants that might affect their willingness to volunteer.

C) psychologists should model ethical behaviors to promote honesty in all aspects of the field of psychology (i.e., the integrity clause).

D) All of the above.

6. A researcher wants to study sharing among 3, 4, and 5 year olds. The researcher must:

A) treat the participants with special care as they are not able to provide legal assent to participate.

B) have the consent of each child's caregiver to enroll them into the study.

C) provide consent forms to the children written in a manner that the children can understand.

D) All of the above.

7. While researchers are allowed to use deception in their studies, they are NOT allowed to directly lie to participants.

A) This is true according to rules established in the Belmont Report.

B) Researchers can use deception in their research (including direct lies to participants) with IRB approval.

C) Deception is only allowed in consent forms that describe the purpose of the study. Lies can never be used during data collection.

D) As established in both the APA research guidelines and the Belmont Report, deception may only be used with non-human subjects.

8. Once a participant has signed the consent form:

A) researchers can do with them as they please.

B) participants are required to complete the study in order to receive any promised compensation.

C) they may still terminate their participation in the study at any time and for any reason.

D) they may still terminate their participation in the study at any time and for any reason, but doing so means forfeiting any promised compensations.

9. When it comes to providing informed consent, research volunteers should know that confidentiality means:

A) any data collected from them will be kept as securely as possible, but their data will be linked to personally identifying characteristics such as name and address.

B) their data responses will never be associated with personally identifying characteristics such as the participant's name.

C) researchers can only share participants' data and identifying characteristics with other researchers in the field who are conducting similar types of research.

D) All of the above except (b).

10. When it comes to providing informed consent, research volunteers should know that anonymity means:

A) researchers can only share participants' data and identifying characteristics with other researchers in the field who are conducting similar types of research.

B) their data responses will never be associated with personally identifying characteristics such as the participant's name.

C) any data collected from them will be kept as securely as possible, but their data will be linked to personally identifying characteristics such as name and address.

D) Both (a) and (c).

11. According to the principle of autonomy described in the Belmont Report:

A) researchers should be left alone to conduct studies on any topic they wish, provided that they protect their participants from potential harm.

B) data from any study must never be altered by researchers once it has been collected.

C) whenever possible, the methods and manipulations in a study should be automated so that they cannot change from participant to participant.

D) individuals should be given the opportunity to making their own decision about whether to participate in a study or not.

12. During the debriefing, it is important that researchers:

A) describe the purpose and manipulations of the study to their research volunteers.

B) undo or reverse any damage that may have occurred to volunteers as a consequence of having participated in the study.

C) make certain that participants are provided with the means to contact the researcher as well as the IRB should they ever desire to do so.

D) All of the above.

End of Quiz!

Your score out of 100%: %

The correct answers are marked by a "C" in the box before each question. The incorrect questions are marked by an "X".

1.	The acronym IRB stands for:
	A)	International Research Board
	B)	Identifying Risky Behavior
	C)	Institutional Review Board
	D)	Intrinsic Research Bias
2.	If you were participating in a research study, you would expect that the researcher:
	A)	will already have IRB approval.
	B)	can obtain IRB approval at some point before data collection is completed.
	C)	would have IRB approval only if federal funds were used to support the study.
	D)	would have IRB approval only if federal funds were NOT used to support the study.
3.	Members of IRB committees are tasked with:
	A)	weighing the risks versus benefits to both science and the research volunteer.
	B)	identifying possible alterations to participants' physical, mental, or emotional states.
	C)	finding low-risk alternatives when a study may put participants into high-risk situations.
	D)	All of the above.
4.	For which of the following studies would informed consent be required?
	A)	Dr. Dataman wants to study risky driving habits by counting the number of cars driving past the campus entrance in which drivers are not wearing seatbelts. He also took note of whether they appeared to be using the phone (either talking or texting while driving).
	B)	Professor Pluck wanted to see if students tended to eat less healthy at the end of the semester compared with the beginning of the semester. For an hour beginning at noon each day during the first week of classes, and again during the last week of classes, she sat near the registers to observe each student's food choices. She classified each purchase as being either healthy or unhealthy. At the end of her study she calculated the average number of healthy vs unhealthy food choices for the beginning and end of the semester.
	C)	Both (a) and (b).
	D)	None of the above.
5.	An important element of the ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report is that:
	A)	psychologists should not steal, cheat, engage in fraud, or in any way misrepresent themselves (i.e., the ethical behavior clause).
	B)	researchers must provide any information about their study to potential participants that might affect their willingness to volunteer.
	C)	psychologists should model ethical behaviors to promote honesty in all aspects of the field of psychology (i.e., the integrity clause).
	D)	All of the above.
6.	A researcher wants to study sharing among 3, 4, and 5 year olds. The researcher must:
	A)	treat the participants with special care as they are not able to provide legal assent to participate.
	B)	have the consent of each child's caregiver to enroll them into the study.
	C)	provide consent forms to the children written in a manner that the children can understand.
	D)	All of the above.
7.	While researchers are allowed to use deception in their studies, they are NOT allowed to directly lie to participants.
	A)	This is true according to rules established in the Belmont Report.
	B)	Researchers can use deception in their research (including direct lies to participants) with IRB approval.
	C)	Deception is only allowed in consent forms that describe the purpose of the study. Lies can never be used during data collection.
	D)	As established in both the APA research guidelines and the Belmont Report, deception may only be used with non-human subjects.
8.	Once a participant has signed the consent form:
	A)	researchers can do with them as they please.
	B)	participants are required to complete the study in order to receive any promised compensation.
	C)	they may still terminate their participation in the study at any time and for any reason.
	D)	they may still terminate their participation in the study at any time and for any reason, but doing so means forfeiting any promised compensations.
9.	When it comes to providing informed consent, research volunteers should know that confidentiality means:
	A)	any data collected from them will be kept as securely as possible, but their data will be linked to personally identifying characteristics such as name and address.
	B)	their data responses will never be associated with personally identifying characteristics such as the participant's name.
	C)	researchers can only share participants' data and identifying characteristics with other researchers in the field who are conducting similar types of research.
	D)	All of the above except (b).
10.	When it comes to providing informed consent, research volunteers should know that anonymity means:
	A)	researchers can only share participants' data and identifying characteristics with other researchers in the field who are conducting similar types of research.
	B)	their data responses will never be associated with personally identifying characteristics such as the participant's name.
	C)	any data collected from them will be kept as securely as possible, but their data will be linked to personally identifying characteristics such as name and address.
	D)	Both (a) and (c).
11.	According to the principle of autonomy described in the Belmont Report:
	A)	researchers should be left alone to conduct studies on any topic they wish, provided that they protect their participants from potential harm.
	B)	data from any study must never be altered by researchers once it has been collected.
	C)	whenever possible, the methods and manipulations in a study should be automated so that they cannot change from participant to participant.
	D)	individuals should be given the opportunity to making their own decision about whether to participate in a study or not.
12.	During the debriefing, it is important that researchers:
	A)	describe the purpose and manipulations of the study to their research volunteers.
	B)	undo or reverse any damage that may have occurred to volunteers as a consequence of having participated in the study.
	C)	make certain that participants are provided with the means to contact the researcher as well as the IRB should they ever desire to do so.
	D)	All of the above.