Ethics Modules Evaluation - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The Belmont Report indicates that it is necessary to rigorously avoid conflicts of interest as an example of the Principle of Justice. The Belmont Report defines and delineates between "Practice" and "Research", describes the concept of "Respect for Person" and provides formulations for the ethical distribution of research benefits and risks (Principle of Justice). The Belmont report does not describe the necessity to effectively manage conflicts of interest as an example of the Principle of Justice.

The best answer is "heightened awareness". In 1966 Dr. Henry K. Beecher wrote an article describing numerous research studies with controversial ethics, conducted by reputable researchers and published in major journals. Beecher concluded, "unethical or questionably ethical procedures are not uncommon". Beecher's article played an important role in heightening the awareness of researchers, the public, and the press about the problem of unethical human subjects research.

According to the Belmont Report, a determination that a study has a favorable risk vs benefit ratio is an example of the Principle of Beneficence.

Although the other studies are clear instances of human subject abuse, it was the publicizing of the PHS study that triggered congressional action.

To meet the definition of research with human subjects a researcher must obtain data about a living individual through interaction or intervention or obtain individually identifiable private information. Although public behavior may be construed differently from setting to setting, public behavior is, by definition, not private information. Information without identifiers that is publicly available is also not private identifiable information so it too does not meet the definitional requirements. Publicly available information is also not considered to involve human subjects even when that information is identifiable (such as that in telephone directories or faculty directories available online to anyone with access to the internet).

A cognitive scientist studying the effect of mood states on problem-solving behaviors has a research question and is interacting with living individuals. Questioning a superintendent of schools to acquire data about the ethnic composition of a school system is asking "about what" questions rather than "about whom" questions. (If a study proposed interviewing the superintendent of public schools about his or her experience in the field of education or about his or her perceptions about the current problems within the school system and possible solutions, the questions would become "about whom.") Analyses of public behavior such as writing for a blog or a newspaper do not meet the definition because there is no interaction or intervention with a human subject and no collection of private information. Finally, in the class exercise described, the intention is pedagogical to learn how to conduct an interview, rather than to answer a research question.

The study in the 4th-grade classrooms about the relationship between the time of day reading is taught and reading comprehension does meet the definition of research with human subjects. The study is designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge about student performance and the research question can only be answered using a systematic investigation. Information collected by the playground designer does not involve any information about human subjects even though it does involve interaction between the designer and school staff. An analysis of aggregate data doesn't involve interactions with living individuals or the collection of privately identifiable data.

In the study of the effects of evoking stereotypes on subsequent performance, the researcher has a research question and will be manipulating the behavior of individuals. An in-house study conducted to improve a department's mentoring programs is not research with human subjects, but rather program improvement. Receiving data with no identifiers is not research with human subjects because there is no interaction or intervention with a living human being and no collection of privately identifiable data. In addition, creating a report for a membership organization does not involve a research question, as defined by federal regulations, so it too is not research with human subjects.

The study of passenger lists is a study of individuals who are no longer living. A human subject is a living individual. Questioning individuals to acquire data about the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases is asking "about what" questions rather than "about whom" questions. Conducting a linguistic analysis of comments posted on a public blog involves neither interaction with individuals nor collecting privately identified information and thus does not meet the definition of research with human subjects. The study proposed by the developmental psychologist does meet the definition of research with human subjects. It involves interactions with living individuals and is designed to contribute to a field of knowledge. ...Download file to see next pages Read More