Ethical issues in research design Chapter 2:3 Ethical issues in research design

Lesson # 7 Objective: Explain the ethical obligations of researchers toward their research participants. Descrive both sides of the debate on the use of animals as research objects. Agenda: Bellwork, 2.3 notes, discussion Bellwork: Read, think, reflect Is there an instance where testing on humans is ethical? What about animals?

Case study: Tuskegee Performed by an extinct government agency, the U.S. Public Health Service (1932-1972) Natural course of syphilis 399 African-American men in rural Alabama who were previously diagnosed Did not inform the men of their disease, nor that there was a treatment, or that they were subjects. Withheld all important medical information and treatment options. 28 men died, 100 died of complications, 40 wives infected, 19 children born Clinton Apology

Ethical guidelines for human research IRB (Institutional Review Boards) Informed Consent-informing research participants of what is involved in a study before asking them to participate, participants should enter voluntarily, Challenges include medical or psychological issues such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. Deception-deliberately misleading the design or purpose Confederate-a research assistant who plays a part of the participant Is there an instance when deception is justified? Protection from Harm and Discomfort-must take reasonable steps to avoid harm to participants Debriefing-participants should be informed of the deception by debriefing as soon as possible after the deception takes place.

Ethical issues in animal research Invasive Research-often takes the form of producing lesions in animals brains, usually by means of surgery, and observing the effects on animal behavior. 7-8% of psychological research Mostly rodents and birds Goal is to generate ideas of how the brain relates to behavior in animals, and how the findings generalize to humans, without having to inflict harm upon humans. 100 million lab animal deaths per year in medical and psychological research Questions: How well do animal models translate to human conditions? Is research on aggression, fear, learning, memory, and related topics useful? Problem-often there are few, or no, good alternatives to using animals. What are potential benefits and costs of using animals in research?