Question 1

Which of the following is true of students' views of deception and harm in research studies?

Accepted Answer

A) Students usually are tolerant of studies that use major deception. 
B) Students are not tolerant of any degree of deception. 
C) Students can find deception to be stressful. 
D) Students find the negative effects of deception to be worsened by debriefing.

Question 2

The need to balance the potential costs and benefits to participants taking part in a research study is done to address which principle of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

A) The principle of respect for persons 
B) The principle of justice 
C) The principle of beneficence 
D) The principle of integrity

Question 3

Which of the following studies would probably require written informed consent?

Accepted Answer

A) An observational study that measures walking speed of people entering and exiting buildings 
B) An anonymous study that measures the relationship between time spent grocery shopping and money spent on groceries 
C) A confidential study examining income level and voting behavior 
D) An anonymous survey asking whether students want a coffeehouse opened in the library

Question 4

When conducting animal research, which guideline states that alternatives to animal research should be considered?

Accepted Answer

A) Refinement 
B) Reduction 
C) Replacement 
D) Recycling

Question 5

The use of debriefing in a study such as Milgram's obedience study appeals to which principle of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

A) Principle of beneficence 
B) Principle of integrity 
C) Principle of respect for persons 
D) Principle of justice

Question 6

An in-person institutional review board (IRB) meeting would probably be required for all of the following studies EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A) an anonymous survey asking whether students want the campus mascot to be changed. 
B) an anonymous study looking at gang behavior in recent parolees. 
C) a confidential study examining eating patterns in newborns. 
D) a confidential survey examining sexual behavior in mentally handicapped individuals.

Question 7

Under what conditions is debriefing necessary? What should be included in a debriefing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Under what conditions is debriefing necessary? What...

Question 8

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Imagine that Dr. Kushner is a clinical psychologist who volunteers his time at a local prison counseling several inmates. Because of his connections there, he is considering using prisoners as his participants. The institutional review board (IRB) that reviews his committee must have which of the following as a member?

Accepted Answer

A) A prisoner advocate 
B) A criminal justice professor 
C) The prison warden 
D) A prisoner

Question 9

The issue of obtaining informed consent deals with which of the following principles of the Belmont Report?

Accepted Answer

A) The principle of beneficence 
B) The principle of justice 
C) The principle of integrity 
D) The principle of respect for persons

Question 10

Why might a researcher debrief his participants even if his study didn't include any deceptive elements?

Accepted Answer

A) Because APA guidelines require debriefing in all studies regardless of deception 
B) To ensure that his participants had a good research experience 
C) To prevent participants from having negative experiences during the study 
D) To decrease the likelihood of data falsification

Question 11

Dr. Van Ryan is a social psychologist who is curious about how clothing affects people's perceptions. Specifically, she is curious how women who wear high heels are perceived in the workplace. Does the addition of height make co-workers take them more seriously? Are women who wear high heels seen as less professional? She is considering using an experimental design where some participants are instructed to wear high heels to work for a week and some participants are instructed to wear flat shoes. Each day of the week, Dr. Van Ryan will have the women's employer and co-workers rate how competent and professional the female participant is.
After Dr. Van Ryan conducts her study, a colleague accuses Dr. Van Ryan of deleting some of the data that does not match her hypothesis. If this is true, in what type of research misconduct did Dr. Van Ryan engage? Why is this behavior a problem for the science in general?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Van Ryan is a social psychologist...

Question 12

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner plans to use deception in his study and is thinking about a debriefing session. Which of the following is true of the debriefing?

Accepted Answer

A) Dr. Kushner only needs to invite participants who were troubled by the study to the debriefing session. 
B) Because his study has potential medical applications, the use of a debriefing session is optional. 
C) During the debriefing, Dr. Kushner only needs to tell the participants that there was deception. 
D) Participants must be told the reasons for the deception.

Question 13

In addition to being ethical violations, why are data falsification and fabrication problematic?

Accepted Answer

A) They are impossible to discover. 
B) They impede scientific progress. 
C) They are federal crimes. 
D) Data are easy to acquire.

Question 14

Why is it unethical to provide an incentive that is too large to refuse (for example, offering undergraduate students free tuition for a semester for participating in a study)?

Accepted Answer

A) It is unfair to other researchers who cannot afford to pay participants. 
B) It unduly influences people into participating. 
C) It is unfair to people who choose not to participate in the study. 
D) It is not unethical to do this.

Question 15

From an ethical standpoint, in what way is researching prisoners with tuberculosis similar to researching children with ADHD?

Accepted Answer

A) Neither group of participants can provide informed consent. 
B) Researchers must ensure anonymity when dealing with both types of participants. 
C) Both groups of participants have less autonomy than other types of participants. 
D) Researchers do not have to have written informed consent with these groups of participants.

Question 16

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Dr) Kushner plans to tell his participants that the reason he is waking them up during the night is to recalibrate the EEG machine. This would be an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) Deception through omission 
B) Deception through commission 
C) Deception through permission 
D) Deception through exception

Question 17

All of the following are true of institutional review boards (IRBs) in the United States EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A) IRBs can be found in settings other than colleges and universities. 
B) IRBs are mandated by federal law. 
C) IRBs must have a psychologist as a member. 
D) IRBs must have at least five members.

Question 18

You submit a study for approval by the institutional review board (IRB), and they tell you that written informed consent is required. Which of the following can be excluded from your informed consent document?

Accepted Answer

A) A statement of benefits 
B) A statement of risks 
C) A description of the study's hypotheses 
D) A list of procedures

Question 19

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test.
Imagine that Dr. Kushner is a clinical psychologist who volunteers his time at a local prison counseling several inmates. Because of his connections there, he is considering using prisoners as his participants. Why is this choice potentially problematic?

Accepted Answer

A) According to the Belmont Report, prisoners are entitled to special protection. 
B) Prisoners do not make good participants since they may not tell the truth. 
C) Prisoners are unable to give informed consent. 
D) More prisoners may want to participate than Dr. Kushner can actually study.

Question 20

Ethical decision making should be:

Accepted Answer

A) as easy as a yes-no decision. 
B) based only on what is good for society. 
C) a thoughtful balance. 
D) determined by experts, like lawyers.

Exam 4: Ethical Guidelines for Psychology Research