Research Ethics

Explain the principles of informed consent and debriefing in research.

• Informed consent involves giving participants all the information about the study after it's completed, while debriefing involves obtaining consent before the study.

• Informed consent involves obtaining participants' voluntary agreement to participate in a study with full knowledge of the study's purpose, risks, and benefits, while debriefing involves providing participants with information about the study's purpose and addressing any questions or concerns after their participation.

• Informed consent is not necessary in psychological research, while debriefing is a legal requirement.

• Informed consent and debriefing are the same thing.

What is the purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in psychological research?

• The IRB is responsible for conducting psychological research.

• The IRB reviews and approves research studies to ensure they meet ethical guidelines and protect the rights and well-being of participants.

• The IRB is a research method used in psychology.

• The IRB is a type of statistical analysis used in research.

Describe the ethical considerations involved in conducting research with human participants.

• There are no ethical considerations when conducting research with humans.

• Researchers must prioritize obtaining significant results over the well-being of participants.

• Researchers must obtain informed consent, ensure confidentiality, minimize harm, and provide debriefing.

• Researchers can use deception in research without informing participants.

Why is it important to protect the confidentiality of research participants?

• Protecting confidentiality is not important in psychological research.

• Confidentiality ensures that participants are paid for their participation.

• Protecting confidentiality helps build trust with participants and ensures their responses are honest and accurate.

• Researchers are legally required to disclose participants' personal information.

What are the ethical concerns when working with animals in psychological research?

• There are no ethical concerns when working with animals in psychological research.

• Researchers can use any animals they choose without considering their welfare.

• Researchers must ensure the humane treatment of animals, minimize harm, and use animals only when necessary for the study's goals.

• Researchers are not allowed to use animals in psychological research.

What is a confounding variable in research?

• A variable that is manipulated by the researcher

• A variable that is unrelated to the study's purpose

• A variable that affects both the independent and dependent variables, making it challenging to determine their relationship

• A variable that is used to operationalize the hypothesis

In an experiment, what is the purpose of a control group?

• To receive the experimental treatment

•  To provide a baseline for comparison with the experimental group

• To ensure that the study is double-blind

• To increase the generalizability of the findings

Which of the following is an example of a naturalistic observation in psychology?

• Conducting a survey to gather information about people's attitudes

• Observing the behavior of children on a playground without their knowledge

• Conducting a laboratory experiment with carefully controlled conditions

• Interviewing participants to gather in-depth information

What is the purpose of a case study in psychological research?

• To establish cause-and-effect relationships

• To provide a detailed and in-depth analysis of an individual or a small group

• To gather data from a large and diverse sample

• To test a specific hypothesis with a controlled experiment

What is the placebo effect, and why is it important to control for it in research?

• The placebo effect is the natural tendency of participants to improve over time; it is not necessary to control for it.

• The placebo effect is the phenomenon where participants experience real change due to an experimental treatment. It's important to control for it to isolate the true effects of the treatment.

• The placebo effect is the influence of the researcher's expectations on the study's outcomes. It's not necessary to control for it.

• The placebo effect is the tendency of participants to provide socially desirable responses in research; it's important to control for it to reduce bias.