CITI : Assessing Risk - SBE
Which of the following is the least important activity when protecting human subjects in international research?
Assessing transportation conditions
Parental notification, in lieu of active parental permission, is allowed when:
An IRB has approved a waiver of the requirement for parental permission.
Which of the following on-line research strategies raises the most concerns regarding the ethical principle of respecting the autonomy of research subjects and the corresponding federal regulations requiring informed consent?
A researcher proposes to join a moderated support group for cancer survivors posing as a survivor. She plans to insert comments to see how the members respond.
A researcher wants to do a web-based survey of college students to collect information about their sexual behavior and drug use. Direct identifiers will not be collected; however, IP addresses may be present in the data set. Risk of harm should be evaluated by:
Both the magnitude (or severity) and the probability (or likelihood) of harm Risk must be determined by assessing both the magnitude (or severity) and the probability (or likelihood) of harm. Both elements must be considered. Although the probability that an individual subject could be identified is low, the magnitude of the possible harm is high given the sensitivity of the information
Which of the following examples of using the internet to conduct research meets the federal definition of research with human subjects?
Conducting an on-line focus group with cancer survivors to determine familial support systems. The researcher also invites subjects' significant others to be a part of the focus group.
A researcher is examining the quality of life for prisoners who are HIV-positive using surveys followed by interview. The IRB must ensure that:
Confidentiality of the prisoners' health status is maintained.
To minimize potential risks of harm, a researcher conducting an on-line survey can:
Design the survey so that no direct or indirect identifiers are collected.
Consent to participate in research is an ongoing process. Which of the following strategies would help ensure that participation in a survey about a sensitive personal topic remains voluntary throughout a study?
Designing the survey so that subjects are not forced to answer one question before going to the next.
The age of majority in international research is determined by the
Laws, customs, and norms in the area in which the research will be conducted.
If research in a private school is directly funded by the Department of Education, then:
PPRA applies.
The primary purpose of a Certificate of Confidentiality is to:
Protect identifiable research information from compelled disclosure. Certificates of Confidentiality protect sensitive information provided by research subjects from civil, criminal, or administrative subpoena
The purpose of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is to:
Provide parents certain rights over their children's educational records.
Which of the following methods could be considered a "best practice" in terms of informing respondents how their answers to an on-line survey about personal information will be protected?
The investigator uses the informed consent process to explain how respondent data will be transmitted from the website to his encrypted database without ever recording respondents' IP addresses, but explains that on the internet confidentiality cannot be absolutely guaranteed.
A waiver of the requirement for documentation of informed consent may be granted when:
The only record linking the subject and the research is the consent document and the principal risk is a breach of confidentiality. The requirement to document informed consent can be waived if the only record linking the subject and the research is the consent document and the principal risk is a breach of confidentiality. The requirement may also be waived if the study poses no more than minimal risk to subjects and involves no procedures for which written consent is normally required outside of the research context. With regard to non-English speakers, if documentation is required, investigators must provide informed consent materials in the subjects' language. If a researcher anticipates that subjects might be embarrassed by questions, this concern should be addressed in the consent process. Finally, identifying secure storage space for consent forms is an investigator's responsibility.
The specific U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations that apply to research with children are known as Subpart D: Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research.
The provisions of Subpart D, of the HHS regulations, Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research are the specific U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations that apply to research with children.
According to Subpart D, research with children may be eligible for exemption under Category 2 when:
The research involves the use of educational tests Subpart D restricts the use of exemptions when children are research subjects. Research that involves interviews, surveys, or participant observation when the researcher interacts with the children is not eligible for exemption under Category 2.ol09l
A researcher asks an IRB to waive the requirement for parental permission for a study conducted in schools because the nature of the research requires participation of all the children present in classrooms on the day the research will take place. Assuming that the basic research design could be approved by the IRB and the school, which of the following requirements must be met before an IRB could waive parental permission?
The research must pose no more than minimal risk.
The specific U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations that apply to research with children are known as Subpart D: Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research.
True The provisions of Subpart D, of the HHS regulations, Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research are the specific U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations that apply to research with children.
Which of the following constitutes both a breach of confidentiality (the research data have been disclosed, counter to the agreement between researcher and subjects) and a violation of subjects' privacy (the right of the individuals to be protected against intrusion into their personal lives or affairs)?
A faculty member makes identifiable data about sexual behavior available to graduate students, although the subjects were assured that the data would be de-identified. No agreements were made regarding confidentiality with the subjects who were unknowingly audio-taped; whose interactions were recorded, or whose cocaine use was revealed by another. Therefore, there was no breach of an agreement about confidentiality, but the subjects' right to decide who can access their personal information was violated. If a researcher told subjects that only he or she would have access to identifiable data and then gives identifiable data to others that action constitutes a breach of confidentiality and a violation of privacy - the subjects' right to control who has access to personal information.
A criterion for waiving informed consent is that, when appropriate, subjects are provided additional pertinent information after the study. In which of the following studies would it NOT be appropriate to provide subjects with information about missing elements of consent:
A study in which subjects were assigned to study activities based on an undesirable or unflattering physical characteristic as assessed by members of the research team. If subjects were to learn that the research team assigned them to study conditions based on undesirable or unflattering physical characteristics, the knowledge that their appearance was judged negatively by the research team could be very distressing and, therefore, it would not be appropriate to inform subjects after the study about how they were assigned. Informing subjects about the actual research procedures in the other studies would be unlikely to cause them harm.
The provisions of Subpart D, of the HHS regulations, Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research apply to:
All research funded by HHS The provisions of Subpart D must be applied to all research funded by the HHS (which includes NIH). However, not all federal agencies that have adopted the Common Rule have also adopted Subpart D. In addition to HHS, only the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Education have adopted it. Institutions may elect to apply the subpart to all research, regardless of the source of funding.
The internet can be used as a research tool or as the object of a study. Which of the following examples best describes an investigator using the internet as a research tool?
An investigator uses his Facebook wall to post a URL link to a survey he is hosting on SurveyMonkey.
Neither Subpart C (Prisoners) nor Subpart D (Children) applies to juveniles in the correctional systems because wardens of juvenile prisoners (unlike those for adult prisoners) act in loco parentis for juvenile offenders. This statement is false because:
Both subparts apply, as these individuals are under the legal age of consent and are incarcerated
Neither Subpart C (Prisoners) nor Subpart D (Children) applies to juveniles in the correctional systems because wardens of juvenile prisoners (unlike those for adult prisoners) act in loco parentis for juvenile offenders. This statement is false because:
Both subparts apply, as these individuals are under the legal age of consent and are incarcerated this population is considered doubly vulnerable due to their age and status as prisoners. Both subparts need to be carefully considered. There is no in loco parentis status for prisoners. Having a warden give consent would violate the basic tenets of informed consent. The regulations also prohibit the involvement of staff in prisoner selection for research. Parental signatures are not required.
Data are made anonymous by
Destroying all identifiers connected to the data. Reporting data in aggregate form, while protecting the identity of subjects, does not make the data anonymous. Keeping keys in secure locations and requiring members of the research team to sign confidentiality agreements are methods for protecting identifiable information but they do not involve destroying all identifying information so that the link between identity and data is gone forever. The only way to render data entirely anonymous is to remove all identifying information from the data and completely disconnect any links between the subjects and data about the subjects.
A researcher wants to contact former prisoners who are now on parole. She wants to study the difficulty of obtaining employment based on whether the subjects had been convicted of felony versus misdemeanor crimes. She needs to:
Do nothing in regards the Subpart C because the research does not meet the criteria for prison research -- individuals on parole are not considered prisoners. The definition applies to both minors and adults.
Which example of research with prisoners would be allowable under the regulations?
Examining age at first arrest as a predictor of adult criminal history. Examining age at first arrest is the correct answer. This reason for conducting research falls under the first category, "Study of the possible causes, effects, and processes of incarceration, and of criminal behavior." Working with de-identified data, this study would be minimal risk - there is no intervention and the confidentiality risk is low. None of the other answers fall within one of the categories of allowable research. While these other studies have possible merit, there is no acceptable rationale for including prisoners. There is no benefit to the prisoners as individuals or as a group.
A researcher wishes to study generational differences in coping mechanisms among adults who experienced abuse as children. Adequate measures will be instituted to obtain informed consent and ensure that there is no breach of confidentiality. The most likely additional risk is that some subjects may:
Experience emotional or psychological distress Some subjects may experience emotional or psychological distress. The fact that the subjects have consented to participate in the study makes it unlikely that they would feel that their privacy was being invaded. Because confidentiality procedures have been built into the protocol it is also unlikely that the subjects might lose legal status or employment.
In addition to the general provisions of the Common Rule (the federal regulations for protecting research subjects), the following regulations also govern research in the public schools:
FERPA, PPRA, and Subpart D of the federal regulations
Which of the following statements most accurately describes the requirement for the documentation of minors' assent to participate in research?
Federal regulations do not require the documentation of minors' assent. The federal regulations do not require that child assent be documented. Therefore it is not necessary to request a waiver of a requirement to document assent. When an IRB determines that assent is required for a study, the IRB will also determine whether and how assent will be documented. The assent document does not require parental input or parental review.
A researcher proposes to conduct a study at a foreign site. The research has been determined to be exempt from the federal regulations by institutional policy. According to federal regulations, is review required at the foreign site?
If a proposed study qualifies for exemption, federal regulations do not require review at the foreign site where it will be conducted.
What are some considerations for a U.S. researcher conducting a study in a non-U.S. setting when obtaining informed consent from subjects?
In addition to the consent of the research subjects, are there other individuals or groups whose permission must be sought?
Researchers endeavoring to conduct an on-line study should consider that there are some potential risks of harm to subjects unique to internet-based research. One of these risks is:
Individuals may post private identifiable information about themselves on-line without intending it to be public and available to researchers.
A researcher's study uses an identifiable dataset of prisoner demographic characteristics. This dataset includes criminal history data that predates incarceration and includes data on disciplinary behavior while in prison. There is no interaction with prisoners. The researcher claims, and the IRB chair agrees, that the study is exempt from IRB review. This decision:
Is wrong because 46.104 states that research conducted in prisons is not exempt if the subject population is only prisoners.
A researcher's study uses an identifiable dataset of prisoner demographic characteristics. This dataset includes criminal history data that predates incarceration and includes data on disciplinary behavior while in prison. There is no interaction with prisoners. The researcher claims, and the IRB chair agrees, that the study is exempt from IRB review. This decision:
Is wrong because 46.104 states that research conducted in prisons is not exempt if the subject population is only prisoners. Research conducted in prisons is not exempt under 46.104 if the subject population only includes prisoners. For research governed by the Common Rule, the exemptions at 46.104 (Protection of Human Subjects 2018) "do not apply to research subject to Subpart C, except for research aimed at involving a broader subject population that only incidentally includes prisoners." This means that the research does not include only prisoner subjects or aim to recruit prisoners as subjects. The research questions being answered also do not involve prisoners. It does allow that the research may happen to include a prisoner subject (or a subject who becomes a prisoner) and the prisoner subject's data may still be used without IRB approval for Subpart C. Although expedited review of prisoner research is permitted, OHRP strongly discourages the use of expedited review procedures as an acknowledgement of the vulnerability of prisoners as a class.
A researcher is studying women recently admitted to a state prison. All potential subjects must have children under the age of five. Research subjects will be given a basket of toys to use at their children's first visit that the children can then take home. In assessing this proposal, the IRB needs to determine that the toys are:
Not an excessive incentive.
A graduate student wants to examine the effect of print media versus televised media on individuals' position on several social issues. The superintendent of a local work release facility, a family friend, will allow the graduate student access to the prison population to help her quickly accrue subjects. The student's IRB should:
Not approve this project because the prisoners are merely a population of convenience for the student.
You learn that one of the subjects from your study will be admitted to prison next week. You assert that it is in the best interest of the subject to remain in the study while incarcerated. However, the study was not approved by the IRB in accordance with the requirements for research involving prisoners under Subpart C. What is the best course of action?
Notify the IRB promptly and allow the subject to remain in the study while the IRB makes the determinations required by the regulations.
You learn that one of the subjects from your study will be admitted to prison next week. You assert that it is in the best interest of the subject to remain in the study while incarcerated. However, the study was not approved by the IRB in accordance with the requirements for research involving prisoners under Subpart C. What is the best course of action?
Notify the IRB promptly and allow the subject to remain in the study while the IRB makes the determinations required by the regulations. If a human subject involved in ongoing research becomes a prisoner during the course of the study, the researcher must notify the IRB promptly. All research activities with the now incarcerated prisoner/subject must be suspended immediately except when it is in the best interests of the subject to remain in the study. In this case, the subject may remain in the study while the IRB makes the determinations required by the regulations.
If disclosure of a subject's involvement in a specific research study can be potentially harmful to the subject, and the consent form is the only record linking the subject to the research, which of the following would be most helpful:
Obtain a waiver of documentation of informed consent - If the only identifier collected in the course of a study would be the signature on the consent document and the principal source of harm would be a breach of confidentiality disclosing one's participation in the study, a waiver of documentation of informed consent should be sought. With such a waiver, the informed consent process could be conducted verbally with no written evidence of the subject's participation in the research.
PPRA gives parents some level of control over their child's:
Participation in third-party survey research or exposure to instructional materials developed by researchers
What procedures must be described in an agreement called an "assurance of compliance" with a U.S. federal agency?
Procedures in place that ensure that subjects will be protected in a manner commensurate with the Common Rule, including review by an independent committee comparable to an IRB.
As part of the consent process, the federal regulations require researchers to:
Provide potential subjects with information at the appropriate reading comprehension level Researchers must provide information to subjects in a manner that facilitates comprehension. Therefore, the material must be written at the appropriate reading comprehension level. Researchers may not impose penalties for non-participation because to do so would violate the ethical principle of respect for persons. In some circumstances it may be appropriate to ask subjects to discuss the research with their families before making a decision about whether to participate, but it is not a regulatory requirement. Finally, researchers are not required to provide a list of the IRB members who reviewed the research.
Additional safeguards that may be included in a social and behavioral study may include:
Remove all direct identifiers from the data as soon as possible When a possible disclosure of subjects' responses is the primary source of potential harm, collecting data anonymously may provide the best protection and removing direct identifiers is an additional safeguard. The other responses are additional safeguards, but refer to studies that may involve investigational drugs or are biomedical and not social behavioral
If the research is subject to Subpart D, which of the following research activities with children would qualify for an exemption under Category 2 (research that includes educational tests, surveys, interviews, observation)?
Research about aptitude testing
Which of the following statements about prison research is true?
Researchers may study the effects of privilege upgrades awarded by the prison.
Which of the following statements about prison research is true?
Researchers may study the effects of privilege upgrades awarded by the prison. Because studies of the effects of processes of incarceration are allowed under the regulations, researchers may study the effects of privilege upgrades awarded by the prison. The regulations do not prohibit payment of prisoners for their participation. However, the amount of compensation cannot constitute undue influence to participate. Many correctional institutions may prohibit payment. The decision to participate in research may not be considered during parole hearings, as this practice would clearly constitute undue influence to participate. The regulations require that IRBs determine that risks involved in research with prisoners are commensurate with risks that would be accepted by non-prison volunteers.
In a longitudinal study that will follow children from kindergarten through high school and will collect information about illegal activities, which of the following confidentiality procedures would protect against compelled disclosure of individually identifiable information?
Securing a Certificate of Confidentiality Although data encryption, using pseudonyms, and waiving documentation of consent, provide data protection, the researcher can link individuals to their responses. Therefore, the data are vulnerable to subpoena in civil, criminal, and administrative court proceedings. Unless the researcher has a Certificate of Confidentiality, he or she may be compelled to release individually identifiable information about research subjects. The Certificate provides the highest level of protection.
A general requirement for informed consent is that no informed consent may include any exculpatory language. Exculpatory language is that which waives or appears to waive any of the subject's legal rights or releases or appears to release those conducting the research from liability for negligence. Which of the following statements in a consent form is an example of exculpatory language?
Taking part in the research is voluntary, but if you choose to take part, you waive the right to legal redress for any research-related injuries A statement in a consent form that says that subjects who agree to take part in the research waive their legal rights constitutes exculpatory language. Statements about the voluntary nature of consent, about the possible need to remove subjects from a study in order to protect their welfare, and statements about providing referrals do not waive subjects' rights.
A therapist at a free university clinic treats elementary school children with behavior problems who are referred by a social service agency. She is also a doctoral candidate who proposes using data she has and will collect about the children for a case-based research project. Which of the following statements about parental permission is correct?
The parents of the children might feel pressure to give permission to the therapist to use their children's data so that she will continue to provide services to their children When a care provider becomes a researcher, both the child clients and their parents may not feel free to choose not to participate in the provider's study. A researcher who is also a care provider needs to be very clear that a decision not to participate in a study, or to allow records to be used, will not affect the care provided in the future. The fact that the therapist has access to her clients' records as a clinician does not entitle her to use information in the records for research purposes without parental permission and child assent. A school authority's permission to conduct the research does not replace the need for permission or assent. Finally, the children's right to choose cannot be overridden in the pursuit of an indeterminate community interest.
When a focus group deals with a potentially sensitive topic, which of the following statements about providing confidentiality to focus group participants is correct?
The researcher cannot control what participants repeat about others outside the group. It is not possible for a researcher to promise confidentiality in a focus group setting. Participants may choose to repeat sensitive information outside the group setting even if they have signed confidentiality agreements. This is true even if the participants know each other. Using pseudonyms in the report does not remove concerns about what group members might say outside the group.
A researcher leaves a research file in her car while she attends a concert and her car is stolen. The file contains charts of aggregated numerical data from a research study with human subjects, but no other documents. The consent form said that no identifying information would be retained, and the researcher adhered to that component. Which of the following statements best characterizes what occurred?
There was neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality. The subjects' privacy has not been violated because the identity of subjects was not included in the file. The confidentiality of the data has not been breached because the data could not be linked to identifiers. Therefore, the correct answer is that there was neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality. The release of aggregate data with no identifiers does not constitute a violation of privacy or a breach of confidentiality.
A researcher wants to observe preschoolers at a local public playground to evaluate levels of cooperation. The researcher will not interact with the children or record information in such a manner that the identity of the subjects can be readily ascertained. Which of the following statements is true?
This research would be eligible for exemption because the researcher is not interacting with the children and the playground is a public setting. The exemption categories that may be used with children include observations of children in public settings, as long as the researcher does not participate in the activities being observed or record information in such a manner that the identity of the subjects can be readily ascertained. Research does not require full committee review when it involves children, unless it does not fall into an exempt or expedited category.
A study that involves interviews of adults is eligible for expedited review. The researcher wants to add an adolescent population (aged 12 to 17) to the study and has designed a parental permission and assent process. No additional changes are planned. Which of the following statements about review of the revised protocol is accurate?
Unless the nature of the questions would raise the level of risk to more than minimal for adolescents, the research would still qualify for expedited review.
A sociologist wants to study a culture that occurs in some women's prisons: "state families," in which individual prisoners take on certain roles within a group of like-minded prisoners. There is previous evidence that younger prisoners will use older inmates who play the roles of grandparents as a resource before they will turn to staff for help and advice. The lieutenant in charge of a dorm of long-term prisoners offers to gather volunteers to speak to the researcher and also offers to vouch for the integrity of the researcher. The use of this staff is:
Wrong and is prohibited; subject selection needs to be free from intervention by prison authorities or prisoners.
