Psych 1101 - CITI - Human Subjects & Behavioral Research
The researcher's failure to protect research subjects from deductive disclosure of identity (that is, the re-identification of subjects by other researchers) is the primary ethical violation in which of the following studies?
"Tastes, Ties, and Time (T3)" study
According to the federal regulations, which of the following studies meets the definition of research with human subjects?
A developmental psychologist videotapes interactions between groups of toddlers and their caregivers to determine which intervention methods most effectively manage aggression.
A medical record is an example of:
Private information
The Belmont Report's principle of respect for persons incorporates at least two ethical convictions: first, that individuals should be treated as autonomous agents, and second, that:
Persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection.
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.
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.
In the U.S., the first federal regulations for human subjects research began in 1981 with the codification of the ________.
Common Rule
Continuing review of an approved and ongoing study posing more than minimal risk that was initially approved by a convened IRB:
Must occur within 12 months of the approval date.
What statement about risks in social and behavioral sciences research is most accurate:
Risks are specific to time, situation, and culture.
According to the federal regulations, which of the following studies meets the definition of research with human subjects?
A cognitive psychologist enrolls undergraduate students for a computer-based study about the effect of mood on problem-solving behaviors.
Identify one way faculty researchers can possibly avoid undue influence of student subjects?
Avoid recruiting their own students in the research
A student plans on interviewing 15 principals in neighboring high schools. The student plans to collect data about the personal experiences the principals have had with disruptive students, including the types of disciplinary actions that were taken (including decisions they may have personally made) and their feelings or thoughts regarding whether those actions were appropriate. The research data collected could have an impact on the principals' careers. The student will collect identifiers. This study would be subject to which type of review?
Convened Review
Data are made anonymous by
Destroying all identifiers connected to the data.
A student is conducting a research project that involves the use of a survey. The survey asks subjects about their highest level of education, political affiliation, and views on various social issues. The student will not collect identifiable information. This study would be subject to which type of review?
Determination for Exemption
Which of the following is an example of how the principle of beneficence can be applied to a study employing human subjects?
Determining that the study has a maximization of benefits and a minimization of risks.
What is the term for management controls that are built in to a research study (for example, independent data analysis)?
Inherent controls
Risk of harm in social and behavioral sciences generally fall in three categories, which are:
Invasion of privacy, breach of confidentiality, and study procedures
A researcher's membership on an advisory board with an organization sponsoring research can create a COI because:
It may be difficult for the researcher to appear neutral, as the researcher may have an interest in the research's success
A researcher submits a study to the IRB that proposes to evaluate a new after-school on-line tutoring program for middle-school students in a local school district examining the effect on student grades. She proposes to perform this assessment at the school that her children attend, because she is familiar with the school district. Students may use either their personal smartphone or computer to participate in the program. This study might be determined to be violating which principle of the Belmont Report?
Justice
According to federal regulations, the expedited review process may be used when the study procedures pose:
No more than minimal risk and the research activities fall within regulatory categories identified as eligible.
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.
Which of the following studies is linked most directly to the establishment of the National Research Act in 1974 and ultimately to the Belmont Report and federal regulations for human subject protection?
PHS Tuskegee Study
The primary purpose of a Certificate of Confidentiality is to:
Protect identifiable research information from compelled disclosure.
A census is a regularly-occurring and official count of a particular population. Census data available at the United States Census Bureau website are an example of:
Public information
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.
The Belmont principle of beneficence requires that:
Risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits.
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
Which of the following studies would need IRB approval?
Studies collecting identifiable information about living individuals.
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 professor at Big State University is writing a biography about Bill Gates and conducting oral histories with all of Bill Gates' friends, family members, and business acquaintances. The researcher submits the research proposal to the institution's IRB. What action can he expect by the IRB?
The IRB will not review this study because it is not research as defined by the federal regulations.
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.
According to the federal regulations, research is eligible for exemption, if:
The research falls into one of eight categories of research activity described in the regulations.
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.
According to the federal regulations, which of the following studies meets the definition of research with human subjects?
An experiment is proposed on the relationship between gender-related stereotypes in math and the subsequent performance by males and females on math tests.
The PHS regulations about financial conflict of interests require which party to disclose significant financial conflicts of interest?
Researcher
Which of the following are the three principles discussed in the Belmont Report?
Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice
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 COI management plan aims to:
Provide procedures or extras steps to be taken to minimize the risk of bias when a COI is disclosed
Where could student researchers and/or student subjects find additional resources regarding the IRB approval process? Select all that apply.
- Faculty Advisor/Research Mentor - IRB Office
Which of the following statements about the relationship between an institution and the institution's IRB(s) is correct?
Officials of the institution may overrule an IRB approval.
In addition to pregnant women, fetuses, and neonates, another subpart of the HHS regulations provides additional protections for which of the following vulnerable populations?
Prisoners
As part of the consent process, the federal regulations require researchers to:
Provide potential subjects with information at the appropriate reading comprehension level.
Humphreys' collecting data for the Tearoom Trade study under the pretense that he was a lookout is an example of a violation of the principle of:
Respect for persons
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 peer review process can create conflicts of interest because the choice of who reviews a potentially publishable project may show:
There may be bias by the peer reviewer as to the area of research