Research Methods Test 2 Chapter 5

What are the basic rules for animal usage in research?

-Clear scientific purpose for the study. -Trained Handlers. -Proper care and housing. -Obtained the animals ethically. -Humane treatment. -IRB for animals.

Zimbardo Study

1970's-The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) took place in 1971. Young men were divided into the roles of Prisoner and Guard and put in a prison-like environment in the basement of the Psychology Department at Stanford University. The study was meant to last two weeks. But the brutality of the Guards and the suffering of the Prisoners was so intense that it had to be terminated after only six days. The study provided a graphic illustration of the power of situations to shape individuals' behavior. Zimbardo argued that the Guards acted the way they did because they conformed blindly to their assigned role, as did he in his position as Prison Superintendent:

What is a confederate?

A person who is part of a research study but acts as though he or she is not , to deceive the participant about the study's purpose.

What are the rules for participant anonymity and how is it related to confidentiality?

All participant information must be kept private.

What entity monitors the ethical review of research and its adherence to ethical codes?

Institutional Review Boards

What is informed consent?

It is obtaining consent from participants for participation in research after the participants have been informed about the purpose , procedure, and risks of the research.

What is a risk-benefit analysis?

It is weighing the risks against the benefits of a research study to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Milgram Study

One of the most famous studies of obedience in psychology was carried out by Stanley Milgram (1963). Stanley Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, conducted an experiment focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. He examined justifications for acts of genocide offered by those accused at the World War II, Nuremberg War Criminal trials. Their defense often was based on "obedience" - that they were just following orders from their superiors. The experiments began in July 1961, a year after the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised the experiment to answer the question "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?" (Milgram, 1974). Milgram (1963) wanted to investigate whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures as this was a common explanation for the Nazi killings in World War II. Milgram selected participants for his experiment by newspaper advertising for male participants to take part in a study of learning at Yale University. The procedure was that the participant was paired with another person and they drew lots to find out who would be the 'learner' and who would be the 'teacher'. The draw was fixed so that the participant was always the teacher, and the learner was one of Milgram's confederates (pretending to be a real participant).

How is deception used in psychological research?

Researchers must determine that the deception is necessary and justified and explain any use of deception at the completion of the study. May not cause physical harm.

What was the basis for the APA ethics code?

The Nuremberg trials and subsequent code .