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Chapter 10: Problem 8

Deceiving Subjects. Researchers are interested in assessing the "Good Samaritan" behavior of unsuspecting travelers in a subway train. An actor, either apparently drunk or carrying a cane, would collapse, and the number of helpful interventions by travelers would be observed and recorded. The results of the experiment determined that people were generally very helpful, although they were a little more reluctant to help a drunk. Do you think this study is ethically okay? Discuss.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The study raises ethical concerns due to deception and lack of consent, despite its insights into behavior.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Ethical Research Standards

Before assessing the ethics of the study, it's essential to understand key principles such as informed consent, the potential for harm, and the necessity of deception in research. Ethical guidelines require researchers to ensure that their methods are in line with respecting participants' autonomy and minimizing harm.
02

Assessing Consent and Deception

In this study, subjects (travelers) were not informed or asked for consent beforehand, which typically raises ethical concerns. Deception is used, as the travelers believe the situation to be real. While deception is sometimes necessary, ethical guidelines suggest minimizing the use of deception and debriefing participants afterward.
03

Evaluating Risk of Harm

Consider if the study's setup could cause physical or psychological harm to participants. While no physical harm might occur, witnessing an emergency situation could cause stress or emotional discomfort. Ethical research should avoid exposing subjects to unnecessary distress.
04

Considering the Benefit to Society

Any potential harm or ethical compromise should be weighed against the benefits of the research. If the study provides significant insight into human behavior that could promote public well-being, it might be considered more acceptable; however, less intrusive methods should always be preferred.
05

Conclusion of Ethical Assessment

The study potentially violates ethical principles regarding consent and possible psychological harm. Although it aims to gather valuable data on prosocial behavior, there is a general ethical objection to deceiving individuals without their informed consent. Researchers should ensure they justify the ethical trade-offs explicitly and explore alternative methods to reduce ethical concerns.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Informed Consent
Informed consent is a cornerstone of ethical research, ensuring that participants are fully aware of what they are getting into. Researchers should always seek the consent of their subjects before involving them in a study. This involves clearly communicating the purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits of the research. However, in some cases, researchers may opt not to inform participants fully in order to preserve the integrity of the study, particularly in behavioral research.
  • Participants must voluntarily agree to participate, knowing fully what the study involves.
  • They should be able to withdraw from the study at any point, without penalty.
  • Researchers must ensure that participants comprehend the information provided to them, often requiring the explanation to be given in simple, straightforward language.
In the case of the 'Good Samaritan' study, travelers on the subway were not informed, thus they couldn't provide informed consent. This approach raises ethical issues as it contradicts the autonomy and agency of the individuals involved.
Deception in Research
Deception in research is when participants are not fully aware of the nature of the study in which they are involved. It can be necessary when knowing the true purpose of the experiment might change participants' natural behavior. However, deception must be used judiciously and ethically. There are several key considerations:
  • Justification: The need for deception must be clearly justified by the study's potential benefits.
  • Minimal Harm: Deception should not cause any significant harm or distress to the participants.
  • Debriefing: After the study, participants should be informed about the deception and the actual purpose of the research. This debriefing helps to mitigate any negative effects of the deception.
In the subway study, the travelers were deceived into thinking a real emergency was occurring. The researchers need to weigh the ethical implications of this deception against the potential gains in knowledge about human behavior.
Ethical Guidelines
Ethical guidelines serve as a roadmap for conducting responsible research. They are designed to protect participants from harm while supporting the advancement of knowledge. These guidelines emphasize several important principles:
  • Respect for Persons: This involves recognizing the autonomy of all participants and securing their informed consent.
  • Beneficence: Researchers should strive to do good, minimizing harm while maximizing benefits.
  • Justice: The benefits and burdens of research should be distributed fairly among all groups in society.
In conducting research like the 'Good Samaritan' experiment, it is crucial to adhere to these guidelines. The ethical issues arise when such guidelines are stretched or violated, such as in cases of deception without proper debriefing or lack of participant consent. Researchers have a responsibility to explore less intrusive alternatives and justify their decisions to ensure ethical integrity.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Coercion? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations for informed consent state that "an investigator shall seek such consent only under circumst ances that provide the prospective subject or the representative sufficient opportunity to consider whether or not to participate and that minimize the possibility of coercion or undue influence." - Coercion occurs when an overt or implicit threat of harm is intentionally presented by one person to another in order to obtain compliance. Which of the following circumstances do you believe constitutes coercion? Discuss. a. A researcher has developed a vaccine against a new virus. The researcher is recruiting healthy adult volunteers from an inner city to determine if the vaccine is safe in humans. Volunteers will be paid for their participation. One participant tells one of the research nurses that he would not have enrolled in the study, but he recently lost his job and needs the money. He claims that he feels as though he has no alternative but to participate. b. A research nurse is asked to consent and provide samples for three minimal risk studies during her first week on the job. She is told "everyone working here is enrolled in these studies."

Charging for Data? Data produced by the government are often available free or at low cost to private users. For example, satellite weather data produced by the U.S. National Weather Service are available free to TV stations for their weather reports and to anyone on the web. Opinion 1: Govermment data should be available to everyone at mirtimal cost. European governments, on the other hand, charge TV stations for weather data. Opinion 2: The satellites are expensive, and the TV stations are making a profit from their weather services, so they should share the cost. Which opinion do you support, and why?

Immortal Cells. In 1951 Henrietta Lacks died at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from complications due to cervical cancer. Some of her cells were taken without her permission. It was subsequently discovered that these were "immortal cells," cells that do not die after a set number of cell divisions. These were the first human cells grown in a lab that were naturally immortal, making them invaluable for research. For example, in medical experiments if the cells died, they could simply be discarded and the experiment attempted again on fresh cells from the culture. Henrietta's "immortal" cells became the He-La cell line and have been used to develop the polio vaccine and flu treatments and in HIV/AIDS, leukemia, tuberculosis, and Parkinson's disease research, just to name a few applications. The research from He-La cells has saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. Does the benefit society received from the cells of Henrietta Lacks outweigh the ethics of failing to receive permission to use the cells from anyone in the Lacks family, including Henrietta herself? Explain your reasoning.

Asking Teens about Vaping. A survey of more than 44,000 teenagers asked the subjects if they had used vaping devices in the past 12 months. In a follow-up question, subjects were asked what they vaped. Should consent of parents be required to ask minors about drug use and other such issues, or is consent of the minors themselves enough? Give reasons for your opinion.

Political Polls. The presidential election campaign is in full swing, and the candidates have hired polling organizations to take sample surveys to find out what the voters think about the issues. What information should the pollsters be required to give out? a. What does the standard of informed consent require the pollsters to tell potential respondents? b. The standards accepted by polling organizations also require giving respondents the name and address of the organization that carries out the poll. Why do you think this is required? c. The polling organization usually has a professional name, such as "Samples Incorporated," so respondents don't know that the poll is being paid for by a political party or candidate. Would revealing the sponsor to respondents bias the poll? Should the sponsor always be announced whenever poll results are made public?
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