Thank you for bringing these obstacles you encountered while preparing to
finalize and publish research conducted on several nurseries. You propose an
ethically viable response regarding the obligation to minimizing harm. Providing
additional information to not give a negative appearance meets that requirement.
It is also important to give an accurate picture of the results and not a deceptive
one. The second solution you provide also appears viable as it does not use
deceptive practices and seeks to minimize and eliminate any obvious bias or data
easily misconstrued which may harm one of the schools.
While both of your proposed solutions appear viable, the first one may present a
problem if extra information on one school leads to a perception of bias. To
prevent this, other language could be included with all the schools. I recommend
developing your second solution and present the results in a way that minimizes
any harm as you are unable to present the results as first planned. This is
acceptable as you are not altering any data, just presenting it in a unique way that
still conveys the results. This solution is acceptable based on Ethical Standard
8.10 Reporting Research Results, as described in the Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct from the American Psychological Association
(2017), which requires honest data not altered with erroneous information meant
to alter perception.
I agree that ethics help researchers, and honestly, individuals in day-to-day life,
balance their actions and consider consequences. I also agree that complying
with the parents' refusal is an appropriate response. If the individual cannot give
consent themselves they must have a legally authorized representative. However,
I also concur that APA Code of Ethics Principle E: Respect for People's and
Dignity is at stake in this situation. Psychologists are meant to respect the dignity
of all people and should be aware of special safeguards that may be necessary to
protect the rights and welfare of persons or communities whose vulnerabilities
impair autonomous decision-making. We should also respect all individual
differences and consider those factors when working with members of such
groups.
Though I don't know for certain that consent is a principle at stake here, it seems
like maybe informed consent is the general roadblock we need to be aware of in
this situation. I wouldn't say it's at risk of being compromised due to the fact that
LAR consent is necessary for this study because of the population you are
working with. As you mentioned, perhaps if you're able to converse with the
parents and explain or debrief your study they will provide you with consent- and I
believe this is the best option. Like you, I want those who want to participate to
be able to do so.
Your letter was very well written and provided at least two ethically viable
responses to the dilemma. I, also, wrote a letter in regards to the young adult with
special needs. While refusing the student and providing an explanation to her
would be a good way to deal with the situation, we need to consider her age and
if her parents have legal guardianship over her. If they do have legal guardianship
over her then she cannot be allowed to participate. If her parents do not have
guardianship over her then she should be allowed to participate since she is 18
years old and considered to be an adult.
b b b b b b b b b b I believe section 3.01 Unfair Discrimination, from the APA Code of
Conduct is appropriate for this situation. The APA principle that supports this
section is principle D: Justice. Fairness and justice entitle all people to access
and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the
processes, procedures, and services being conducted by the research (Jackson,
2016). I agree that informed consent could be at stake whether the parents have
legal guardianship or not. The APA principle E is Respect for People's Rights and
Dignity (Jackson, 2016). To further support the APA principle E, Section 8.02
Informed Consent to Research, from the APA Code of Conduct provides an
outline to obtaining consent from an adult.
b b b I am very sorry to hear that such behavior is taking place. However, I am
comforted to see that you have devised several solutions to address any future
incidents. After all, according to Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility,
psychologists need to protect participants from any harm or exploitation
(American Psychological Association, 2017). I rather like your solution of being an
advocate on behalf of the participant. There can be instances in research studies
where people are faced with undue influence. This could make the participants
feel that they must endure whatever another person does to them (Jackson,
2016). To that point, your advocacy is a great idea. As a graduate researcher, you
are well-equipped to understand the issues that can occur while conducting
research. You understand that during research, a participant's rights and
autonomy must always be respected. A person should never be subjected to any
sort of harassment from anyone else. As I stated earlier, the role of the
researcher brings with the responsibility to protect the clients from any further
harm. Advocating on the participant’s behalf is a great start. However, after you
address the situation, you must make sure it does not continue. The actions
might seem to stop, but they could just become more discrete. You should
continue to be attentive to the situation.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017, January 1). Ethical principles of
psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychological Association.
https://www-apa-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ethics/code/index Links to an external
site.
Jackson, S. L. (2016). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach
(5th ed.). Cengage Learning. https://ebooks.cenreader.com/#!/reader/ab7cc69b-
958e-4449-b22c-d946f15eb469/page/4ea0c5f3-d7cb-4636-8f97-5e1fea9b6c9e
