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.
c c c c c c c c c 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.
c c 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
