Читать книгу 100 Questions (and Answers) About Research Ethics - Emily E. Anderson - Страница 23

No matter what kind of research you are doing, you have a responsibility when designing and conducting research to (a) identify risks of participation, (b) consider the likelihood and magnitude of those risks, and (c) implement procedures to minimize those risks. When identifying risks for a particular research study, start by considering the topic under investigation and the methods of data collection and storage.

Social and behavioral sciences researchers investigate many different phenomena. Some topics of inquiry are quite benign, such as reasons people visit national parks. Such research likely has few risks. However, other kinds of research, such as interviewing individuals who are engaged in criminal activity, can be quite sensitive. In these situations, participants could feel anxious when describing past illegal activities (psychological risk). If others learned that a participant engaged in these activities, they may no longer trust the participant (social risk). Employers may be hesitant to hire the individual because of his or her previous illegal behavior (economic risk). In reality, most research asks about experiences, behavior, and opinions that fall somewhere between visiting national parks and engaging in criminal activity.

Beyond the specific topic of inquiry, you must consider risks that might arise from the methods used to identify and recruit participants and gather information. In the social and behavioral sciences, one of the main risks to consider is a potential violation of a person’s privacy. You must consider the psychological, legal, economic, or social harms that could potentially result if others learned that an individual was participating in—or was just being invited to participate in—a specific research study. For example, participants could be seen entering a drug treatment facility for a study interview, which might be embarrassing or stigmatizing (social risk). Or, participants’ employment (economic risk) or custody of their children (legal risk) could be jeopardized if someone sees them filling out a mailed or online survey about their drug use.

Risks from a breach in confidentiality of data are also important to consider. Participants could be harmed if unauthorized persons gained access to information collected as part of the study. For example, public embarrassment and marital discord could occur if personal data acknowledging a marital affair became public (say, for example, if data collected online were not appropriately protected). In research on employee job satisfaction, economic harm could occur and participants could lose their jobs, for example, if their supervisors learned of their dissatisfaction with the company’s sick leave policies.

A variety of methods can help you identify risks and take steps to minimize them. Conduct literature reviews of research studies with similar populations or those that used similar methods. Consult with experienced researchers who have conducted similar research. Talk with individuals who share characteristics with or represent the views of prospective participants to identify what risks they think the research might pose.

Once risks are identified, you must consider the likelihood and magnitude of those risks. Unfortunately, such estimation is not an exact science. Some probabilities can be determined based on systematically collected information. However, many probabilities—especially risks of extremely rare events—are impossible to quantify. Even when relevant empirical data on risk are available, humans’ estimation of future risk is subject to many biases. We tend to overestimate risk for those things we have directly experienced or heard about recently. Different researchers and institutional review board members may judge risks differently based on their own experiences.

More questions? See #17, #22, and #23.