standpoint of ethics in the use of human subjects in research?
Chapter Test on Ethics
1 Which of the following situations is/are considered research on human subjects and typically requires full review by the IRB or its equivalent in your agency?You ask one client to respond to a depression scale on a weekly basis for several weeks of treatment, and you expect to employ these measurements for clinical purposes but you do not expect to include this information in a reportYou conduct an anonymous client satisfaction survey where the data will be used only on an internal basis for program improvement, and you do not expect to include this information in a report to be distributed for general understanding of the nature of the treatment and/or target behaviorBoth of the aboveNone of the above
2 Which of the following situations is/are considered research on human subjects and requires either expedited or full review by the IRB or its equivalent in your agency?You are examining whether the support model of treatment will reduce caregiver burnout for those caring for relatives suffering from seriously debilitating illnesses. You will administer a stress scale to a group of persons before and after the treatment and will use the data in a public report on the effectiveness of this treatment model for caregiver burnoutYou are testing whether a new drug will reduce depression for those suffering from AIDS by administering this new drug during a treatment period when you will also regularly conduct blood tests. The results will be made publicBoth of the aboveNone of the above
3 Which of the following statements is/are true?Children are not considered capable of giving informed consent to engage in research as human subjectsStudies employing existing databases normally do not require full review by the IRB if individual names of persons are not listed in the databaseBoth of the aboveNone of the above
4 Which of the following statements is/are true?Under no circumstances may you conduct research using human subjects without the written consent of the person who provides the information for the studyIf you wanted to conduct a study of social norms that are prevalent in public housing projects, you would not be able to collect data only using people from public housing projects because of the issue of justiceBoth of the aboveNone of the above
5 Which of the following statements is/are true?Sometimes the IRB will approve a study proposal that entails notable risk to study subjects because the benefits to society outweigh the risks to the individual study subjectIf a study procedure is available to the researcher that is less risky than the one planned, the IRB will usually require its employment in the studyBoth of the aboveNone of the above
6 Suppose a researcher has proposed to conduct a study on the natural responses to stressful encounters by faking a heart attack on a busy street corner while another researcher observes the behavior of people who react, not knowing the apparent heart attack is a fake. The observer will make notes about the behaviors of the bystanders but will not know their identities. Which issue in research ethics would be most problematic for this study? (Note: The question is not whether this study is so problematic that it is unlikely to be approved by the IRB. The question focuses your attention on the issue most likely to present questions for closer review.)ConfidentialityVoluntary participationHarmJustice
7 Suppose a researcher wishes to conduct a study on the validity of astrology, by gaining information on each study subject’s astrological sign (Leo, Vergo, etc.) and asking questions to the individual to determine if the information from astrology accurately predicts the answers the individual gives to questions about his or her personality. This study will be conducted in eight prisons, some for males and some for females. A total of 1,200 prisoners will be asked to volunteer for this study. The data will be collected anonymously. Which issue in research ethics would be most problematic for this study?ConfidentialityVoluntary participationHarmJustice
8 Which of the following statements is/are true?It is usually better to collect data in an anonymous manner than to collect it by identifying information on the measurement toolIt is usually necessary to get parental permission for data that are to be collected from childrenBoth of the aboveNone of the above
ANSWERS: 1 = d; 2 = c; 3 = c; 4 = d; 5 = c; 6 = b; 7 = d; 8 = c
Chapter Test on Cultural Competence
1 Cultural competence refers to which of the following:A liberal ideologyA commitment to social justiceThe ability to understand and work effectively with people of different culturesA conservative ideology
2 Which of the following is/are essential parts of cultural competence?Knowledge of different culturesSelf-awareness with regard to cultureBoth of the aboveNone of the above
3 For which type of study is culture an important consideration?Descriptive studyExplanatory studyEvaluative studyAll of the above
4 Which of the following statements is/are true?If you find out that there is a relationship between two variables, you have proven that one of these variables is the cause of the otherWhen you examine causation, you need to consider the time order of changes in variables, for example, a change in the cause should be followed by a change in the effectBoth of the aboveNone of the above
5 Which of the following are parts of the research process for which culture is an important consideration?The drawing of the sampleThe measurement of variablesBoth of the aboveNone of the above
6 Which of the following is/are true?Much research has revealed that MSW students are seriously lacking in cultural competenceSome research has shown that characteristics of MSW students are highly related to cultural competenceBoth of the aboveNone of the above
ANSWERS: 1 = c; 2 = c; 3 = d; 4 = b; 5 = c; 6 = d
Chapter Glossary
Beneficence. The ethical principle that requires that we minimize harm and maximize benefits when engaging in the use of human subjects in research.
Causation. The influence of one variable on the other, as evidenced by three realities: there was found to be a relationship between the cause and the effect, the effect is not explained by other variables, and a change in this cause comes before a change in this effect.
Confidentiality (for research subjects). The practice of not reporting the identity of an individual who participated in a research study along with the information derived from that individual.
Cultural competence. Knowledge, values, and skills that recognize the influence of culture with regard to practice.
Ethics. Rules of behavior based on moral values.
Informed consent. The practice of ensuring that study subjects have given their consent and that they were clearly informed about risks.
Institutional review board. A body of people whose job is to review proposals for conducting research with the objective of protecting human subjects in research from harm, invasion of privacy, and/or coercion.
Justice. An ethical principle that requires us to design research that does not unduly target its risks to certain groups of people and fails to treat different types of people equably or fairly.
Privacy. Our ability to control access to information about ourselves.
Respect. An ethical principle that deals with autonomy and self-determination, so that potential research subjects are allowed to choose for themselves the risk that they will undertake.
Voluntary
