Back to Couses I Teach

PSYCH 77100                                                                                     Prof. Tracey A. Revenson     
Fall 2006                                                                                           TRevenson@gc.cuny.edu
Mondays 9:30-11:30                                                                           (212) 817-8709

And it is best to err, if err one must,
As you have done, upon the side of trust.
Molière (Tartuffe)

One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils.
Woodrow Wilson

The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.
Albert Schweitzer

Do the right thing
Spike Lee

This course is designed to provide a forum for discussion about the ethical issues that arise in psychological research with "human subjects" and within the academy. The course will examine the underlying philosophy and history of the federal regulations for the protection of human subjects, the different ethical issues that arise with different research methods and populations, and the dialectic between ethics and science. The course will also cover a number of areas of professional ethics, including mentoring and publication. Ethical issues will be discussed through the use of case studies, debates, role-playing and discussion of diverse experiences. Students will also become familiar with the federal guidelines themselves through review of IRB applications as we convene mock IRB meetings.
 
READINGS
 
Readings will consist of books, book chapters from selected anthologies, and journal articles. The required books can be purchased from any Barnes & Noble store or through the internet. If possible, make your purchases through the Graduate Center's Virtual Bookshop.  http://www.gc.cuny.edu/bookshop/. All other required readings will be available on Blackboard.   I expect students to do all the readings for every class.

Required Books

Sales, B. D., &  Folkman, S.  (2000). Ethics in research with human participants.  Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Jones, J.H. (1981/1993).  Bad blood: The Tuskegee syphilis experiment.  New York, NY: The Free Press.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
 
Students are expected to complete all assigned readings and come to class prepared to discuss them. Regular attendance and participation in class are expected.

Grades will be based on two assignments and one required element:

1. Leading class (1/3 of grade).  Pairs or trios of students will be responsible for leading one class during the semester. As class leaders you are responsible for:
   
   a. Preparing a set of thought questions or preparatory exercises to be handed out in class the week prior to the class for which you are responsible. That means that the class leaders need to do the assigned reading for that class at least two weeks prior to the class for which you are responsible.
   
   b. Leading the class -- through the use of case studies, role-playing, formal debates, personal research experience, and/or guests.  Instead of simply discussing the readings, this "quasi-hands-on” format should lead to a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.  A resource list is attached to the syllabus.  Teams are encouraged to meet with me to discuss their ideas at least two weeks beforehand. The class should not involve two independent pieces, nor should it consist of presentations/lectures. Instead, it should be a team effort that leads to an integrated whole.  Creativity is strongly encouraged.
    
2. Written notes prepared for two mock IRB meetings (2/3 of grade).  Our class will hold two mock IRB meetings.  Two weeks prior to the meeting you will receive a packet of applications to be reviewed. At the meeting, we will discuss the applications in depth and vote on whether they should receive IRB approval. Using standardized forms, you will be expected to prepare notes for the meetings. Written notes must be turned in before the beginning of the IRB meetings in order to receive credit for the assignment.
   
   
3. Certification in human subject’s protections. The DHHS regulatory requirement for education in human research subjects protection became mandatory on October 1, 2000. Effective July 1, 2005, CUNY is using  the Collaborative IRB Initiative Training (CITI) program for all scholars to meet this federal requirement.  The CITI program is a web-based comprehensive training curriculum designed around specified modules.  Each module is followed by a few short questions based on the material covered in the module.  You will complete the modules for the Graduate Student Learner Group.  It should take 2-5 hours to complete the CITI training program and you do not have to complete the module or training program in one sitting.  CITI keeps track of your progress in a Grade Book.  You can complete the training at your leisure. You must score 80% or better in each module to receive your certificate.  You can return to any module which you did not score at least 80%, review the module and retake the test.  The CITI homepage is www.citiprogram.org. Once you have completed the CITI training, print out two copies of the Certification of Completion – one for your records and one to be turned in to me. This requirement must be completed by the start of class on October 30, 2006.
   

                
Note: Completion of CBT certification in human subjects is due no later than October 30, 2006

No classes on October 2 or 9. Class will be held instead on Tuesday, October 3.

Class 3        THE RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS       

Sales & Folkman, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5

National Institutes of Health (1979).  The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Protection of Human Subjects of Research.   In Sales & Folkman, Appendix C or http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.htm

Class 4       INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS AND THE FEDERAL REGULATORY PROCESS

Sales & Folkman, Chapter 6, 9

Shea, C. (2000).  Don’t talk to the humans: The crackdown on social science research. Lingua
Franca, 27-34 (September)

Calvin & Hobbs’ Oral History dilemma
      
Class 5        INFORMED CONSENT

Sales & Folkman, Chapter 4

Abramovitch, R., Freedman, J.L., Thoden, K., & Nikolich, C. (1991).  Children’s capacity to consent to participation in psychological research: Empirical findings. Child Development, 61, 1100-1109.

Jason, L.A., Pokorny, S., & Katz, R. (2001).  Passive versus active consent: A case study in school settings.  Journal of Community Psychology, 29 (1), 53-68.

Sánchez, S., Salazar, G., Tijero, M., & Díaz, S. (2001).  Informed consent procedures: Responsibilities of researchers in developing countries. Bioethics, 15 (5/6), 398-412.

Class 6        SPECIAL CONCERNS WITH CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Fisher, C.B., Hoagwood, K., Boyce, C., Duster, T., Frank, D.A., et al. (2002).  Research ethics for mental health science involving ethnic minority children and youths. American Psychologist, 57 (12), 1024-1040.

Thompson, R. A.  (1990). Vulnerability in research: A developmental perspective on research risk.  Child Development, 61, 1‑16.

Phillips, S.R. (1994).  Asking the sensitive question: The ethics of survey research and teen sex.  IRB: A review of human subjects research, 16 (6), 1-7.

Class 7           ASSESSING RISK AND BENEFIT

Rosenthal, R. (1994). Science and ethics in conducting, analyzing, and reporting psychological research.  Psychological Science, 5 (3), 127-134.
           
Rosnow, R.L. (1997). Hedgehogs, foxes and the evolving social contract in psychological science: Ethical challenges and methodological opportunities. Psychological Methods, 2 (4), 345-356. 

Class 8        PUTTING THE FEDERAL GUIDELINES INTO ACTION

Minors in research: SPSP postings (2005)

Peyser, A. (2005). Shock quiz pays guinea-pig kids. New York Post, online edition.

Class 9        QUALITATIVE/PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Lykes, M.B. (1989).  Dialogue with Guatemalan Indian women: Critical perspectives on constructing collaborative research.  In R.K. Unger (Ed.), Representations: Social constructions of gender (pp. 167-185). Amityville, NY: Baywood Publishing Co.

Khanlou,  N., &  Peter, E. (2005). Participatory action research: considerations for ethical review. Social Science & Medicine, 60, 2333-2340.
 
Hemmings, A. (2006). Great ethical divides? Bridging the gap between institutional review boards and researchers. Educational Researcher, 35, 12-18.

Hadjistavropoulous, T., & Smythe, W.E. (2001).  Elements of risk in qualitative research.  Ethics & Behavior, 11, 163-174.

Class 11      ETHICS JEOPARDY/INTERNET RESEARCH

Azar, B. (2000).  Online experiments: Ethically fair or foul? APA Monitor, 31 (4), 50-52.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr00/fairorfoul.html

Kraut, R.,  Olson, J.,  Banaji, M., Bruckman, A., & Cohen, J. (2004). Psychological research online: report of board of scientific affairs? Advisory group on the conduct of research on the internet.  American Psychologist, 59, 105-117.

Class 12   MENTORING AND POWER POLITICS

Kitchener, K.S. (2000).  Reconceptualizing responsibilities to students: A feminist perspective.  In M.M. Brabeck (Ed.) Practicing feminist ethics in psychology  (pp. 37-54). Washington DC: APA Books.

Johnson, W.B., & Nelson, N. (1999).  Mentor-protégé relationships in graduate training: Some ethical concerns.  Ethics & Behavior, 9 (3), 189-210.

Hoyt, S.K. (1999).  Mentoring with class: Connections between social class and developmental relationships in the academy. In A.J. Murrell, F.J. Crosby, & R.J. Ely (Eds.), Mentoring Dilemmas (pp. 189-210). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Class 13   AUTHORSHIP & PLAGIARISM

Dingfelder, S.F. (2006, Janauary).  Get the credit you deserve.  gradPSYCH, 4 (1), 42-44.
       
Sales & Folkman: Chapter 7: Authorship and Intellectual Property

Fine, M. A., & Kurdek, L. A.  (1993). Reflections on determining authorship credit and authorship order on faculty‑student collaborations.   American Psychologist, 48, 1141‑1147. 

Fine, M. A., & Kurdek, L. A.  (1994). Publishing multiple journal articles from a single data set: Issues and recommendations. Journal of Family Psychology, 8 (4), 371-379.

Gladwell, M. (2004). Something borrowed. New Yorker, November 22, 40-48