APPLYING THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

Put yourself in the position of someone serving on an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Members of these committees are asked to make decisions about the ethical nature of psychological research before it is carried out. In order to do so, they must be familiar with the ethical guidelines governing research with human and animal participants. Read carefully each of the following descriptions of psychological research, and answer the questions. The research is not unlike that which might be proposed to an ethics committee for review.

NOTE: (1) Both IRBs and IACUCs require more information regarding the rationale, procedures, and safeguards to participants than can be given here. (2) As you are aware, ethical decision-making typically rests with a committee of individuals. We suggest, therefore, that you consider doing these exercises with a small group of your peers. Thus, the process will resemble more closely what actually occurs when members of an IRB or IACUC meet to evaluate a research proposal. What also should become apparent is that not everyone is going to view the situation in the same way. Issues may be raised that you had not considered or views may be expressed with which you do not necessarily agree. Such is the nature of ethical decision making.

1			An experimental psychologist wishes to investigate how exposure to certain toxins affects reproductive behavior. As part of the study, female rats will be exposed to several different toxins over a lengthy period of time. This will be accomplished by spraying their cages with the experimental agents. Blood will be extracted at weekly intervals to measure blood chemistry. In addition, observations of social interactions will be made when male rats are introduced and physical measures taken of any offspring that result from male-female pairings. Finally, after a 6-month period, the female rats will be sacrificed and relevant sections of their brains examined for evidence of changes related to the long-term exposure to toxic agents. What APA principles do you believe are most relevant to this proposal? Focus your review on the following major principles: subjecting animals to pain, stress, or privation; appropriate use of surgical procedures; termination of an animal's life; procedures ensuring comfort, health, and humane treatment of the animals; prospective scientific, educational, or applied value of the research findings. Make your decision based on the information provided; do not assume that procedures not described are part of the research design.