Transcript Psychology Departmental Research Ethics Board (Psych-REB)

Psychology
Departmental
Research Ethics
Board
(Psych-REB)
September 2012
Dr. Jill Singleton-Jackson,
Chair
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your method
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your method
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
What is it? Who is this for?

All research that is done at the University of
Windsor must first get ethics clearance.

The Psychology Departmental Research Ethics
Board (Psych-REB) is a satellite of the University of
Windsor Research Ethics Board
The Psychology REB approves undergraduate
projects that are completed in a 12 month period.


This is of special interest to undergraduates who
are beginning 4th year honours theses
Purpose of the Psych-REB
1.
Ensure that research participants are
being treated in ways that respect their
dignity and integrity
2.
Teach students about ethical practices
and standards in conducting
psychological research
3.
Create a paper trail that demonstrates
ethical conduct if and when concerns
arise at any level (departmental,
university, tri-council, civil law)
Educational Objectives

To help thesis students better understand the
ethical issues at hand.




Informed consent
Minimal risk…
Create a tutorial on ethics through the
application (rather than it being a “black
box” process).
Streamline the process to allow for less down
time and more student involvement.
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your method
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
How to Submit an application
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Print out and complete the “Ethics Application”
by hand or fill it out online.
Download and modify the “Informed Consent
Form” to suit your project.
(If applicable, you may also need to print out
and complete the “Deception Checklist”).
Use the first page of the application form to
ensure that your package is complete.
Make a copy. Ethics applications are submitted
in duplicate (even revised applications must be
submitted in duplicate).
Submit the 2 separate packages* together to
the Psych-REB chairperson. *(i.e. 2 paperclips please!)
Feedback from Psych-REB in about 10-14 days.
Forms are on the psychology,
undergraduate website
 http://www.uwindsor.ca/psychology
 http://www.uwindsor.ca/psychology/und
ergraduate-thesis-results
Let’s go over the forms...
Feedback
 Approved
 Pending

minor changes & resubmission.
(Changes are specified and resubmission to the
Psych-REB for final approval and clearance).
 Pending

minor changes specified below.
(These changes can be made by the student
researcher alone, and there is no need to
resubmit these changes to the Psych-REB).
 Pending

in its present form
major changes.
(Project requires major changes, which are
specified, and must be resubmitted before
receiving ethical clearance).
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your design
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
6 Tips for Ethical
Research designs

Following are some practical tips for
designing and conducting research
that is ethical.
Tip #1 for Ethical Research:
Vulnerable Populations


Children, the elderly, animals…
People with mental health problems…
Research with vulnerable populations
will likely be extensively reviewed and
may have to go through the UW-REB.
Tip #2 for Ethical Research:
Informed Consent


Participants must know and understand
what they are getting themselves into.
A clear and consistent presentation in
advertisements, consent forms, etc. is
key.
Tip #3 for Ethical Research:
Refer to the Literature

There are some research paradigms
which are well documented in peerreviewed literature. If your study makes
use of an established procedure you
should:


Cite relevant research that used similar
designs, especially if there is research
indicating whether there were or were not
harmful effects to participants.
Provide and consider the year of the study

Milgram!
Tip #4 for Ethical Research:
Participants leave feeling in the
same state as when they came

Some procedures are emotionally
evocative or shift participants’
expectations in some way. If you do this
it is good practice to:
1.
Provide a follow-up intervention to help
participants return to a positive or at least
neutral state before they leave the study. A
“mood neutralizer” could be in the form of a
relaxation exercise or
imagining/remembering some positive
experience.
2.
After a “mood neutralizer”, it is good practice
to ask participants to rate their current level
of distress or anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10;
–
this is a manipulation check to ensure that
participants feel “normal” again before they
leave.
Tip #5 for Ethical Research:
Debriefing

A debriefing in which the true nature of the
study is disclosed to participants and an
opportunity to ask questions is an important
part of data collection from human
participants. A good debriefing tries to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Engage the participant as a collaborator to
discuss the process he/she was involved in.
Disclose to the participant, in plain everyday
language and in sufficient detail, exactly what
has happened in the data collection process
and the true nature of the study.
Explain the rationale for using the method in this
particular study.
Provide an opportunity for participants to ask
questions of clarification.
Provide, in writing, resources and/or contacts
for participant who may have concerns that
have come to bear through the nature of the
study.
Tip #6 for Ethical Research:
Protect Trust

Participants initially volunteer to partake
in whatever the study entails. In doing so
they entrust themselves to the
researcher and the institution that is
hosting the research.

It is important to ensure that participants
do not feel embarrassed or betrayed as
a result of research procedures.

When the study and debriefing is
complete, is there a reasonable
possibility that participants may
perceive that there has been a betrayal
of trust or that they have somehow
been treated unfairly?
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your method
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
Top 8 most common set backs
Inadequate consent forms (#1 - 4)
1.
Did not use the informed consent template
as a guide and therefore did not include
essential information.
2.
Did not provide contact information for
a. student (you),
b. Dr. XXX, supervisor of the project (who is
ultimately responsible for addressing
participant concerns), and/or
c. Chairperson of the Psych-REB.
3.
Used the UW REB contact information
instead of the Psychology-REB contact info.
4.
Did not include a section in consent form
giving permission to use the data in
subsequent studies:(when you or your
supervisor plans to do so) OR did not state
that data will not be used in subsequent
studies.
Top 8 most common set backs
continued…
5.
6.
Participant pool ad missing: Did not include
a recruitment ad to be approved for use in
the Participant Pool.
Participant pool points: Presented
participation time in a way that was not in
line with Participant Pool standards
•
7.
8.
(Currently, 30 minutes of participation = .5 bonus
points).
Incomplete packages: Did not submit ALL
materials in duplicate (or did not re-submit in
duplicate).
Inconsistencies between the application
form, method section, and consent forms.
•
i.e. The title on the ethics submission form is
different than that stated on the consent and/or
recruitment ad.
Overview
 Introduction:
Why an ethics review?
 Procedures: Submission and review
 Tips & key issues for your method
 Common reasons for non-approval
 Closing remarks
Using archival data?


Attention: Students using archival data for
which data collection has already been
approved, (perhaps by the University REB on
behalf of a supervisor)….
If what you are doing is already within the
limits of the approved study then you must
submit only the first page of the ethics
application to the Psych-REB and include on
that page the:
1.
2.
3.
1.
Ethics approval number of Uwindsor REB
Date of the application.
Name and signature of the Principal Investigator
of whoever made the submission.
HOWEVER…. are you planning to collect
MORE data?
Contact
 Dr.
Jill Singleton-Jackson
Chair, Psychology Departmental
Research Ethics Board.
University of Windsor
Windsor, ON N9B 3X2
519-253-3000 ext. 4706
email: [email protected]
Questions?