Transcript Psychology Departmental Research Ethics Board (Psych-REB)

Psychology
Departmental
Research Ethics Board
(Psych-REB)
October 2013
Dr. Carlin J. Miller, Chair
Overview
 Introduction:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your method
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
remarks
Overview
 Introduction:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your method
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
remarks
What is it? Who is this for?

All research done at UWindsor must first
receive ethics clearance.

The Psychology Departmental Research Ethics
Board (Psych-REB) is a satellite of the UWindsor
REB

Psych-REB approves undergraduate projects
that are completed in a 12 month period.

This is of special interest to undergraduates
who are beginning honours theses
Purpose of the Psych-REB
1.
Ensure that research participants are
being treated with respect
2.
Provide support to students as they learn
about ethical practices and standards in
conducting psychological research
3.
Create and monitor the “paper trail”
which documents 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:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your method
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
remarks
How to Submit an Application
*****ALL FORMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE
DEPARTMENTAL WEBSITE*****
1.
Complete the “Ethics Application” (either
by hand or filled out online)
2.
Download and modify the “Informed
Consent Form” to suit your project.
3.
If applicable, you also need to print out and
complete the “Deception Checklist”.
4.
Use the first page of the application form to
ensure that your package is complete.
Submitting an application(cont.)
5.
Make a copy. Ethics applications are submitted in
duplicate (even revised applications must be
submitted in duplicate).
6.
Submit the 2 separate packages* together to the
Psych-REB chairperson. *(i.e. 2 paperclips please!)
7.
Feedback from Psych-REB in about 10-14 days.
8.
PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for submitting your
application before the winter break is at 2 pm on
December 2nd. The Psych-REB will be closed from
December 3rd - January 6th.
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 in its present form

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 minor changes & resubmission - Changes are
specified and resubmission to the Psych-REB for final ethics
clearance

Pending major changes - Project requires major changes,
which are specified, and must be resubmitted before receiving
ethics clearance.
Overview
 Introduction:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your design
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
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 is
likely to be sent up to the University’s
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

If your study makes use of an established
paradigm or 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
(e.g., 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. You should:



Provide a follow-up activity 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.
After a “mood neutralizer”, you should ask participants to
rate their current level of distress or anxiety (scale of 1 to 10),
which ensures that participants feel “normal” before they
leave your study
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:





Tell the participant in regular, every-day and sufficiently
detailed language 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 volunteer without knowing what they will
be asked to do; this requires them to trust the
researcher and the institution that hosts the research.

Researchers must 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:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your method
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
remarks
Top 8 most common set backs
Inadequate consent forms (#1 - 4)
1.
Did not use the informed consent template as a guide and 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 UWindsor REB contact information instead of the
Psych-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.
7.
8.
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
•
(30 minutes of participation = .5 bonus points).
•
i.e. The title on the ethics submission form is
different than that stated on the consent and/or
recruitment ad.
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.
Overview
 Introduction:
 Procedures:
 Tips
Why an ethics review?
Submission and review
& key issues for your method
 Common
 Closing
reasons for non-approval
remarks
Using supervisor’s archival data?


Attention: Students using archival data for which
data collection has already been approved.
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?
What if your archival data is not
from your supervisor?
 You
should plan to do a full departmental
REB application but there may be
exceptions.
 We will be evaluating:



Was the original data collected ethically?
Do you have specific permission to use
these data? (See Dr. Miller if it is truly public
data or if you think it might be)
Was the data anonymised by someone
truly independent of you?
Contact
 Dr.
Carlin J. Miller
Chair, Psychology Departmental
Research Ethics Board.
University of Windsor
Windsor, ON N9B 3X2
519-253-3000 ext. 2226
email: [email protected]
Questions?