Question

Dr. June Jolly is interested in exploring whether or not a new drug will reduce the symptoms of depression. She tells a colleague about a study she is planning: Dr. Jolly will administer a depression test to all the students in both of her General Psychology classes. Students in one of her General Psychology classes will be told the drug should help them to memorize material for their examinations and that they will receive extra credit if they take the drug every day for a month; students in her other General Psychology class will not be given this offer. At the end of the month, students in both of her General Psychology classes will be given the depression test again. 3. If Dr. June Jolly did perform this experiment, the first thing students would be asked to do would be to: a. sign an Informed Consent Form agreeing to participate in the study. b. have their medical doctor sign a form stating it was safe for them to participate in the study. c. complete the depression test. d. tell Dr. June Jolly they want to participate in the study. 3 points Question 4 Scenario #2: Kim Driggers and Tasha Helms, members of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society for Psychology, performed a study that involved an evaluation of salary as a factor in dating at Oklahoma State University (Driggers & Helms, 2000). They asked college students to view pictures of people of the opposite sex, told the college students the people in each picture earned $20,000, $60,000, or $100,000 per year, and asked the students to indicate how willing they would be to go on a date with each of the people in the pictures. They found that the participants’ willingness to date increased with salary. This was especially true among women viewing men who earned $100,000 per year. The Informed Consent Form used by Driggers and Helms did not inform students that the purpose of the study was to explore salary as a factor in dating. 4. Is this study in accordance with the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Guidelines? a. No. It is unethical to explore gender differences that may make one sex look bad. b. No. The Informed Consent Form should provide a complete explanation of the project. c. Yes, as long as the experimenters explain their true purpose at the conclusion of the study, and give the participants a chance to withdraw their data. d. Yes. There are no ethical violations in this study.

Answer 1

The answer to Question 3 is Option A, sign an Informed Consent Form agreeing to participate in the study. Consent from participants is the first and foremost step while conducting the study.

The answer to Question 4 is Option C. The study is ethical as long as the experimenters explain their true purpose at the conclusion of the study, and give the participants a chance to withdraw their data. The researchers had a valid reason to not disclose their real intentions as it would have affected the participants’ response in the study.