Question

Which of the following on-line research strategies raises the most concerns regarding the ethical principle of respecting the autonomy of research subjects and the corresponding federal regulations requiring informed consent?
a. A linguist copies portions of postings on a political blog to document the use of expletives, abbreviations, and the use of irony in the postings.

b. A researcher posts a notice on an open on-line support group for interracial adoptees asking anyone who would be interested in being interviewed for her study to contact her.

c. A researcher observes the communications in an open support group without announcing her presence. She is interested in observing how long members participate and how the membership shifts over time.

d. A researcher proposes to join a moderated support group for cancer survivors posing as a survivor. She plans to insert comments to see how the members respond.

Answer 1

Answer: The research strategy that raises the most concerns regarding the ethical principle of respecting the autonomy of research subjects and the corresponding federal regulations requiring informed consent is letter D. A researcher proposes to join a moderated support group for cancer survivors posing as a survivor. She plans to insert comments to see how members respond.

Explanation: First of all, the researcher is lying. She is posing as a cancer survivor when in reality she isn't, and all the information she plans on recollecting derives from that lie. Second of all, the research subjects are not aware that she is conducting a study in which they are essentially one of the variables, therefore there's not much-informed consent in this particular research.

In conclusion, the research strategy that raises the most ethical concerns is D.