Question
Identify the ethical guidelines that should be considered in the below scenario.
A researcher is conducting research on the relationship between quality of sleep and work performance amongst cashiers in a bank. The researcher tells participants in the study that they are not allowed to discontinue their participation in the study once they have started as he is concerned that his sample size will not be big enough.
Anonymity
Research with vulnerable populations
Voluntary participation
Deception
Ethics in analysis and reporting
Discontinuance
Appropriate referral
Confidentiality
Informed consent
A researcher is conducting research on the relationship between quality of sleep and work performance amongst cashiers in a bank. The researcher tells participants in the study that they are not allowed to discontinue their participation in the study once they have started as he is concerned that his sample size will not be big enough.
Anonymity
Research with vulnerable populations
Voluntary participation
Deception
Ethics in analysis and reporting
Discontinuance
Appropriate referral
Confidentiality
Informed consent
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In the given scenario, several ethical guidelines are violated or need to be considered:
1. **Voluntary participation**: Participants must have the right to choose whether or not to be part of the research. Forcing participants to continue once they have started goes against this principle.
2. **Informed consent**: Participants should be fully informed about the nature of the study, including their right to withdraw at any time. The researcher's instruction that they cannot discontinue participation undermines this important ethical guideline.
3. **Discontinuance**: Related to voluntary participation, this guideline emphasizes that participants should have the right to withdraw from the study at any point without penalty.
4. **Research with vulnerable populations**: If cashiers in a bank are considered a vulnerable population (due to their job status or financial reliance on employment), extra care must be taken to ensure their rights and welfare are protected.
5. **Anonymity and Confidentiality**: While these principles may not be directly violated in the described scenario, they are crucial ethical considerations in all research that involves collecting personal data from participants.
6. **Deception**: There may be an implication of deception if participants are not fully informed about their rights, particularly about participation discontinuance. If the researcher misrepresents the nature of participation, it could also affect the ethical integrity of the research.
7. **Ethics in analysis and reporting**: The researcher's inability to maintain voluntary participation could lead to biased or unreliable data, raising ethical concerns about how the results would be analyzed and reported.
In summary, the most critical ethical guidelines that need to be addressed in this scenario are voluntary participation, informed consent, and discontinuance.
1. **Voluntary participation**: Participants must have the right to choose whether or not to be part of the research. Forcing participants to continue once they have started goes against this principle.
2. **Informed consent**: Participants should be fully informed about the nature of the study, including their right to withdraw at any time. The researcher's instruction that they cannot discontinue participation undermines this important ethical guideline.
3. **Discontinuance**: Related to voluntary participation, this guideline emphasizes that participants should have the right to withdraw from the study at any point without penalty.
4. **Research with vulnerable populations**: If cashiers in a bank are considered a vulnerable population (due to their job status or financial reliance on employment), extra care must be taken to ensure their rights and welfare are protected.
5. **Anonymity and Confidentiality**: While these principles may not be directly violated in the described scenario, they are crucial ethical considerations in all research that involves collecting personal data from participants.
6. **Deception**: There may be an implication of deception if participants are not fully informed about their rights, particularly about participation discontinuance. If the researcher misrepresents the nature of participation, it could also affect the ethical integrity of the research.
7. **Ethics in analysis and reporting**: The researcher's inability to maintain voluntary participation could lead to biased or unreliable data, raising ethical concerns about how the results would be analyzed and reported.
In summary, the most critical ethical guidelines that need to be addressed in this scenario are voluntary participation, informed consent, and discontinuance.