CRP Ethics & Professional Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher conducting online surveys notices some respondents are completing surveys in unusually short times. The ethical response is to:
- Accept all responses to maintain sample size targets
- Flag and investigate these responses, removing confirmed speeders from analysis (Correct answer)
- Apply a statistical weight to compensate for low-quality responses
- Report the issue only if it affects more than 10% of responses
Correct answer: Flag and investigate these responses, removing confirmed speeders from analysis
Data quality obligations require researchers to identify and exclude responses from respondents who did not engage meaningfully with the survey.
Question 2: What does 'informed consent' specifically require researchers to communicate to participants?
- Only the expected duration of the study
- The purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and the voluntary nature of participation (Correct answer)
- The name of the client sponsoring the research
- The statistical methods that will be used to analyze data
Correct answer: The purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and the voluntary nature of participation
Informed consent must cover purpose, procedures, foreseeable risks and benefits, and confirmation that participation is voluntary.
Question 3: A CRP realizes their sampling method has introduced significant bias that was not present in the study design. What should they do?
- Proceed and note the limitation briefly in a footnote
- Disclose the bias prominently in the methodology section and assess its impact on findings (Correct answer)
- Restart data collection entirely without informing the client of the issue
- Apply a correction factor and publish without disclosing the original bias
Correct answer: Disclose the bias prominently in the methodology section and assess its impact on findings
Transparency requires clearly disclosing methodological limitations and their potential impact on findings so readers can properly interpret results.
Question 4: Under what condition is it ethically permissible to conduct research with children under 13?
- When the topic is educational and no sensitive questions are asked
- Only with verifiable parental or guardian consent and age-appropriate procedures (Correct answer)
- When an IRB waives the consent requirement due to minimal risk
- Whenever the research is conducted in a school setting with teacher supervision
Correct answer: Only with verifiable parental or guardian consent and age-appropriate procedures
Research with minors under 13 requires verifiable parental/guardian consent and must use procedures appropriate to the child's age and comprehension.
Question 5: A research agency simultaneously conducts studies for two directly competing clients in the same product category. This situation requires:
- No special action, as each project is handled by separate teams
- Disclosure to both clients and implementation of information barriers between project teams (Correct answer)
- Withdrawal from one project without explanation to protect confidentiality
- Merging the projects to improve efficiency
Correct answer: Disclosure to both clients and implementation of information barriers between project teams
Competing client conflicts require disclosure and strict information barriers (Chinese walls) to protect each client's proprietary information.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT considered an acceptable form of respondent incentive?
- A modest gift card proportionate to study length
- A lottery entry for completing a survey
- Conditional payment tied to giving specific answers (Correct answer)
- Donation to a charity of the respondent's choice
Correct answer: Conditional payment tied to giving specific answers
Incentives tied to the content of responses rather than mere participation corrupt data quality and undermine voluntary participation standards.
Question 7: A research professional is asked to testify as an expert witness using findings from a client-sponsored study. They must first:
- Obtain client approval before any testimony
- Disclose the sponsorship and any potential conflicts of interest to the court (Correct answer)
- Refuse to testify because researcher-client relationships are always confidential
- Submit the full data set to the court for independent verification
Correct answer: Disclose the sponsorship and any potential conflicts of interest to the court
Expert witnesses must disclose study sponsorship and potential conflicts of interest so the court can properly assess the testimony's objectivity.
CRP Ethics & Professional Conduct 3
A researcher conducting online surveys notices some respondents are completing surveys in unusually short times.
The ethical response is to: