Ethical Research Practices & Compliance Flashcards

A research supplier sub-contracts fieldwork to another firm. Who bears primary ethical and legal responsibility for the research?

Answer: The primary research supplier who contracted the sub-contractor

The primary supplier retains responsibility for ensuring sub-contractors comply with ethical standards and the agreed-upon protocol.

What is 'respondent fatigue' and why is it an ethical concern in survey research?

Answer: Declining quality of responses due to survey length, leading to invalid data and burden on participants

Respondent fatigue causes careless answers that undermine data validity while also burdening participants unnecessarily.

Under the MRA Code of Marketing Research Standards, what is required when a researcher identifies a participant from a prior study for re-contact?

Answer: Prior consent for re-contact must have been obtained, or new consent must be secured

Participants must have previously consented to being re-contacted, or the researcher must obtain fresh consent before reaching out again.

A researcher analyzing scraped social media data argues no consent is needed because the posts were public. What ethical framework challenges this view?

Answer: Contextual integrity theory — data shared in one context isn't automatically appropriate for research

Contextual integrity holds that information flows appropriately only when they match the norms of the context in which data was originally shared.

Which action is required when an IRB-approved study protocol needs a significant modification mid-study?

Answer: Submit an amendment to the IRB and await approval before implementing the change

Significant protocol modifications require prior IRB amendment approval to ensure continued protection of participants.

What distinguishes 'anonymity' from 'confidentiality' in research ethics?

Answer: Anonymity means the researcher cannot link data to individuals; confidentiality means the researcher knows identities but protects them

In anonymous research, no one including the researcher can identify participants; in confidential research, identities are known but protected from disclosure.

When a client asks a researcher to conduct 'mystery shopping' at competitor locations, what ethical disclosure is required for the employees being observed?

Answer: Employees need not be informed during the visit, but the study must comply with applicable privacy laws and employer notification norms

Mystery shopping of employees typically does not require advance disclosure to individuals, but must comply with labor laws, privacy regulations, and industry ethical guidelines.