This week, you will complete two separate activities. The first part focuses on the ethics of conducting research with children and adolescents. You will need to review the APA and SRCD websites (see this week’s resources), then you will need to read the article “Ethical Considerations in Studies with Children” (link to article in this weeks’ resources).
After you have reviewed the websites and read the article, read the three research vignettes provided in the document entitled “Sample Research Vignettes” (see this week’s resources). You will then write a brief paper in which you offer your own evaluation of the ethics of the three kinds of research. Respond from two perspectives: 1) as a researcher relying on the APA Code of Ethics and the SRCD Ethical Standards to support your evaluation; 2) as a parent who is being asked to allowyour child to participate in the research.
Tip: Use APA-style headings to organize your paper. This helps you to ensure you have included all required elements and headings help to guide your reader.
Length: 2 - 3 pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful considerationof the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
The following research vignettes are adapted from: Thompson, R. A. (1990). Vulnerability in research: A developmental perspective on research risk. Child Development, 61, 1 – 16. Vignette #1: A 12 month-old infant and her mother are ushered into the research playroom by a smiling lab assistant. After a few minutes of instructions, the two are left alone for the beginning of a 21-min procedure designed to appraise the security of their attachment relationship. During the period, a female stranger enters the room on two occasions to play with the baby. The mother also leaves the room on two occasions – once leaving the baby in the company of the stranger, and a second time leaving the child alone. The baby’s behavior throughout the procedure is observed, especially the reactions to the stranger and the separations from and reunions with the mother. Vignette #2: A 9-year-old boy enters the empty school classroom with the researcher who had been introduced to him just moments before. After a few minutes of getting acquainted, the researcher tells the boy that she is interested in his speed at completing jigsaw puzzles and gives him a puzzle to complete. He does so quickly, and receives her admiration and praise in return. She then gives him four more puzzles, and for each one he is surprised to find that he is unable to finish it in the time provided. The researcher then asks him some questions about how he evaluates his abilities and efforts in completing puzzles, in finishing school work, and in other areas of achievement. Before he leaves, she notes that the four puzzles were designed to be difficult to solve, so he should not feel badly about his performance. Vignette #3: A 13-year-old girl is observed from behind one-way windows while she plays with the young baby who had been presented to her when she arrived at the laboratory. After this 30-min observational session, she is then escorted to an adjoining room where she completes several questionnaires concerning her personality, background, interests, and other characteristics. Among these questionnaires is one in which she is asked to indicate the development of her secondary sexual characteristics by marking which of a series of photographs is most similar to her own breast size, pubic hair growth, and other physical features.