NCJ Number
56816
Journal
CLINICAL RESEARCH Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: (1979) Pages: 19-22
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
THE MAJOR ETHICAL PROBLEM IN RESEARCH CONCERNING HUMAN SUBJECTS IS TO TREAT HUMAN SUBJECTS AS ENDS AND NOT MERE MEANS.
Abstract
THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE MORAL ARGUMENT THAT IS THE BASIS OF PROVIDING HUMANE TREATMENT FOR TEST SUBJECTS. IT THEN GOES ON TO DESCRIBE A RESEARCH PROJECT CONCERNING A COMMUNITY PROBLEM - THE USE OF FORCE BY POLICE - TO ILLUSTRATE HOW RESEARCH CAN REFLECT THE INTEREST OF BOTH EXPERIMENTER AND PARTICIPANT. INFORMED CONSENT IS THE CONVENTION ADOPTED TO ENSURE THAT RESEARCH IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE SUBJECT'S OWN INTEREST. TO TREAT PERSONS AS ENDS, 'REASONABLE CONSENT' SHOULD BE SOUGHT. CONSENT IS SEEN AS REASONABLE IF THE PERSON IS FULLY INFORMED AND UNCOERCED. IT IS STATED THAT A RESEARCH PROGRAM THAT WORKS OPENLY WITH INFORMATION AND THAT RELIES ON PARTICIPANT COOPERATION IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE MORE SATISFACTORY RESULTS. THE RESEARCH PROJECT DESCRIBED BEGAN WHEN THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR OF CHAMPAIGN, ILL. WAS ASKED TO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS AGAINST POLICE BY BLACK COMMUNITY MEMBERS. TO REDUCE ANTAGONISM IN THE POLICE FORCE, THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO BE OPEN WITH ITS INFORMATION, AND DEPENDENT ON THE COOPERATION OF POLICE OFFICERS. BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND THE POLICE WERE PARTICIPANTS RATHER THAN ADVERSARIES. THE PROJECT AIMED AT BEING A NONPUNITIVE GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING EFFORT. PROJECT RESULTS SHOWED THAT REASONABLE CONSENT CAN BE ASSURED BY STRUCTURING RESEARCH PROJECTS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE RESEARCHERS ARE OPEN WITH THEIR INFORMATION AND RESPONSIVE TO PARTICIPANTS' DESIRES. (MJW)