Members
- Chair: Janine Jennings
- James DuBois
- Cheryl King
- Barton Palmer
- Vivian Ota Wang
- Michael Ross
- Barbara Stanley
- Sangeeta Panicker, APA staff liaison
In keeping with its mission to facilitate the conduct of and training in scientifically and ethically responsible research involving humans, in 2014 the Committee on Human Research (CHR) focused its efforts on education, outreach, and regulatory issues.
Education and Outreach Initiatives
RCR Education Resources
The Committee discussed the development of resources on research ethics and the responsible conduct of research (RCR) specifically tailored to behavioral and psychological science. The Committee began identifying a list of potential educational resources that might assist instructors with developing a course on research ethics and/or RCR with the goal of outlining course topics, providing relevant annotated bibliographic resources for topics, producing learning objectives, creating benchmarks for achievement, and repackaging existing resources in a way that would be beneficial for the psychological science community. This work is ongoing and will be augmented by a “train-the-trainer” workshop scheduled for Spring 2015 in conjunction with CHR’s biannual meeting.Advocacy for Psychological Science
The Committee addressed the issue of obtaining social security numbers (SSNs) from all participants who are being paid for participating in studies, a practice that creates risks and causes logistical problems for participant recruitment. Members developed a fact sheet that was forwarded to the Science Government Relations Office to determine the best way to advocate for reconciling Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements for reporting income in the form of payment for participating in research from requirements for the protection of human research participants.Research Ethics Columns
CHR members contributed articles for a regular column in the APA Monitor on Psychology on research ethics. Topics that were addressed included research misconduct (by member Jim DuBois, January 2014), incidental findings (by Judy Illes, March 2014), online research (by Chair Janine Jennings, May 2014), team science (by member Barbara Stanley, July/August 2014), the Facebook study (by member Michael Ross, October 2014), and collaboration across cultures (by former member Thomas Eissenberg, December 2014). CHR members Jim DuBois, Janine Jennings, Cheryl King, Barton Palmer, Michael Ross, and Timothy Trull have agreed to contribute articles in 2015.
Data Sharing
The Committee revisited the Data Sharing Policy developed by the Publications and Communications Board (P&C) Replication and Data Sharing (RADS) Task Force. CHR discussed ethical and practical issues in sharing research data, identifying several critical areas that needed to be addressed. Chair Janine Jennings and member Michael Ross represented CHR on the BSA ad hoc committee on data sharing to outline a plan of action for APA. The Ad Hoc Committee drafted a new document, “Data Sharing Principles”, which was reviewed by members of CHR, and the final document will be completed in early 2015.
Policy & Regulations
NRC Report on Proposed Revisions to the Common Rule
The Committee discussed the National Research Council’s (NRC) report on the proposed revisions to the Common Rule for the protection of human subjects. The report, released in January 2014, is being promoted as representing the views of all the behavioral and social sciences. CHR members identified several topics of concern, including implementation of the new category for “excused” research and the definition of minimal risk. CHR will continue to monitor this issue so that APA can be prepared to effectively respond if these recommendations are taken into consideration by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) when revising the regulations.
Future plans and development of new initiatives
CHR generated a list of potential initiatives for the Committee and began to prioritize them. The short list includes:
- Response to OHRP Draft Guidance: The Committee discussed the OHRP draft guidance on disclosure of risks in comparative-effectiveness research (standard of care studies). Committee members expressed concerns that the guidance focuses on the content of the informed consent to subjects rather than ensuring that the risks are properly understood by subjects. Although the Committee chose not to provide commentary for an official response, CHR will consider the comments submitted by others and remain abreast of OHRP’s recommendations.
- Response to Draft NIH Policy: The Committee discussed the draft NIH policy on the use of a single IRB for multi-site research. Committee members expressed support for the policy, but emphasized the need to clarify how to implement the policy. Areas of concern included research personnel training, the role of the central IRB in addressing local issues, and how to operationalize relationships among universities. Committee member Cheryl King will draft a short response with the goal of submitting by mid-January.
- Digital Technologies in Psychological Research: The Committee will continue to pursue grant funding for a workshop on the ethical, legal/regulatory, and social issues pertaining to the use of digital technology in research. Drs. Jennings and Ross will work with staff on drafting the proposal.
Membership Changes
Janine Jennings, James DuBois, Cheryl King, Vivian Ota Wang and Barbara Stanley continued to serve on the Committee during 2014. Barton Palmer and Michael Ross joined the Committee in 2014. The Committee elected Janine Jennings to serve as Chair in 2015. Drs. Ota Wang and Stanley rotated off the Committee at the end of 2014, and were replaced by John Gibbs and Timothy Trull in 2014.