In keeping with its mission to facilitate the conduct of and training in scientifically and ethically responsible research involving humans, in 2016 the committee on Human Research (CHR) focused its efforts on education, outreach, and regulatory issues.
The committee revisited discussions regarding the rapidly expanding practice of data sharing within the scientific community. Given the numerous ethical and pragmatic implications associated with the implementation of data sharing plans, CHR has begun planning a Data Sharing Workshop for 2017 to help educate investigators within psychological and behavioral sciences. The workshop, directed by CHR member Cinnamon Bloss (UCSD), will focus on the practical components of sharing research data, and will be geared towards established researchers, early career psychological scientists, as well as graduate students.
On Sept. 8, 2015, the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to amend the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46, Subpart A), also known as the Common Rule, was published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NPRM was a major focus of discussion at the 2015 CHR fall meeting, which contributed substantive input for an official response. The APA submitted comments on the NPRM to the HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), and CHR continued to monitor progress of the rulemaking to be in position to respond if necessary and/or inform APA membership and staff of any relevant changes to federal regulations.
The committee discussed research ethics implications related to research with mature minors, particularly those with sensitive health issues (e.g., HIV/AIDS), those who belong to stigmatized groups (e.g., adolescents who have sex with men, AMSM), or those who engage in risky health behaviors (e.g., substance abuse). The committee expressed concerns about potential regulatory barriers to effective research on these at‐risk groups, primarily due to inflexible regulatory requirements for parental permission for minors to participate in research. As a first step in tackling this issue, CHR began drafting an APA resolution that affirms the importance of research on health and other risky behaviors with mature minors and the need for judicious regulation of such research.
The committee reviewed the call for comments on proposed language to amend Standard 3.04 of the APA Ethics Code. After extensive discussion, CHR determined that the standard did not merit revision, because the committee believed that the current standard, which addresses psychologists’ responsibility to avoid harming individuals, is written in a way that subsumes torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment. The committee expressed concern that the proposed language may exclude not only torture but also the use of ethical and humane interrogation methods that can yield valid information or research that could identify such methods. CHR recommended that the APA Ethics Committee (EC) seek expert opinion on interrogation, to assist in developing language for the proposed revision.
CHR generated a list of potential initiatives for the committee and began to prioritize them. The short list includes:
Janine Jennings, John Gibbs, Barton Palmer, Michael Ross and Timothy Trull continued to serve on the committee during 2016 and were joined by Cinnamon Bloss and Mary Cwik. Palmer and Ross rotated off the committee at the end of 2016, and were replaced by Emil Chiauzzi and B.R. Simon Rosser in 2017. In addition, member Timothy Trull resigned from the committee at the end of 2016, and the Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) appointed outgoing member Barton Palmer to complete Trull’s term on CHR. The committee elected Janine Jennings to serve as chair in 2017.