The Belmont Report Expert Category: Respect for Persons Collaboration Level: 0

CSCI 3715: Human-Computer Interaction Instructor: Prof. Harmon

Learning Objective • Analyze and discuss the ethical use of human participants in a given scenario by applying the core principles of the Belmont Report (respect for persons, beneﬁcence, and justice).

Respect for Persons

When people are empowered to make decisions concerning their own actions and well-being, they possess autonomy. The respect for persons principle requires that researchers ensure that participants are treated as autonomous agents, and persons with diminished autonomy (i.e., those who may not be capable of making choices that are in their best interest) are protected. The following is thus required: • Individuals must always be given the choice whether to participate in research. Further, they must have suﬃcient information and possess the mental competence to make that choice. • Special care must be taken to protect those with diminished decision-making capacity (e.g., children, prisoners, or elderly persons). • Individuals must be free to choose to participate in research, and must not feel coerced to do so. • Individuals must be free to end their participation for any reason, without consequences. • Researchers must disclose all information needed for participants to make an informed decision. • Researchers must ensure participants understand what has been disclosed. • Researchers must be truthful. Protocols that include deception require extensive review by the IRB to ensure participants are respected and informed. Often, respect for persons is documented by way of an informed consent document. In this document, the researcher discloses the purpose of the research, a description of what the subject will be asked to do, the expected duration of the study, and any foreseeable risks of harm. The form should also indicate that the study is voluntary and subjects are free to withdraw at any time.

Discussion Questions

1. Chloe is building a speech therapy app to help young children who have received cleft palate surgery, and wants to collect demographic data. How could Chloe make sure she abides by the respect for persons principle? 2. The Belmont Report states that (1) participants be given suﬃcient information, (2) all information be presented in an understandable manner, and (3) consent must be voluntary. Which of these do you think are the most complex or diﬃcult for researchers to ensure, and why?