DISCUSSION: ETHICAL STANDARDS IN DATA AND PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

The student will complete 2 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 300 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 150 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned Module: Week. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in current APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the Discussion video; other scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or book chapters; the textbook; and the Bible.

PRELIMINARY READING
So far you have studied ethical issues in the display of data, but the discipline of statistics is governed by ethical guidelines that cover other areas including data analysis, interpretation, and reporting. Under the Learn section read the following sources concerning ethics in working with data and statistics:

1. Read: Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice
The ASA’s Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice. Required sections: “Purpose” and Sections A, C, E, F, and G. These sections are lettered in the “PDF download” indicated at the top of the page.
Reference: American Statistical Association. (2018). Ethical guidelines for statistical practice. https://www.amstat.org/ASA/Your-Career/Ethical-Guidelines-for-Statistical-Practice.aspx

2. Read: Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
The APA’s Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Required sections: Standard 5.01 and Standards 8.10 through 8.15 only.
Reference: American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index

SCENARIO
Imagine you are working on a research paper with a partner. The two of you have been studying the effect of two types of therapy on combat-related PTSD symptoms, and your research hypothesis is that one treatment will be superior to the other. You have collected the data and are finished analyzing the numbers, and the results show that the treatments are not significantly different from one another in their effects. Though you are both disappointed, you yourself accept the results and are ready to start writing them up, when your research partner suggests going back and making some “small changes” to the data in order to try to make the preferred treatment look more successful. You have reviewed the ethical standards listed above and understand the expectation of integrity involved in research. After hearing your partner’s proposal, you decide to write him/her a letter in response. Consider the following scenario: you and a partner are working on a research article. The two of you have been doing research into the effects of two different types of therapy on combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, with the expectation that one treatment will be superior to the other. You have completed the data collection and statistical analysis, and the results indicate that the treatments are not statistically substantially different from one another in terms of their impact on the participants. Despite the fact that you and your research partner are both dissatisfied, you accept the results and are ready to begin writing them up when your research colleague proposes that you go back and make some “minor modifications” to the data in order to make the favored treatment appear more effective. You have examined the ethical criteria given above and are aware of the high level of integrity that is expected of participants in research. After hearing your partner’s proposal, you decide to send him/her a letter in return to express your feelings.

THREAD PROMPT
Write a professional letter to your partner responding to his/her suggestion to manipulate data.
1. Include supporting information from the 2 required sources listed in the reading (required), and any additional sources (optional). You may want to include the possible consequences of data manipulation in this particular field of study (PTSD).
2. Find and include a passage of Scripture relating to integrity, honesty, or another related concept, and explain why it applies in the context of this situation and how it affects your response (required).