Scenario

Freya is a BCBA who is interested in studying functional communication training in preschool-aged children. She wants to work with a group of individuals diagnosed with autism between the ages of 3 and 5. She lives near a clinic where her nephew goes with an early intervention program and is eager to see if this clinic will allow her to work with these kids. She starts by meeting with the director and asking if she can have permission to come in and observe. The director says yes as long as she signs a non-disclosure agreement that is HIPPA compliant, protecting the clients' privacy. She is thrilled about this opportunity.

She begins interacting with the children and gathering information about how they are communicating. This information will serve as a baseline for her study. She figures, if she can get a head start, this will move up her timeline.

Discuss the ethical dilemma here in regards to a behavior analysts' responsibility in research. What should Freya do before she works with these clients? What other ethical dilemmas is she faced with? Describe the Codes listed below. to consider regarding this situation.

6.01 Conforming with Laws and Regulations in Research(see 1.02)

Behavior analysts plan and conduct research in a manner consistent with all applicable laws and regulations, as well as requirements by organizations and institutions governing research activity.

6.02 Research Review (see 1.02, 1.04, 3.01)

Behavior analysts conduct research, whether independent of or in the context of service delivery, only after approval by a formal research review committee.

6.03 Research in Service Delivery(see 1.02, 1.04, 2.01, 3.01)

Behavior analysts conducting research in the context of service delivery must arrange research activities such that client services and client welfare are prioritized. In these situations, behavior analysts must comply with all ethics requirements for both service delivery and research within the Code. When professional services are offered as an incentive for research participation, behavior analysts clarify the nature of the services, and any potential risks, obligations, and limitations for all parties.

6.04 Informed Consent in Research(see 1.04, 2.08, 2.11)

Behavior analysts are responsible for obtaining informed consent (and assent when relevant) from potential research participants under the conditions required by the research review committee. When behavior analysts become aware that data obtained from past or current clients, stakeholders, supervisees, and/or trainees during typical service delivery might be disseminated to the scientific community, they obtain informed consent for use of the data before dissemination, specify that services will not be impacted by providing or withholding consent, and make available the right to withdraw consent at any time without penalty.

6.05 Confidentiality in Research(see 2.03, 2.04, 2.05)

Behavior analysts prioritize the confidentiality of their research participants except under conditions where it may not be possible. They make appropriate efforts to prevent accidental or inadvertent sharing of confidential or identifying information while conducting research and in any dissemination activity related to the research (e.g., disguising or removing confidential or identifying information).

6.06 Competence in Conducting Research(see 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 3.01)

Behavior analysts only conduct research independently after they have successfully conducted research under a supervisor in a defined relationship (e.g., thesis, dissertation, mentored research project). Behavior analysts and their assistants are permitted to perform only those research activities for which they are appropriately trained and prepared. Before engaging in research activities for which a behavior analyst has not received training, they seek the appropriate training and become demonstrably competent or they collaborate with other professionals who have the required competence. Behavior analysts are responsible for the ethical conduct of all personnel assigned to the research project.

6.07 Conflict of Interest in Research and Publication(see 1.01, 1.11, 1.13)

When conducting research, behavior analysts identify, disclose, and address conflicts of interest (e.g., personal, financial, organization related, service related). They also identify, disclose, and address conflicts of interest in their publication and editorial activities.

6.08 Appropriate Credit(see 1.01, 1.11, 1.13)

Behavior analysts give appropriate credit (e.g., authorship, author-note acknowledgment) to research contributors in all dissemination activities. Authorship and other publication acknowledgments accurately reflect the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their professional status (e.g., professor, student).

6.09 Plagiarism(see 1.01)

Behavior analysts do not present portions or elements of another's work or data as their own. Behavior analysts only republish their previously published data or text when accompanied by proper disclosure.

6.10 Documentation and Data Retention in Research(see 2.03, 2.05, 3.11, 4.05)

Behavior analysts must be knowledgeable about and comply with all applicable standards (e.g., BACB rules, laws, research review committee requirements) for storing, transporting, retaining, and destroying physical and electronic documentation related to research. They retain identifying documentation and data for the longest required duration. Behavior analysts destroy physical documentation after making deidentified digital copies or summaries of data (e.g., reports and graphs) when permitted by relevant entities.

6.11 Accuracy and Use of Data(see 1.01, 2.17, 5.03)

Behavior analysts do not fabricate data or falsify results in their research, publications, and presentations. They plan and carry out their research and describe their procedures and findings to minimize the possibility that their research and results will be misleading or misinterpreted. If they discover errors in their published data they take steps to correct them by following publisher policy. Data from research projects are presented to the public and scientific community in their entirety whenever possible. When that is not possible, behavior analysts take caution and explain the exclusion of data (whether single data points, or partial or whole data sets) from presentations or manuscripts submitted for publication by providing a rationale and description of what was excluded.

Reference

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts.

https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ethics-Code-for-Behavior-Analysts-230119-a.pdf