I've been following this discussion with some interest. Not all IRBs are wise in their recommendations of improvements in methodology. Years ago, our IRB was run entirely within the psychology department. One might imagine that this would produce good advice on methodology, but that was never my experience. Instead, what I got was high-handed opinions from senior faculty who had the idea that if you were not studying variables that were of direct interest to them, the experiment was flawed.
I caved to their demands on two different research projects because I wouldn't get approval if I didn't add the variables and additional measures they demanded or restructure the methodology as requested. In both cases, the project was seriously undermined by their actions. In one case, the damage was so bad that the data were unusable. In this case, the committee demanded that a class assignment (ordinarily a required assignment for the course) be made strictly voluntary because I was also using the work to collect data on learning for an article. So guess what - two thirds of the class decided not to do the assignment and the sample was trashed. Plus the class was undermined because an assignment became optional. In the second case, including additional variables and measures doubled the data collection time for each participant, making recruitment more difficult (and the data related to the new measures produced no findings of interest). University committees can also go on methodological power trips, but my experience has been that they are less likely to engage in this behavior. Yes, I've heard the argument that it isn't ethical to waste participant's time with a poorly-designed study. But doesn't the IRB have an obligation to not destroy a faculty member's research program with the personal agendas of its members? As with all ethical dilemmas, the competing interests can be complex and multiple perspectives should be considered. Well, that felt good to vent a bit . . . now back to work! Claudia Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Associate Professor, Psychology University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Phone: (850) 857-6355 or 473-7435 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- ---
