Location of origin could be directly related to behavioral/medical disorders or could be indirectly related. It is hard to know without reading the specific research.
Also, both the NY Times article and the press release state that part of the problem was with the findings published and their clashing with the tribe's beliefs. I'm not an cultural anthropologist but I think it is not uncommon in ethnographic studies to discuss findings (before they are released) with the community/participants from which the data were collected. I'm not sure if that happens in psychology. Marie **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 Office hours: Mon & Wed 2-3:30 http://users.dickinson.edu/~helwegm/index.html **************************************************** -----Original Message----- From: Tollefsrud, Linda [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 12:46 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] On the Limits of Research: What Can One Do With DNA? I don't see this as a question of "publish the results only if the participants agree with them" -- to my reading, it appears that the potential participants were not duly informed of the purposes of the study and, thus, could not have given informed consent. I fail to see how analyzing DNA for likely country of origin is reasonably construed as a "behavioral/medical disorder." Linda Tollefsrud Professor of Psychology University of Wisconsin - Barron County 1800 College Drive Rice Lake, WI 54868 (715) 234-8176 [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Helweg-Larsen, Marie [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 11:27 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] On the Limits of Research: What Can One Do With DNA? I just assigned this article to my senior seminar (we are covering ethics next week). I was particularly interested in the restitution that the university has decided to pay ($700,000 to 41 members of the tribe). I imagine that "wrong was done" but it does not appear (from the brief description in the article) that any actual ethics rules were violated. Informed consent was given to "study the causes of behavioral/medical disorders" although it sounds like the verbal descriptions of the purpose focused on diabetes. Also the tribe felt hurt/upset by some of the findings such as the fact that there was a high degree of inbreeding and the origin of the tribe's ancestors (which conflicted with traditional origin stories). I'm fascinated by how a researcher would handle such a situation. Agree up front to only publish the results if the participants agree with them? Marie PS. Here is the press release from Arizona Board of Regents http://www.abor.asu.edu/1_the_regents/news_releases/Havasupai-ABOR-Resolve-Lawsuit.html which says among other things: "According to the Havasupai, without their consent or knowledge, the samples also were used in DNA studies that conflicted with Havasupai cultural beliefs, identity and privacy." **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 Office hours: Mon & Wed 2-3:30 http://users.dickinson.edu/~helwegm/index.html **************************************************** -----Original Message----- From: Mike Palij [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 10:15 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Cc: Mike Palij Subject: [tips] On the Limits of Research: What Can One Do With DNA? Importance: Low An article appeared in the Wednesday NY Times that focuses on genetic research involving DNA from a relatively isolated American Indian tribe. Though the DNA was originally obtained to determine if it had a defect that caused Type 2 diabetes, it was also analyzed for other illnesses as well as identifying when this group may have entered North America. When informed of this additional research the Indian group was surprised and angered and brought suit against Arizona State University for using their DNA without their permission in these additional studies (the finding that they were descended from others who crossed over from Asia to North America also contradicted the group's own narrative about their creation in their local area). The situation seems a bit complex to me and I don't think all of the details are available (at least here) but this situation may have implications for how research might be conducted. Perhaps an analogy for psychological research is when participants in an experiment learn that their data was somehow pathological (e.g., extreme RT, extreme errors, results consistent with ADHD or similar situations), can the participant claim damages if they think they have been wronged in some way? The article is available here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/us/22dna.html?pagewanted=all -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13234.b0e864a6eccfc779c8119f5a4468797f&n=T&l=tips&o=2176 or send a blank email to leave-2176-13234.b0e864a6eccfc779c8119f5a44687...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. 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