Key Idea: Responsibility runs from the first consent form to the last sentence of the report. It covers participants, animals, and every group the findings describe.
People in a study
- Consent before, and the right to stop
- No harm; mild deception only if needed
- Debrief and anonymity after
Animals
- They cannot consent
- The 3Rs: replace, reduce, refine
- Benefit weighed against suffering
After the study
- Report honestly, with the limits
- No labels from an average
- Think ahead about misuse
The words to know
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Informed consent | Agreeing to take part, knowing what it involves |
| Right to withdraw | Being free to stop, and to take your data out |
| Deception | Misleading people about the aim, or leaving part of it out |
| Debrief | Explaining the real aim and answering questions at the end |
| Anonymity | Nobody can be identified from the data or the report |
| Cost-benefit analysis | Weighing what a study could teach against the harm it causes |
| The 3Rs | Replace, Reduce, Refine: the rules for animal research |
| Ethics committee | A group that must approve a study before it begins |
| Social responsibility | The duty to report findings honestly and think about how they are used |
| Socially sensitive research | Research whose findings could harm the group it is about |
Who could be harmed: the participants, the animals, or the people the findings reach? What protected them?
Exam-style question
Your class practical was a quasi-experiment. Your class compared how quickly boys and girls in Year 11 solved a spatial puzzle. Thirty students took part. On average the boys were faster by four seconds, and the times of the two groups overlapped a great deal. Explain the concept of responsibility in relation to the quasi-experiment in your class practical.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: Listing consent, the 3Rs or honest reporting shows that you know them. Saying what each one meant in this study shows that you can use them.
Tap each card to check yourself.
How can anonymity both help and limit a study? It makes honest answers more likely, but nobody can be followed up or checked.
How can the right to withdraw affect the results? Those who drop out may differ from those who stay, so the sample is no longer representative.
Which of the 3Rs is met by using a computer model? Replace.
What must a cost-benefit analysis for animal research weigh? The likely benefit and quality of the research against the suffering caused.
Why does a small average difference need careful reporting? It can be read as true of every member of a group, which creates a stereotype.
When is advocacy responsible? When the evidence is strong, and its limits are stated.
Exam tips
- Say who is protected: participants, animals, or the people the findings reach.
- For each rule you name, say what was done in this study.
- Say what the rule did to the data, for example who dropped out.
- Treat the report as part of responsibility, not only the testing.