In cross-cultural studies, researchers must meet the research ethics requirements to ensure the validity of their research. Professor Plum's research on cross-cultural attitudes towards various foods will involve human subjects. He, therefore, needs to consider potential ethical issues that may arise in the course of his study. The most crucial element that he should consider is the impact of his research on human subject protection.
Impact on Human Subject Protection
In recent years, several incidences of ethical violations in studies involving human subjects in and outside the United States have increased. As a result, the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) across the United States and elsewhere in the world regulate studies involving human subjects (Mulder, Logsdon, & Barley, 1996). The boards ensure that the research is conducted in a manner that will not violate the rights of individuals. Also, research on human subjects may target a vulnerable group such as refugees. Researchers should be sensitive to the issues affecting such individuals. For instance, survivors of a war or a natural disaster such as an earthquake may be traumatized, and the researchers should be sensitive to their condition (Sirikantraporn, Rich, & Jafari, 2017). Professor Plum has a moral obligation to uphold ethical standards that will ensure that the subjects of his investigation are protected and their rights secured.
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Ethical Issues Associated with Human Subject Protection
There are several ethical issues that Professor Plum ought to address to ensure the protection of the research participants.
First, he must ensure that he obtains informed consent from all participants in the study. All the dimensions of the study, including the potential risks and benefits, should be explained to the participants. This will ensure they make an informed decision to participate in the research (Fakruddin, Mannan, et al. 2013). The informed consent can be acquired through a written description of the research requirements which is then signed by individual participants. It would, therefore, be essential for Professor Plum to obtain informed consent from all the subjects through the relevant bodies in country X.
The second ethical issue that he should address is to ensure respect for the privacy of the participants. The cultural beliefs, values, and attitudes of individuals may vary across cultures. A researcher should, therefore, respect every subject's values, beliefs, and opinions. Sharing private information of an individual with others without their approval would be invading their privacy (Fakruddin, Mannan, et al. 2013). It, therefore, would be unethical for Professor Plum to share individualized information on the subjects with other people. In the event he requires to share such information, he should discuss the issue with the subject to obtain informed consent.
References
Fakruddin, M., Mannan, K. S. B., Chowdhury, A., Mazumdar, R. M., Hossain, M. N., & Afroz, H. (2013). Research involving Human Subjects-Ethical Perspective. Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics , 4 (2), 41-48.
Mulder, M. B., Logsdon, W., & Barley, N. (Eds.). (1996). I've been gone far too long: field study fiascoes and expedition disasters . RDR Books.
Sirikantraporn, S. J., Rich, G. J., & Jafari, N. (2017). The Concept of Posttraumatic Growth in a Cambodian Sample. Human Strengths and Resilience: Developmental, Cross-Cultural, and International Perspectives , 39.
