[tips] RE: what would you do...

[Marie Helweg-Larsen]

Asking a psychologist 5 questions is very unlikely to meet any school's definition of "research". Although individual schools can have more stringent standards that then federal guidelines, the federal guidelines (as I understand them) would not require IRB approval (perhaps Carol was just kidding). What would I do? I would answer the 5 questions. Why: because I have had projects in the past asking students to contact a psychologist to ask him/her similar questions. Seems only fair to return the favor. Marie Rick Froman wrote: Ask for the name and e-mail address of the prof to follow up about the IRB situation at that school with regard to student research projects.   Rick   Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor of Psychology John Brown University 2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR  72761 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (479) 524-7295 http://www.jbu.edu/academics/hss/faculty/rfroman.asp "Pete, it's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart." - Ulysses Everett McGill From: DeVolder Carol L [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 12:04 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] what would you do...   Dear TIPSters, This morning, I received the following e-mail:   Greetings! My name is ___.  I am an undergraduate student majoring in psychology. I have a project that requires me to interview an experimental psychologist. I was browsing through the net and came across your profile and thought of writing to you. I won't be wasting much of your time, but I would be greatly obliged if you can kindly answer these five questions, as an experimental psychologist. How did you get started in psychology? Who was your most important mentor during the early part of your psychology career, and why? What are the current major trends in experimental research in psychology, and what should we look forward to learning more about in the coming decade? What two or three items are absolutely essential for every undergraduate student in psychology to know about experimental methods? What are the job opportunities available for a student looking forward to pursue his/her career in experimental or statistical psychology? Thank you heaps! _____ .       I'm not all that suspicious, and tend to be somewhat naiive, but I'm developing a cynical streak, so I answered with this:   Hello, I would like to answer your questions, but cannot do so until you identify the institution you're affiliated with and whether you have IRB approval for your study. I'm sure you understand. Carol DeVolder     The response I got was this:   Hello, I'm studying in University of _____ University College. My professor is okay with students interviewing an experimental psychologists through email. Please do reply. Thank you!   I've left out the identifying names, but I'm now perplexed. I'm kind of a stickler for IRB approval, but wondering if my cynical streak is getting too big. Any comments?   Carol     Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa  52803 phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (By the way, I'm still planning on compiling the responses I got when I posted my plea for help under the subject line "My brain is fried..."  Things just haven't slowed enough for me to do it yet, and once I thanked you all for replying but encouraged more replies, responses dropped off dramatically. But thanks again for coming through.)   --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english -- ********************************************* Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 Webpage: www.dickinson.edu/~helwegm ********************************************* --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english