What Are the Potential Risks? (cont.)

What types of harm can arise from social and behavioral science research?

• Harms commensurate with daily life, requiring no special protection:
  • Mere inconvenience when a survey or other research interaction is administered at an inconvenient time or place or simply takes a long time to administer.
• Harms that have the potential for serious effects, which IRBs should examine:
  • Emotional or psychological harm, for example when a research interaction/intervention causes upset, or worry about breach of confidentiality.
  • Social harm due to stigma or other negative social outcomes of breach of confidentiality.
  • Physical harm if revelations about others get back to those persons, particularly when researchers study domestic violence, gang activity, political activity in a conflict zone, or other phenomena concerning violence-prone individuals.
  • Financial harm if revelations result in loss of employment or insurance coverage.
  • Legal harm when illegal activities are disclosed.
  • Moral harm when participation in research strengthens subjects' inclinations to behave unethically.