14 - The Ethical Use of Published Scales

Summary

It often seems that trouble finds me when I am not paying attention. Like many faculty, I am often asked to chair a wide variety of undergraduate theses – often on topics in which I have very little expertise. Several years ago, a bright student wanted to explore the variables that influence assimilation in a group of immigrants that had been largely ignored by psychologists, probably because the group is not large. She did a terrific job getting a subject pool together, especially given that it meant ferreting out participants from around the country. In her first study, she used a scale that was widely used and appeared in many publications; its popularity was probably because the scale had reasonable psychometric properties and there were few alternatives beside writing one’s own scale and then testing its properties – which can be a study in its own right. Encouraged by success in her first study, the undergraduate conducted a follow-up study, this time modifying the scale slightly so that it was more directly related to the specific life experiences of this understudied group. I believed that although the results were not groundbreaking, they would be interesting to scholars in assimilation and cross-cultural adaptation and would extend the psychological knowledge about this small group.

The outstanding student researcher was a senior at the time and wanted to apply to selective graduate programs. Thus, it was important for her personal success that she publish her study. As most readers probably know, graduate admissions committees value publications because they provide evidence that the student applicant can conduct solid research. Of course, the student was first author because it was her idea, and she did all of the real work. I commented on various drafts and made sure that the study conformed to all of the usual ethical requirements of psychological research, including approval from the Institutional Review Board and informed consent from participants.