I'm making a note here: Huge Success!

[sigerson]

I'm drafting up an IRB proposal this morning. (Along with goofing off, roasting char siu pork, and meeting with my advisor.) Because the results of an interview project for one of my classes might be relevant for my dissertation, if I want to use material from it then I need IRB approval ahead of time.

The IRB is the board that reviews all "human subject research," including everything from drug testing to interviews. With social sciences and stuff like my research, they want to be certain that "interviewing people about religion and fiction" isn't code for "re-enacting the Stanford prison experiments only this time I sell tickets." Or that my confidentiality procedures are more than "using the subject's name in Pig Latin." Or that I won't spend the whole interview asking questions like "Yes, but why do you suck so hard?"

The proposal is a formal document asking things like "Describe experimental procedures" and "State the expected risks and benefits to your subjects and society at large."

As you might expect, I'm getting a little silly. I've just had to rewrite my experimental procedure from "Step 1: Cut a hole in the box," for example, and it's all I can do not to list "cake" as one of the potential benefits. Delicious, moist cake. And grief counseling.

But here's me typing when there's (social) science to do!

I wonder if there's such a thing as a mad social scientist. Can I still scream at Those Fools from the Institute?

Comments

[firynze.livejournal.com]

There is absolutely such thing as a Mad Social Scientist. I consider myself one, in part because I don't cut holes in the box before proceeding to Step Two.

The one time I had to do an IRB proposal, I think I actually included "long-term therapy" as an expected risk to the subjects, and "heat death" as a risk to society at large. There's a reason they don't let me do experiments on animate things.

[lietya.livejournal.com]

"re-enacting the Stanford prison experiments only this time I sell tickets."

Hee!!

I can understand the temptation to get silly...

[2h2o.livejournal.com]

[sigerson.livejournal.com]

Curses! I forgot to download that the first time you posted it!

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Describe Experimental Procedures. Following each answer from the subject, interviewer will roll his/her eyes and mutter sotto voce into recorder: "Not another one . . ." Interviewer will also continually make asides into recorder a la Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks. This will be done regardless of context. In an effort to preserve neutrality, derisive laughter following interview will be restrained until subject is at least twenty feet away.

State the expected risks and benefits to your subjects and society at large. Risks: Disaffected citizenry, lack of self-esteem, spontaneous and percussive ejection of left kidney, limb loss, increase in pollutant factor. Benefits: Ponies, kittens, mime warfare, making those fools and their heirs bow down before me. Also see above regarding kidneys.

[laobscuridad.livejournal.com]

Sweet.