TY - JOUR
T1 - Compliance Disengagement in Research
T2 - Development and Validation of a New Measure
AU - DuBois, James M.
AU - Chibnall, John T.
AU - Gibbs, John
N1 - Funding Information:
This paper describes the rationale for developing a measure of compliance disengagement in research (the How I Think about Research measure), the process of developing the measure, and a study involving 300 researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test the validity of the new measure.
Funding Information:
The adaptation of the HIT into the HIT-Res was made possible with CTSA supplement funding from NIH to establish the Restoring Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program (UL1 RR024992-05S2). The validation of the HIT-Res in this study was supported by the US Office of Research Integrity (6 ORIIR130002-01-01). We thank Kari Baldwin for support in recruitment of participants. The How I Think (HIT) questionnaire is owned by Research Press (Champaign, IL). The Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program (St. Louis, MO) purchased from Research Press the right to adapt the HIT into the HIT-Res and holds copyright of the HIT-Res. Permission to use the HIT-Res can be obtained by writing to integrityprogram@wustl.edu.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, The Author(s).
PY - 2016/8/1
Y1 - 2016/8/1
N2 - In the world of research, compliance with research regulations is not the same as ethics, but it is closely related. One could say that compliance is how most societies with advanced research programs operationalize many ethical obligations. This paper reports on the development of the How I Think about Research (HIT-Res) questionnaire, which is an adaptation of the How I Think (HIT) questionnaire that examines the use of cognitive distortions to justify antisocial behaviors. Such an adaptation was justified based on a review of the literature on mechanisms of moral disengagement and self-serving biases, which are used by individuals with normal personalities in a variety of contexts, including research. The HIT-Res adapts all items to refer to matters of research compliance and integrity rather than antisocial behaviors. The HIT-Res was administered as part of a battery of tests to 300 researchers and trainees funded by the US National Institutes of Health. The HIT-Res demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .92). Construct validity was established by the correlation of the HIT-Res with measures of moral disengagement (r = .75), cynicism (r = .51), and professional decision-making in research (r = −.36). The HIT-Res will enrich the set of assessment tools available to instructors in the responsible conduct of research and to researchers who seek to understand the factors that influence research integrity.
AB - In the world of research, compliance with research regulations is not the same as ethics, but it is closely related. One could say that compliance is how most societies with advanced research programs operationalize many ethical obligations. This paper reports on the development of the How I Think about Research (HIT-Res) questionnaire, which is an adaptation of the How I Think (HIT) questionnaire that examines the use of cognitive distortions to justify antisocial behaviors. Such an adaptation was justified based on a review of the literature on mechanisms of moral disengagement and self-serving biases, which are used by individuals with normal personalities in a variety of contexts, including research. The HIT-Res adapts all items to refer to matters of research compliance and integrity rather than antisocial behaviors. The HIT-Res was administered as part of a battery of tests to 300 researchers and trainees funded by the US National Institutes of Health. The HIT-Res demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .92). Construct validity was established by the correlation of the HIT-Res with measures of moral disengagement (r = .75), cynicism (r = .51), and professional decision-making in research (r = −.36). The HIT-Res will enrich the set of assessment tools available to instructors in the responsible conduct of research and to researchers who seek to understand the factors that influence research integrity.
KW - Ethical decision-making
KW - How I Think Questionnaire
KW - Moral disengagement
KW - Research compliance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84983801354&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11948-015-9681-x
DO - 10.1007/s11948-015-9681-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 26174934
AN - SCOPUS:84983801354
VL - 22
SP - 965
EP - 988
JO - Science and Engineering Ethics
JF - Science and Engineering Ethics
SN - 1353-3452
IS - 4
ER -