Validation of Ethical Decision-Making Measures: Internal and External Validity

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Validation of Ethical Decision-Making Measures
Internal and External Validity

• Jason H. Hill
• University of Oklahoma
• Center for Applied Social Research

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Researchers

• Professors
• -Dr. Michael Mumford -Dr. Shane Connelly
• -Dr. Lynn Devenport -Dr. Ryan Brown
• Graduate Students
• -Stephen Murphy -Alison Antes
• -Ethan Waples

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Current Measures

• Integrity in scientific research is difficult to
  assess
• Responses to ethical dilemmas
• Complex
• Field Specific
• Personal Values vs. Professional Goals
• Research suggests that ethical decision-making
  measures are effective for assessing integrity

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Study Intent

• Validate Ethical Decision-Making Measure
• Substantive Frameworks
• Potential Causes of Ethical Decision-Making
• Exposure to Ethical Events
• Potential Outcomes of Ethical Decisions
• Reactions to Ethical Misconduct

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Methodology

• Sample
• 102 first year Ph.D. students
• Measures
• Ethical Decision-Making
• Individual Difference Measures
• Ethical Events
• 93 events across four EDM domains
• Rated frequency of events exposure
• Review Panel Task
• 8 incidents of misconduct

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Ethical Decision-Making

• Twelve scenarios
• Scenarios map directly to taxonomy
• Ethical issues people encounter
• Data Management
• Study Conduct
• Business Practices
• Professional Practices
• Multiple responses under each stem (2)
• Responses scored on ethicality
• Low (1) Moderate (2) High (3)

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• McNair is part of a team working on an
  NIMH-funded project tracking the effectiveness of
  her States mental health care program for the
  poor. The longitudinal study requires extensive
  interviews on a yearly basis of a large sample,
  and the team is running behind schedule. The
  project director wants to accelerate the pace,
  but McNair has several other pressing
  responsibilities and is afraid she may not be
  able to meet them all.

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• McNair knows that she will have to find some way
  to get all the interviews done on time or future
  funding for the project may be in jeopardy. She
  thinks up several different approaches she could
  take to get the interviews done on time. Choose
  the two best approaches from the following
• -Sample Responses
• Interview the individuals at their homes after
  work hours and on weekends
• Ask all participants to come in on one day and do
  a large-scale interview with everyone
• Ask the project director if she can train a
  second interviewer to help her

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Alternative Scoring

• Seven Decision-Making Strategies
• Recognize Circumstances
• Consideration of Others
• Deal with Emotions
• Analysis of Personal Motivations
• Anticipating Consequences
• Seeking Help
• Questioning Ones Judgment
• Extent to which response reflects decision-making
  strategies

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Alternative Scoring

• Seven Social Behavioral Dimensions
• Involvement of others
• Deception
• Avoidance of Personal Responsibility
• Active Involvement
• Retaliation
• Selfishness
• Closing Oneself to Opportunities for Future
  Action
• Extent to which response reflects social
  behaviors giving rise to each decision

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Analyses

• Correlations of Cognitive Decision-Making
  Strategies and Social Behavioral Dimensions with
  EDM
• Correlations of EDM measure with Individual
  Differences
• Correlations and Regressions of EDM measure with
  exposure to Events
• Correlations and Regressions of EDM with Review
  Panel Decisions

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Substantive Validity
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Correlations of Individual Differences Measures
with EDM
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Exposure to Unethical Events
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Outcomes of EDM
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Summary

• Present study provides validity evidence for our
  measure
• Cognitive Strategies and Social Psychological
  Dimensions
• Causes of Ethical Decision-Making relate as
  expected
• Individual Differences
• Exposure to Unethical Events
• Ethical Decision-Making relates to punitive
  attitudes of violators

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Implications

• EDM measure provides unique and effective
  approach to measure integrity
• Cognitive Decision-Making Strategies and Social
  Behaviors can account for ethical responding