Monday, November 18, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Research: What it is and Three Fun Facts about It by Kayla Hutchinson, Rudy Mercado, Angelica Gutierrez, and Elizabeth Diane Cordero, Ph.D.
Research plays
a vital role in our world, but some of us don’t know what it is exactly or
maybe have some bad impressions of it. Research—proper, scientific research,
that is—is the careful, systematic collection and analysis of information.
Admittedly, this is a pretty broad definition of what research is, but there
are a lot of different ways that research is conducted and applied. It’s a good
idea to be knowledgeable about what scientific research is comprised of,
especially because we can help improve the lives of other people and the world
around us if we make ourselves available to participate in it.
We’re not
always aware of it, but we’re presented with statements about research findings
fairly often. For instance, television, radio, the internet, and billboards all
advertise products that claim to be effective, and the “evidence” for how
products work is usually reports made by consumers who have tried the products
and have benefited from them (for example,
9 out of 10 people who tried Miracle Product X lost an average of 15
lbs.!!). These can technically be
considered research findings in that the advertising agencies, or the companies
they represent, set out to collect information about how/if their products work
for people and to make sense of that information in some way (such as counting
the number of people for whom the product worked). However, the findings
described by advertisements are often based on information that was collected
using less-than-careful methods, or those who are making the statements are not
held very accountable for the truth behind them.
Scientific
research is quite different than the research that we hear about in advertisements.
It is based on empirical (observed) findings from data (information) collected
using the scientific method. This means that researchers learn from past
studies of the phenomena they are interested in (the phenomena of interest are
called “variables” because these are things that vary or change according to
different circumstances), create hypotheses (educated guesses) based on past
research about what circumstances will affect or be affected by their
variables, and systematically measure their variables (for a more in-depth
discussion of the scientific method, visit: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-method6.htm).
The scientific method makes sure that research is done in a controlled fashion
so that the results are as unbiased as possible and so other researchers can evaluate
the process the researchers used and whether or not something can be learned
from the results of the study. This last
part is one of the most important points of research—to be able to learn
something that can be used to help people or the world in some way.
There’s
a lot that can be said about research. Here are some of our favorite things
about it:
Research
is sometimes viewed as negative. You might have seen something in a movie in
which an evil scientist creates a sinister concoction that will turn human
beings into monsters. Or maybe you’ve heard in the media about some kind of
research that was done and that it harmed people or animals. Or maybe you have
a funny feeling that researchers are cold and consider the people who
participate in their studies their “guinea pigs.” In any event, people are
sometimes apprehensive about participation in research because of all of the misconceptions they have
been exposed to. And to be honest, there have been some immoral and unethical
things done under the guise of research in the past. When participation in research is discussed,
people sometimes focus on extreme cases or exaggerated, often inaccurate,
horror stories. However, government agencies and researchers
over the years have developed safety measures to protect participants from
harm. We have institutions that review, approve/disapprove of, and monitor what
researchers are doing. Additionally, research participants have rights
and these rights are protected throughout the research process. Most
researchers are required to provide you with a document that explains the purpose of the research and describes what
you will be asked to do so that you can provide informed consent to
participate. As a participant, you have a right to know about any consequences
or side effects that might be reasonably anticipated, how much time it will
take to participate, and most importantly that you can end your participation at any time without experiencing
penalties. Many people do not know that when participants want to stop their participation,
they can. Participants should never feel forced to continue something if they
do not want to. Also, information that you provide that has your name on it or
any other type of information that would identify you is required to be kept
private and guarded—this usually means locked up somehow, maybe in a filing
cabinet or in a password-protected database.
You
might be thinking at this point, “Well, what if I’m asked to take a new drug or
try out a new treatment? If it’s new, how can the researcher know it won’t hurt
me?” Sometimes researchers are testing
out novel medications or medical procedures. That’s a good thing because
there’s potential for interventions that are even better than the ones we have
now, but it means that there are some unknown risks involved. This can be
scary, but please know that there is some sort of history of reasoning or
evidence behind the safety of a medication or procedure by the time researchers
are allowed to administer it to human beings, such as data from animal subjects
(who researchers are legally and ethically obligated to treat well) or from
closely-related substances or techniques that have been used in human beings
before. Correspondingly, researchers involved in these kinds of studies will
monitor the health of their participants, and participants are given the
opportunity to provide feedback about how and what they’re feeling. Bottom
line: Participants’ safety is of utmost importance to researchers.
2) Research is essential.
Research
is necessary and we need it for advancements in any type of field. How do we
know how best to support cancer patients and survivors so that they are living
their best lives? We need to conduct research, possibly ask cancer patients and
survivors to talk with us about what they need. How do we know which
medications will help us to feel better when we’re sick? We need to conduct
research, maybe ask people to participate in clinical trials for new
medications. Many of the medications that we take when we are feeling ill were
part of an investigational drug program in the past and now we take them
because researchers found that they are effective and help us feel better.
These are the advances that researchers make for our benefit.
3) You can help change the world by
participating in research.
Scientific
research has improved the lives of people worldwide. The discovery of a particular
phenomenon can help efforts to provide resources that can aid in alleviating
world dilemmas or concerns. In addition, understanding what affects us can
spark the curiosity of another researcher to apply that knowledge to future
studies. What many people do not realize is that none of this would be possible
without participants. Participants truly are researchers’ partners in the
scientific process; without people providing researchers with information about
whatever it is the researchers are studying, then researchers couldn’t make
discoveries or advancements in any field of research.
Cancer-based
research is a field that’s always in need of participants. Cancer is a
life-changing illness that unfortunately affects many people, both directly and
indirectly. Participation in research is one more way to fight and beat cancer,
whether it’s research about medications, treatments, surgeries, or
quality-of-life issues. The information that you give to researchers can be
used to help others, and when—not if, but when—a cure is found, you can look back and say that you were
a part of saving the lives of the many people who might be diagnosed with
cancer in the future. Participate in research and change the world!
Have we
convinced you? Here are some helpful links with more information about
research, including how to participate:
Cancer Prevention Research Studies
Kayla Hutchinson, Rudy Mercado, Angelica Gutierrez, and Dr. Elizabeth Cordero are proudly affiliated with the psychology program at the Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University (SDSU-IV). Kayla and Rudy are undergraduate students, Angelica is a recent graduate, and Dr. Cordero is an associate professor.
Pictured: Rudy Mercado and Kayla Hutchinson |
Kayla Hutchinson, Rudy Mercado, Angelica Gutierrez, and Dr. Elizabeth Cordero are proudly affiliated with the psychology program at the Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University (SDSU-IV). Kayla and Rudy are undergraduate students, Angelica is a recent graduate, and Dr. Cordero is an associate professor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)