Question

A researcher leaves a research file in her car while she attends a concert and her car is stolen. The file contains charts of aggregated numerical data from a research study with human subjects, but no other documents. The consent form said that no identifying information would be retained, and the researcher adhered to that component. Which of the following statements best characterizes what occurred? (A) There was neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality(B) The subjects' privacy has been violated.(C) Confidentiality of the data has been breached(D) There was both a violation of privacy and a breach of confidentiality.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. There was neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality

Step-by-step explanation:

In research, confidentiality refers to the responsibility of the researcher to avoid revealing the identity of the research subjects, this concept is linked to privacy because by avoiding revealing the identity of subjects, the researcher guarantees private information about individuals is not revealed, this includes individuals' preferences, opinions, personal experiences, and ideas. Considering this, in the case presented it can be concluded neither the privacy nor the confidentiality was violated because even though the file contains information about the subjects this is only numerical information and does not relate to their private life or reveals their identity. Therefore, the statement that characterizes the situation is "There was neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality".