Learning Journal 20

I recently took the IRB tutorial to learn more about ethics in the field. This is important for everyone going on a field study because, no matter what research project you are conducting, you want to be a positive influence for the people you will be interacting with. I like to say 'leave people better than you found them.' It is important not to create negative effects for the people you are researching, do whatever you can to alleviate or avoid uncomfortable situations or topics for the people. It's not okay to make a whole bunch of peole uncomfortable or nervous just so you can get ahead in your research.You also don't want to hurt people. This is the purpose for the IRB.

In order to conduct our field study this summer, we all will have to pass IRB approval. Now for some topics, that should be a piece of cake, as certain things don't really deal in the research of people. For me, however, it much more relevant. When taking the IRB tutorial online, it mentioned what constitutes a vulnerable population of people. Though individuals over the age of 65 are not considered a vulnerable population, people with dementia or Alzheimer's are. If I choose to interview, speak with, and spend time with individuals with dementia, I will need to be extremely careful in the actions I make, and the questions I ask. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone. Now, I anticipate that a good chunk of my research will focus on speaking with, interviewing and interacting with people who are not dementia patients and therefore won't need to be as stringint with what I say. Although, if those peole are family members of a patient experiencing dementia, I will need to be careful so as not to make them uncomfortable or to bring up sadness. But speaking about dementia or Alzheimer's to a random member of the society, that is not a sensitive topic and will be easier.

As I go about formulating my project and questions I will ask, I plan on being very careful with my wordings. I want to build a strong rapport with peole when in Tonga, and I want to treat them as I would my own grandparents. I will be extra careful with my proposal, because I want to leave Tonga having made a positive impact on people's lives instead of the other way around.