LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Define the term human subjects.
- Describe and provide examples of nonhuman subjects that sociologists might examine.
- Provide a brief outline of the history of research on human subjects.
- Define institutional review boards and describe their purpose.
In 1998, actor Jim Carey starred in the movie The Truman Show. 1 At first glance, the film appears to depict a perfect sociological experiment. Just imagine the possibilities if we could control every aspect of a person’s life, from how and where that person lives to where he or she works to whom he or she marries. Of course, keeping someone in a bubble, controlling every aspect of his or her life, and sitting back and watching would be highly unethical (not to mention illegal). However, the movie clearly inspires thoughts about the differences between sociological research and research on nonhumans. One of the most exciting—and most challenging—aspects of conducting sociological research is the fact that (at least much of the time) our subjects are living human beings whose free will and human rights will always have an impact on what we are able to research and how we are able to conduct that research.
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