The Impact of the Protection of Human Subjects on Research. Working Paper No. 70.

The author discusses the experimenter's responsibility for the protection of human subjects (such as the handicapped) in research and the impact of this responsibility on methods of doing research. Considered are the types of human rights that are most frequently in need of protection within a research setting (such as the right to privacy); the most common threats to these rights that are posed by research (such as when deception is used for experimental purposes); and the criteria for determining when a subject is 'at risk'. Seven actions the experimenter can take to minimize risks to the subject are proposed (such as maintaining the confidentiality of data), and conditions and procedures for the acceptance of risk by both a subject and an experimenter are outlined (including the mechanism of voluntary informed consent). (LS)