Certification for IRB Professionals (CIP) Practice Exam

Which study is most directly linked to the establishment of the National Research Act in 1974?

1. The Stanford Prison Experiment

2. The Public Health Service Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male

3. The Milgram Experiment

4. The Willowbrook Study

The correct answer is: The Public Health Service Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male

The study most directly linked to the establishment of the National Research Act in 1974 is indeed the Public Health Service Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. This unethical research project, which began in the 1930s and continued for several decades, involved the systematic denial of treatment to African American men diagnosed with syphilis to study the progression of the disease, even after effective treatment became available. The revelations about this study led to a national outcry regarding ethics in medical research, particularly related to informed consent and the treatment of vulnerable populations. In response to the ethical violations highlighted by the Tuskegee Study, Congress enacted the National Research Act in 1974, which, among other things, mandated the establishment of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to oversee research involving human subjects, ensuring that they are treated ethically and with respect. The other studies mentioned, while significant in the realm of research ethics, did not have the same direct impact on the legislative and regulatory changes that the National Research Act instituted.