Case Study #3

A doctoral candidate at a large midwestern university was completing his dissertation on the relationship between mothers' religious attitudes and the bedwetting tendencies of their children. His sample consisted of 48 white mothers between the ages of 20 and 28 who were members of a specific religious group. Their children were healthy. He had nearly completed his study when four participants withdrew from the experiment. Because the dissertation was due soon, he decided to recruit new participants from his friends who had children. He was careful to make sure that all new participants were identical on the designated attributes. The dissertation was successful and he was awarded a doctoral degree. He is now a valued member of a department of psychology at a large midwestern university.

1. Did the candidate act unethically?

2. Is there any way the candidate could have salvaged his study, without starting over, and without recruiting from his friends? If so, how?