In scientific research, especially Psychology and Neuroscience, there have been multiple occasions of unethical, unsafe, and racist studies conducted against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Historically, there has been a systematic exclusion of BIPOC in research studies because of prejudice and lack of inclusive study equipment. Even though awareness has been raised against these issues, researchers must consciously try to combat these preconceived notions. In the article “Incorporating Dis/ability Studies and Critical Race Theory to Combat Systematic Exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Clinical Neuroscience” by Dr. Teresa Girolamo, Dr. Termara C. Parker, and Dr. Inge-Marie Eigsti investigates why BIPOC was excluded from research and what researchers can do to create more inclusive studies. The research team highlights many reasons why BIPOC was excluded, but the overarching issue was a lack of inclusivity in technological study methods and poor recruitment of participants (Girolamo et al., 2022). fNIRS, or functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and electroencephalography (EEG) are two of the most common data collection methods in neuroscience and psychology research but are poorly designed to exclude populations of people with large afro-textured hair or hair extensions (Girolamo et al., 2022). This leads to non-inclusive study recruitment methods and a lack of data on that specific population. Researchers are more likely to recruit people that they know their equipment will work well on, thus excluding BIPOC people from their data (Girolamo et al., 2022). One of their proposed methods and how to combat both issues was precisely what Dr. Caitlin M. Hudac, Dr. Jessica S. Wallace, Dr. Victoria Ward, et al. did in their research titled “Dynamic Cognitive Inhibition in the Context of Frustration: Increasing Racial Representation of Adolescent Athletes Using Mobile Community-Engaged EEG Methods.”
In Hudac et al. ‘s study, one of the main goals was to foster an inclusive and diverse study of BIPOC people who have been excluded prior. In order to accomplish this, their research team focused on making EEG more accepting of various hair textures and styles. Methods included special care taken by the team to align the scalp electrodes properly, accurate head measurements taken, and practice applying the nets of electrodes (Hudac et al., 2022). The care taken by the researchers and the adjustment to accommodate those with different hair textures was a conscious effort taken by the researchers to combat commonly excluded groups of people (Hudac et al., 2022). In doing this, they set an example for other researchers and future scientists. This methodology aligns exactly with what Girolamo et al. proposed to fix the technology at hand. It is often impractical to ask for the creation or use of new technology, so learning to work around issues instead of giving up is critical to fostering inclusive studies. The other aspect of Hudac et al.‘s study is the community center approach to recruiting participants. Girolamo’s team also recommends this method of recruitment of participants to get BIPOC participants to participate in a study. In fostering community and connection, a level of trust is built between the researchers and the participants. Instead of one-sided benefits, both parties benefit from the study and results (Girolamo et al., 2022). This can make participants more willing to participate in future research studies and recruit their other friends/families if applicable.
Hudac et al.’s study is one example of how methods proposed by Girolamo et al. can be practically applied to research studies. In making conscious efforts to include previously excluded groups, they are fighting back against systematic issues in the field. Future researchers should use Hudac et al.’s methods as examples and frameworks of how their studies can be designed to be more inclusive to BIPOC groups of people. Even though awareness has been made of these issues in psychology and neuroscience research, much work still needs to be done to foster more inclusive studies. Both Hudac et al. and Girolamo et al. focused on creating guidelines and examples for promoting an inclusive study but still acknowledge that these solutions fail to address the overall systematic inequalities present. Both articles begin to tackle the issue of making research inclusive to all groups of people, something every researcher in the field should strive to accomplish.
Sources:
Hudac, C. M., Wallace, J. S., Ward, V. R., Friedman, N. R., Delfin, D., & Newman, S. D. (2022). Dynamic cognitive inhibition in the context of frustration: Increasing racial representation of adolescent athletes using mobile community-engaged EEG methods. Frontiers in Neurology, 13, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2022.918075
Girolamo, T., Parker, T. C., & Eigsti, I.-M. (2022b). Incorporating Dis/Ability Studies and critical race theory to combat systematic exclusion of black, indigenous, and people of color in clinical neuroscience. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.988092
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