By Dave - 10/09/2009 13:37 - United States

Today, my girlfriend of 3 years told me that I was part of an experiment for her Sociology doctorate. I also learned that the notebooks she's been writing in for the past three years aren't for her "doctorate in literature" as she had told me, they were notes on my behavior for the past 3 years. FML
I agree, your life sucks 55 529
You deserved it 3 573

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Can't be an experiment because if it was, human subjects have to give prior consent. Want to get even, complain to the dean of students that you unwillingly were a human subject for her experiments, feel as though your rights were violated and want to talk to someone at the university about its policies. She'll be F'd.

Comments

unless she is dating you only for this experiment then wats the big deal.

dingdingding!!! Yes, that is exactly it and that is exactly the big deal. Some people get married after 3 years, **** the op's life.

the_stereotype 0

i thought that was illegal too...and frankly, it's just bitchy. tell people you broke up with her, because she has VD

sarroth 0

The person being observed does not have to be aware of the experiment, but there must be a very good reason for the experimenter to not inform them. While she would be unable to study someone in a relationship with her for 3 years properly with their knowledge, the ethical problems of faking a relationship would negate any of the positives gained from the study. It is illegal because of that, not simply because he is unaware. Also, if she is the researcher and the person dating him, her role as researcher might affect her role as girlfriend (a role which would cause many of the dating behaviors she is trying to study) - so this study is all sorts of wrong.

wow that musta hurt she only went out out with u for an experiment and OMG no1 sed first

you are 111th.. if that isn't grounds for saying 'first' then i don't know what is! more like first-first-first XD hey, if i was the OP, i'd go to the professor of the course she's studying and say that you've known ALL ALONG that your 'girlfriend' has been studying your behaviour. say that you knew and you were modifying your behaviour to make the results null and void 3 ******* YEARS OF HER STUDY AND LIFE RUINED! YEAH BITCH!!

Are you being serious right now? Three years of OPs romantic life was just wasted because a selfish bitch just wanted a spread sheet.

Can't be an experiment because if it was, human subjects have to give prior consent. Want to get even, complain to the dean of students that you unwillingly were a human subject for her experiments, feel as though your rights were violated and want to talk to someone at the university about its policies. She'll be F'd.

Agreed. She's wasted 3 years of your life, make sure she's also wasted 3 of hers. Revenge aside, that's horribly unethical of her.

There isn't a chance in hell that would pass any ethics board. If it really is for a doctorate (i can't see how) it would never ever pass

I agree. This was her experiment and nothing for the school. Your girlfriend is ****** up.

Definitely true. I had to go get an undergraduate project approved by the ethics board just because I wanted to interview a couple of people (with their consent).

actually observation experiments like this with out any form of interaction on the testers part im pretty sure is legal as well as using deception and lying about what your testing for .

She has to obtain human subjects approval from her university before she can do anything involving a living person. Part of that involves consent documents prior, so I guess take heart in knowing she can't use anything she observed as part of her dissertation.

I call fake - see film THE SHAPE OF THINGS (2003)

I concur. I saw the original play in London at the Almeida. Rachel Weisz was great. What a heartless *****!

Dang you guys beat me. I totally thought of The Shape of Things when I read this. However I think what happened in that play was worse than what happened here.

The play/film was more (seemingly) heartless, but it took place over just a few months. The OP is claiming years here, so by time alone this - if it were true- seems worse to me.

This goes against ethical requirements for research. Informed Consent, Limited Deception.

greatnt249 0

File a complaint with her school's IRB if she tries to go ahead and use the results in her dissertation.