Which of the following studies qualifies as research with human subjects under federal regulations?

Research involving human subjects is defined by federal regulations as any systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge that involves obtaining information about living individuals through intervention or interaction, or through the collection of identifiable private information.

In this context, a cognitive psychologist conducting computer-based mood studies with students qualifies as research with human subjects because it involves collecting data directly from these individuals. The interaction with participants, along with the focus on their mood as it relates to their cognitive processes, means that identifiable information about these students is being gathered. Thus, it directly involves living individuals in a way that meets the criteria for human subjects research.

This is contrasted with studies that analyze historical data, conduct surveys, or perform meta-analyses, which may involve human subjects indirectly (for instance, through the data collected previously), but do not involve direct interaction or intervention with participants. Such activities do not meet the operational definition of research involving human subjects because they do not collect new data directly from individuals in a manner that engages with them personally or individually.