ethical implications of psychological research

Question 1

Socially sensitive research

Answer 1

Sieber and Stanley used the term socially sensitive to describe research that can effect the way in which groups in society are treated and perceived.

Question 2

Psychologists and ethics

Answer 2

Sieber and Stanley suggested that psychologist have a responsibility in how their research is used. They identified 4 areas in research that have ethical implications in socially sensitive research.

1) The research question could lead to damages for groups depending on the findings such as investigating if intelligence is inherited.
2) Methodology is important for participants as you must think about how they are treated and their right to confidentiality, if they admit to a crime do you skill keep the confidentiality.
3) The institutional context is important such as who is funding the research and what they may use it for.
4) Findings will be interpreted and applied by others, you need to consider how this might effect government policy for example.

Question 3

Strengths of socially sensitive research

Answer 3

• ) Many groups have been negatively effected by a lack of socially sensitive research about them, and when they have been include the results have been misinterpreted. This leads to groups being misrepresented and missing out on the benefits of socially sensitive research.
• ) Avoiding socially sensitive research will only lead to psychologists investigating unimportant issues, Sieber and Stanley saw this as avoiding taking responsibility.
• ) Psychologists should consider how their findings will be interpreted and take responsibility for them.

Question 4

Weaknesses of socially sensitive research

Answer 4

• ) Ethical guidelines do not consider how research will be interpreted and will effect groups within society. This means ethical guidelines do not stop all ethical issues within research although they do protect the immediate needs of participants.
• ) There are always social consequences from socially sensitive research which can effect groups represented by the participants so it is not good enough to dimply protect the participants themselves.