ethical implications

Question 1

what are ethical issues?

Answer 1

consequences for the participants who take part in the study, psychologists are required to balance the rights of the participants against the need to produce useful research

Question 2

what are ethical implications?

Answer 2

effects or consequences of research against other people and wider society, psychologists must consider the impact of their findings in a broader context

Question 3

ethical implications of research

Answer 3

for milgrams (1963) research, you must consider if the ends justify the means
- participants were deceived and so couldn’t give fully informed consent. it also caused distress, participants were told to or forced to continue
- however, they were debriefed after the experiment and follow up interviews were done a year later, these suggested no long term effects occurred

Question 4

ethical implications of theories

Answer 4

• bowlby’s theory of attachment suggests than children form one special attachment (usually with their mother) during the critical period, and that this attachment affects their future relationships via an internal working model
• the theory has contributed to the development of childcare practices, but also encouraged the idea that women should stay at home with their children, making them feel guilty for wanting to return to work after giving birth

Question 5

socially sensitive research

Answer 5

studies where there are potential social consequences for the participants or the people represented by the research

Question 6

aspects of the scientific research process that raise ethical implications

Answer 6

1. the research question: must not ask questions that could be damaging to a certain group
2. methodology: consider the treatment of participants and their right to confidentiality and anonymity
3. institutional context: mindful of how the data will be used, who is funding the research and why
4. interpretation and application of findings: how will the data be interpreted and applied in the real world

Question 7

cyril burt’s research linking intelligence to genetics

Answer 7

• used studies of identical twins to support his view that intelligence is mostly genetic
• this greatly influenced the hadow report (1926) which led to the 11+ exam for entry into a selective grammar school
• this was used throughout england from 1944-1976
• generations of children were impacted by the 11+
• huge controversy around if burt falsified his data

Question 8

sound and valid methodology

Answer 8

findings from research with poor methodology may enter the public domain and shape important social policy

Question 9

justice and equitable treatment

Answer 9

research interests, techniques or findings shouldn’t result in people being treat unfairly, e.g. through creating unfavourable prejudices or withholding something favourable

Question 10

scientific freedom

Answer 10

censorship of scientific activity is usually thought to be unacceptable, but some research should be, and researchers have an obligation to not harm their participants

Question 11

ownership of data

Answer 11

includes the sponsorship of the research and who has access to the data. certain findings in the wrong hands may be used to coerce or manipulate people

Question 12

values of social scientists

Answer 12

the theoretical and personal beliefs of the scientist and psychologists and the need to recognise that research isn’t value-free. different views can cause people to carry out research and interpret findings differently

Question 13

risk benefit ratio

Answer 13

risks and benefits may be harder to assess in socially sensitive research, so they must be carefully considered

Question 14

evaluate ethical implications
1/6

Answer 14

sieber and stanley’s considerations allow the safeguarding of those indirectly affected by psychological research. current ethical guidelines are focused only on direct effects on participants, but don’t address potential harm to wider society. for example, these guidelines don’t require researchers to assess how their findings may be used to form social policies. sieber and stanley propose that researchers should consider this to ensure that their work doesn’t indirectly harm others. additionally, marginalised groups are often excluded from research, which could harm them through biased conclusions and applications

Question 15

evaluate ethical implications
2/6

Answer 15

some psychologists argue against socially sensitive research due to its potential for discrimination. for example, studies on racial differences in IQ were used to justify unjust forms of social control. for instance, from 1907 to 1963, over 64000 people were forcibly sterilised under eugenic legislation in the US. in 1972, it was revealed that over 2000 involuntary sterilisations were performed on poor black women without their consent or knowledge. these studies were often supported by flawed research findings, such as those suggesting that black americans had lower IQ’s than white americans

Question 16

evaluate ethical implications
3/6

Answer 16

some psychologists recommend avoiding social sensitive research, such as studies on ethnicity, gender and sexuality, due to the potential harm to participants. this could however limit research to trivial topics. a better approach could be for psychologists to work with policymakers after publishing their findings to prevent misuse of data and to ensure socially sensitive research is applied responsibly

Question 17

evaluate ethical implications
4/6

Answer 17

moreover, some psychologists believe that neglecting socially sensitive topics like ethnicity or gender is failing their societal duties. scarr (1988) argues that science needs well-conducted studies on race and gender to guide efforts in supporting underrepresented groups. avoiding uncomfortable findings is not an option, we must confront them to address social challenges effectively

Question 18

evaluate ethical implications
5/6

Answer 18

it’s crucial to understand that not all socially sensitive research is controversial and some can be valuable to society. for instance, studies on eyewitness testimony, particularly involving child witnesses, have shown that young children can provide reliable testimony when questioned appropriately and promptly. this type of research has fostered a positive collaboration between psychologists and the legal field, leading to improvements in the accuracy and credibility of child eyewitness accounts

Question 19

evaluate ethical implications
6/6

Answer 19

psychologists should have the freedom to conduct research on topics they deem important. if governments restrict research on certain topics, such as ethnicity related studies, research may be stopped for political rather than ethical reasons. however, evidence suggests that socially sensitive research, especially in the US, is more likely to face rejection by institutional ethical committees. ceci et al (1985) discovered that socially sensitive research had a rejection rate twice as high, suggesting that university ethics departments are cautious of such research and implement appropriate measures to protect people and the wider community from its impacts