issues and debates: dealing with ethical implications and ss

Question 1

6 ways to deal with socially sensitive research

Answer 1

• reflexivity
• care in forming research question
• ethical issues in design of study
• ethics committee
• writing up research or publication
• peer review

Question 2

describe reflexivity

Answer 2

Researchers have a responsibility to be objective and conduct research ethically. They should carefully consider their influential position, self-reflect on personal biases, beliefs and values and then assess how these may influence how they perform and report research.

Question 3

Describe care in forming research question

Answer 3

important so the group studied is not misrepresented.

Question 4

Describe ethical issues in design of studies

Answer 4

should be considered, including the possible reactions of participants. The researcher should make effective use of briefing and debriefing procedures, especially if the use of potentially harmful methods is unavoidable.

Question 5

Describe an ethics committee

Answer 5

makes the ultimate decision on if a study should go ahead. Their reasoning includes a cost-benefit analysis, which considers the potential harms and benefits of the research on the participants and broader society.

Question 6

describe writing up research and publications

Answer 6

The media may report findings in a biased or sensationalised way. For this reason, when writing up research for publication, psychologists should consider the possibility that their findings will be misused, explain their conclusions objectively, and clarify the limitations of their methods and conclusions.

Question 7

Describe peer review

Answer 7

Peer review can help to ensure harmful or misleading research is not published; peer reviewers can check research is reported objectively, that the conclusions drawn are justifiable from the data and that potential conflicts of interest, such as sources of funding, are made clear.

Question 8

issues w cost benefit analysis

Answer 8

While researchers and ethics committees are expected to conduct a cost-benefit analysis, the true implications, the costs and benefits of research, are only known for certain once the research has been conducted and may only be clear many years after publication. Studies may have high short-term costs and be controversial at publication, but they may be very valuable to future psychologists.

Question 9

importance of socially sensitive research

Answer 9

Some areas of psychological research are considered especially socially sensitive, such as sexuality and gender.
The extra difficulty and potential for controversy when conducting research in these fields may put researchers studying these topics. This is problematic as the issues these groups face will remain unstudied objectively. For this reason, ethics committees need to recognise the importance of research being conducted in socially sensitive areas.