Ethical costs of conducting research Flashcards
The 3 main ethical issues in psychology
The most important ethical issue is the protection of the participants to ensure they don’t experience psychological or physical harm. This could be done through deception, not having informed consent and risking confidentiality.
Why is the question of ethics an issue in psychology?
There are conflicts between the needs of the researchers to produce research that benefits society and the needs of individual participants who have rights to be treated fairly. Also, to protect the field of psychology from invalidity due to false or unethical research.
Benefits to society and the economy p1
Psychological research offers many benefits to society—for example, research on psychoactive drugs being significant in the treatment of mental health. The McCrone report estimated the direct costs of mental health in England at around £22.5 billion a year. The report commented on the use of drugs vs psychotherapies, saying the number of people receiving medication provides a much greater economic gain and is far less expensive than psychological therapies. Evidence-based research on effective drug therapies is important in reducing costs and helping people return to work.
Benefits to society and the economy p2
Another example of wider benefits to society can be seen in Bowlby’s research. His research on separation and attachment opened the eyes of the world to the importance of emotional care in early child development. UNICEF (2014) indicate the continuing influence this has on developmental policies in ensuring that children grow into productive members of society and thus improve the world economy. Before Bowlby’s research people believed that physical care was all that was necessary and this attitude persists in some parts of the world
Individual participants p1
Watson and Rayner’s study (1920) demonstrated conditioned emotional responses in Little Albert. This demonstration was of major significance in showing that emotions could be learned, suggesting it was possible to shape feelings through psychotherapy. However, this study had quite a cost to Little Albert, who was deliberately subjected to psychological harm which may have lasted a lifetime. There is some evidence that it did- Little Albert’s mother moved away before Albert could be ‘debriefed’ the real Albert may have had a lifelong hate for animals, according to Powell et al (2014).
Individual participants p2
We could consider the harm to participants in Milgram’s study of obedience (1963). His findings have had an enormous impact on our views of obedience- people are ‘shocked’ by the extent to which people are willing to harm others. Some of Milgram’s participants themselves said that participation in the study taught them an important life lesson. For example, a participant, Jacob, goes on to say his participation led him to reevaluate his whole life and he realised how vulnerable he had been to authority. It gave him the confidence to come out as a gay man which suggests that judging psychological harm is a complex issue.
Potential negative consequences for society
There are instances whereby not carrying out research could result in negative outcomes for society. Sieber and Stanley (1988) drew attention to ‘studies’ in which there are potential social consequences, either directly for the participants in research or the class of individuals represented by the research. Simply asking a controversial research question such as ‘Are there racial differences in IQ?’ may be damaging to members of a racial group or sexual orientation because it appears to add scientific credibility to prevailing prejudice just by asking the question. There some social consequences to partcipating in social sensitive research
Solutions for potential negative consequences for society
The tempting solution is to avoid socially sensitive research, such as homosexuality, race, and gender, which may seem like avoiding controversial topics because the findings may have negative consequences. However, this approach may leave psychologists with unimportant issues. Sieber and Stanley argue that ignoring sensitive research is not a responsible approach to science. Psychologists must conduct such research, but they should be aware of the potential for abuse or discrimination resulting from their findings.
Risk management techniques used by psychologists
Psychologists manage ethical risks in research through the development of professional guidelines for the conduct of their studies. The hallmark of any professional group of people is that they monitor standards of behaviour for their group. In Britain, psychologists are bound by the guidelines of the British Psychological Society- Code of Ethics and Conduct (BPS,2009). This identifies four core principles: respect, competence, responsibility and integrity. The BPS also advises on specific situations, giving instructions about what is appropriate e.g. valid consent. However, it is critised due to its close off discussion and discouraging people from taking the personal responsiblity of their behaviour.
Professional associations in other countries have developed their own codes, for example instead of stating the principles in Canada they have the CPS that emphasis ethical decision making inviting psychologists to discuss hypothetical dilemmas that encourage debate.
