Ethical implications

Question 1

What are ethical implications

Answer 1

They concern the consequences that psychological research such as theories and studies may have. Arguably, this applies to all psychological research but some areas of research have greater social sensitivity than others.
e.g. research on long-term memory in a student population is unlikely to have consequences for individual participants, or for the broader social groups the participants represent - they may not ‘represent’ a social group - the participants may be drawn from many different social groups. In addition, there are unlikely to be consequences for social policy.

In contrast, a study on depression may have consequences in terms of individual participants, the wider social group they represent and for social policy. For example, an individual participant may reveal personal information that is later accessed by a prospective employer. Or the findings of the study may suggest that people with depression never fully recover and therefore are a risk as an employee. In terms of social policy, the findings of a study on depression could inform preferred treatment options recommended by the NHS. Indeed, even seemingly innocuous research such as the memory example may have consequences in terms of exam policy.

Question 2

What to take into account when conducting research

Answer 2

1. Research question
   - The way it is phrased and investigated may influence the way in which findings are interpreted e.g. research into relationship has been guilty of a form of ‘heterosexual bias’ within which homosexual relationships were compared and judged against heterosexual norms
2. Dealing with participants
   - issues such as informed consent, confidentiality and psychological harm may be especially important in socially sensitive research e.g. a study on domestic abuse participants may worry that an ex-partner will find out about the study and it is likely to be extremely stressful for participants to describe their experiences - such participants may provide informed consent at the start of the study but not fully understand the effect of the research
3. The way findings are used
   - Researchers should consider in advance how research findings may be used. It may impact on what data they actually collect. This is especially important because findings from research may be seen as giving scientific credence to existing prejudices such as studies examining the ethnic basis of intelligence.
   - Sensitive information is exactly what the media tend to be interested in and publicise e.g. research on people in a minimally conscious state received enormous media attention as it appeared the researcher has contact with patients who were thought to be ‘unreachable’

Question 3

Evaluation

Answer 3

BENEFITS FOR GROUPS
P - One strength of socially sensitive research is that it can have benefits for the group who have been studied
E - One example of this is homosexuality. In 1952, the DSM-1 listed this as a ‘sociopathic personality disorder’ but removed it in 1973. This change has been credited to the Kinsey report which was based on anonymous interviews with over 5000 men about their sexual behaviour. The report concluded that homosexuality is a typical expression of human sexual behaviour. The report also included data on interviews with 6000 women and caused outrage at the time because these were topics that no one discussed.
E - This illustrates the importance of researchers tackling topics that are sensitive.
HOWEVER - not always positive e.g. genetic basis of criminality = person excused for their behaviour

REAL WORLD APPLICATION
P - Another strength is that certain groups such as policy makers rely on research related to socially sensitive issues.
E - The government looks to research when developing important social policies, for example decisions related to child care, education, mental health provision and crime etc. It is clearly preferable to base such policies on scientific research rather than politically-motivated views. For this reason, in the UK there are independent groups such as the ONS (Office for National Statistics) who describe themselves as being responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating objective statistics about the UK’s economy, society and population. Such data is used in psychological research.
E - This means that psychologists have an important role to play in providing high quality research on socially sensitive topics

POOR RESEARCH DESIGN
P - One limitation is that poor research design may lead to erroneous findings
E - This was certainly the case in relation to Burt’s research on the 11+ exam that determined the type of secondary school a child went to that was found to be fake data. Even after fraud was exposed, the exam was still used and the 11+ is still used as a selection tool in parts of the UK today e.g. Kent. Similarly, access to many independent schools is based on a child’s performance in an entrance exam taken in Year 7 and is likely based on the same reasoning - that genetic potential has revealed itself by age.
E - Therefore any research on socially sensitive topics need to be planned with the greatest care to ensure the findings are valid because of the enduring effects on particular groups of people