Ethical Implications Flashcards
What is the primary ethical duty of psychologists?
To balance the rights of individual participants against the need for useful research.
What are socially sensitive research studies?
Studies with potential consequences or implications for participants or groups represented by the research.
What are the 4 aspects of the research process where ethical issues may occur?
- The Research Question 2. Conduct of Research and Treatment of Participants 3. The Institutional Context 4. Interpretation and Applications of Findings.
What ethical concern arises from the Research Question?
Asking certain questions may damage specific racial groups or sexual orientations by adding scientific credibility to prejudice.
Examples include questions about racial differences in IQ or the innateness of homosexuality.
What is a main concern in the Conduct of Research and Treatment of Participants?
The confidentiality of the information collected, especially if participants confess to a crime.
What ethical issue can arise from the Institutional Context of research?
Research may be misused or misunderstood by private institutions, leading to misreporting by the media.
What is a potential ethical issue with the Interpretation and Applications of findings?
Research findings may be used for unintended purposes, such as using IQ tests to identify ‘feeble-minded’ individuals for sterilization.
This was a practice in the early 20th Century.
What is the first ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Privacy: during the research process, a skilled investigator may extract more information from participants than they intended to give, some research may lead to social policies that are an invasion of people’s private lives.
What is the second ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Confidentiality: Participants may be less willing to divulge information in the future if confidentiality is breached and further related research would be compromised.
What is the third ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Valid Methodology: in cases of poor methodology (non-valid findings) scientists may be aware of these problems, but the media and the public may not, therefore poor studies may shape important social policy to the detriment of those represented by research.
What is the fourth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Deception: Includes self-deception where research may lead people to form untrue stereotypes, which affects their own performance.
What is the fifth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Informed Consent: potential participants may not always understand what is involved.
What is the sixth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Equitable Treatment: all participants should be treated in an equitable manner, vital resources which are vital to a participant should not be withheld from one group yet available to another group (i.e. education).
What is the seventh ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Scientific Freedom: Scientists have a duty/obligation not to harm participants as well as institutions in society.
What is the eighth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Ownership of Data: some of the problems in determining ownership involve the sponsorship of the research (i.e. university department) and the public accessibility.
What is the ninth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Values: psychologists differ in their orientation towards subjective and more objective approaches. Sensitive issues arise when there is a clash in such values between scientists and recipients of the research.
What is the tenth ethical guideline for socially sensitive research?
Risk/Benefit Ratio: risks should be minimized but problems arise in determining risks as well as benefits.
What are the social consequences of participation in research?
Participation in research can have indirect impacts on participants’ families, co-workers, or groups they represent.
How does Bowlby’s theory relate to social consequences in research?
Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation and monotropy illustrates that the effects of research findings can extend beyond the individual participants to society at large.
What is the inadequacy of current ethical guidelines in research?
Current ethical guidelines focus on the immediate needs of participants rather than considering the broader impact on the groups affected by the research.
What is a potential disadvantage of not including representative samples in research?
Excluding representative samples may lead to a diminished understanding of human behavior and deprive marginalized groups of the benefits of research.
Should socially sensitive research be avoided?
While there are concerns about negative consequences, avoiding socially sensitive topics may be seen as an avoidance of responsibility according to Sieber and Stanley.
What responsibility do psychologists have regarding their research findings?
Psychologists need to actively take responsibility for the potential misuse of their findings and be aware of the risks of abuse and discrimination.
What role does the BPS play in promoting psychological research?
The BPS has a press centre aimed at promoting evidence-based psychological research to the media, emphasizing the importance of socially sensitive communication.
