ethical implications and socially sensitive research

Question 1

why were ethical guidelines established?

Answer 1

were established in order to protect participants and guide researchers

Question 2

what is an ethical implication?

Answer 2

it relates to the consequences a piece of research may have.

Question 3

why might some research be more socially sensitive?

Answer 3

some research studies may be more socially sensitive than others due to having lasting consequences

Question 4

what is socially sensitive research?

Answer 4

studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants in the research or for the class of individuals in the research

Question 5

what 4 aspects did Siber and Stanley suggest to include when planning research?

Answer 5

the research question
the methodology used
the institutional context
interpretation and application of findings

Question 6

what is ‘the research question’?

Answer 6

when the researcher must consider their research question carefully.
asking questions like ‘are there racial differences in IQ?’ or ‘is intelligence inherited?’ may be potentially damaging to members of a particular group.

Question 7

what is ‘the methodology used’?

Answer 7

the researcher needs to consider the treatment of the participants and their rights to confidentiality and anonymity.
for example, if someone admits to committing crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality?

Question 8

what is ‘the institutional context’?

Answer 8

the researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used, and consider who is finding the research. if the research is being funded by private institutions or organisations, why are they funding the research?

Question 9

what is ‘interpretation and application of findings’?

Answer 9

the researcher needs to consider how their findings might be applied and interpreted in the real world. could the findings be used by the government for political means to develop public policy? if this happens, is there any risk?

Question 10

how is bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis socially sensitive?

Answer 10

by suggesting a child needs to be with its mother, it can lead to stereotypes and discrimination of women suggesting that they shouldn’t work and should be a stay at home mum

Question 11

how is milligrams study of obedience socially sensitive?

Answer 11

caused participants unnecessary harm as they felt anxious and uncomfortable and some even had seizures.

Question 12

how is bandoras bobo doll study socially sensitive?

Answer 12

children were not protected from harm, and once shown the violent acts, it may have impacted their behaviour later in life.

Question 13

how its loftus’ research on EWT socially sensitive?

Answer 13

participants were shown videos and images of car crashed which could’ve been distressing.

Question 14

AO3: how is ‘leads to significant advancement in understanding human behaviour and social issues’ a strength to ethical implications and socially sensitive research?

Answer 14

socially sensitive research can lead to significant advancement in understanding human behaviour and social issues. When done ethically and responsibly, socially sensitive research can lead to positive changes in society, such as better understanding of mental health conditions, which has improved education practices and policy reforms. for example, research into EWT has led to improvement in interviews, and the creation of the cognitive interview. this has led to a decrease in the misidentification of individuals for crimes they didn’t commit. therefore, socially sensitive research can lead to improved understanding of marginalised groups and changes that can benefit both individuals and wider society.

Question 15

AO3: how is ‘helps marginalised or vulnerable populations share their experiences and concerns’ a strength to ethical implications and socially sensitive research?

Answer 15

socially sensitive research often involved marginalised or vulnerable populations, providing them with a platform to share their experiences and concerns. this can provide researchers with detailed understandings of the experiences of groups that have historically been overlooked or misrepresented. for example, more recent research has looked into the female experiences, and how their physical and mental wellbeing can present in different ways compared to men. therefore, research can lead to greater representation and inclusion of minority groups that may lead to better treatments and resource allocation for these groups.

Question 16

AO3: how is ‘it may lead to discrimination and negative policies’ a limitation to ethical implications and socially sensitive research?

Answer 16

socially sensitive research may lead to discrimination and negative policies towards individuals/groups in society. this is because research findings may involve exploring issues related to race, gender, mental health, or crime that are already subject to social stigmas or biases. for example, lombrosos research suggested offending behaviour is determined by their genetic makeup, and that criminals had specific physical characteristics. this research could be used to justify discriminatory policies or actions such as eugenic policies (death penalty, sterilisation). therefore, socially sensitive research must be conduced with caution and an awareness of the possible long term negative impacts and findings may have.

Question 17

AO3; how is ‘difficult to predict possible implications’ a limitation to ethical implications and socially sensitive research?

Answer 17

despite being subject to scrutiny by an ethics committee, it remains difficult to predict the possible implications of any psychological research. this is because, research often involves human participants, whose behaviour, responses and experiences can be difficult to predict. for example, in Milgram and Zimbardos research , there was no ethics committee and as it was human participants it was hard to predict how the research was going to go. as human behaviour is unpredictable, less than 1% of psychologists predicted that humans would go all the way to 450V, when 68% did. therefore, when studying potentially sensitive topics, researchers must carefully plan their research and weigh the potential benefits of their research against the risk or harms to participants.