ethics Flashcards
why is ethical implications an issue in psychological research
in psychological research we use people and when we use people you have to think about how the research is going to impact that person
have to think how the research is going to influence groups of people and also society as a whole
what is an ethical implication
how the research will affect the individual and how it is going to have impact potentially on wider society
how does social sensitivity work out?
a particular area of research that is more likely to have ethical implications because it is socially sensitive
tabooo
examples of ethical implications
idea of IQ testing, was different tests that were developed in order to get into the American army and they resulted in many ethical implications because they ended up labelling certain ethnic groups of people as basically morons
another example of ethical implications
Bowlby’s piece of research, the ethical implications were that there was a lot of pressure placed on women to stay at home with their children during this critical period which led to in terms of society the idea that women were the ones to stay @ home ( what if you wanted to peruse a career would that make you a bad mom) , the idea of maternity pay geared around towards the women not (men/paternity leave). it is only now ideas have changed where males are allowed to take paternity leave too instead of just the mother
ethical implication
the impact in which psychological
research could have on the rights of
individuals
social sensitivity
there are potential
social consequences for the participants
or the group of people represented by
the research.
Ethical implications: considering how the findings from psychological research could go on to actually
influence the lives of the individuals studied, the subgroups investigated and wider society
Effects on participants could be: taking part in the research was directly distressing, stigma from friends,
family or the media.
Effects on wider public: Findings could result in subgroups becoming stigmatised or negative changes in wider society’s behaviour. Biased reporting could misrepresent the findings. Findings could be used by governments to justify political decisions/laws that disadvantage groups. Funding for future psychological research could be affected.
The researcher has a duty to consider ethical implications and take steps to address them. Following
ethical guidelines in protecting participants, such as offering counselling support and ensuring
confidentiality. Conducing a cost-benefit analysis considering if the potential long term benefits of the
research outweigh any short term costs
Examples of socially sensitive studies/theories in psychology are Bowlby, Effects on working mothers.
Diagnosis of mental health, do cognitive explanations blame the victim? Biological theories on crime and
aggression giving excuses to criminals? Evolutionary explanations for relationships, legitimising a gender
double standard?
Excessive concern over socially sensitive research can lead to researchers avoiding topics such as
ethnicity, gender or sexuality, leading to these groups becoming under-represented in psychological
research
Not considering the public’s response to socially sensitive research can lead to negative effects for
psychology as a area for study. Research by Milgram, Zimbardo and Harlow damaged psychology’s
reputation, and this can lead to less funding.
