Ethics and Social sensitivity Flashcards
Write a brief consent form that would have been suitable to obtain informed consent from the participants in this study.
- detail about what they would be asked to do, eg attend an interview with three other students asking questions about their attitudes to the school’s homework policy
- will require the participant’s agreement/could be written as a form that participants need to sign
- no pressure to consent/they can withdraw at any time
- their data will be kept confidential and anonymous.
Explain what psychologists mean by socially sensitive research.
- Sieber and Stanley define socially sensitive research as, studies in which
there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants in the
research or for the class of individuals represented by the research.
In a study of antisocial activity and social background, researchers interviewed 100 children aged 14 years. They then classified each child according to their level of antisocial activity. They concluded that 26 were ‘very antisocial’, 40 were ‘mildly antisocial’ and 34 were ‘not antisocial’. The researchers found that the majority of the ‘very antisocial’ children attended Crayford secondary school, whereas most of the other two groups of children attended another local school.
-Briefly explain how the researchers could have dealt with the issue of social sensitivity in this study.
- What level of measurement is being used in this study?
-Explain one limitation of the level of measurement you have identified in your answer
-Awareness of issue: Researchers should be aware of the implications of their research, possible negative implications of the research for the reputation of Crayford school and the wider community
Dealing with the issue: debriefing of participants, parents, teachers etc; care in relation to publication
Categorical Level
Categorical data doesn’t enable very sensitive analysis
A psychologist wanted to investigate the effects of age of adoption on aggressive behaviour. He compared children who had been adopted before the age of two with children who had been adopted after the age of two. The children were observed in their school playground when they were six years old.
1) - Suggest two operationalised behavioural categories the psychologist could use in his observation of aggressive behaviour. Explain how the psychologist could have carried out this observation.
2) Explain one ethical issue the psychologist would have needed to consider when carrying out this research. How could the psychologist have dealt with this issue?
3) - Explain why using interviews might be better than using questionnaires in this situation.
1 -
hitting
biting
recording playground behaviour on CCTV for later analysis by ticking a box when a relevant behaviour is shown by the child. Alternatively the researcher could watch each child’s behaviour in the playground and tick the box when each behaviour is shown.
2 - They may feel responsible if one of the children are harmed in the playground
- They’re young so may not have been able to fully consent
-The psychologist can clarify questions/tell if thy’re being honest
Explain why it is sometimes necessary to deceive participants in social influence research.
if participants knew the aim, they might change their behaviour, which could affect validility
Describe one way in which deception has been dealt with in social influence research.
Debriefing
A psychologist investigated the relationship between type of attachment in childhood and success in later adult relationships. He published a questionnaire in a local newspaper. The participants were people who read the newspaper, filled in the questionnaire and sent it to the psychologist. Participants’ answers to the questions were used to decide whether they had been securely or insecurely attached as children. The participants who were identified as securely attached children were more likely to have successful adult relationships than those identified as insecurely attached children.
Identify the sampling technique used in this study. Outline one weakness of using this sampling method.
Identify one ethical issue the researcher would need to consider in this research.
Suggest how the researcher could deal with this ethical issue.
It’s a volunteer sample -only people who read the newspaper could volunteer so it’s biased
Confidentiality - to keep the peoples information private - The psychologists should not use the participants’ names in published work
Psychologists have carried out research into the use of cognitive interviews. One possible ethical issue which might arise during this research is protection of participants from harm. Explain how psychologists could deal with this ethical issue.
- remind of their right to withdraw from the research
- If participants are showing signs of distress, the psychologist should remind the participants of their right to withdraw
