issues and debates Flashcards
when do ethical implications arise
when there is a conflict between psychologys need for valid and valuable results whilst trying to uphold the rights and dignities of the participants
how are ethical implications resolved
ethical guidelines established
socially sensitive research
some research more controversial than others, more controversial=more attention, this research is important and so psychologists have a social responsibility and should not be put off
who identified a number of concerns that psychologists should be mindful of when conducting socially sensitive research
Sieber and Stanley 1988
implications (seiber and stanley)
wider effects should be considered so they are not seen to be giving scientific credence to prejudice and discrimination. this may be difficult to predict
uses/public policies (seiber and stanley)
what is it used for and what would happen if it was misused should be considered as research may be used to make new policies
validity of the research (seiber and stanley)
findings that were thought to be subjective have turned out to be suspect and fraudulent so researchers should be open about their own biases and preconceptions
evaluation
benefits of socially sensitive research
studies of underrepresented issues may increase the sensitivity and understanding thus helping to reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance
evaluation
framing the question
way in which questions are framed may influence how data is interpreted. eg research into ‘alternative relationships’ led to ‘heterosexual bias’ where homosexual relation are compared and scrutinised again heterosexual relations. investigators must approach with an open mind and be prepared to be challenged.
evaluation
who gains?
socially sensitive research is used by the government. research that seeks to manipulate the public has ethical implications and it is difficult to know who actually gains
idiographic approach
aims to describe the nature of the individual, studied as unique entities with no attempt to compare to a larger group. produces qualitative data using case studies and unstructured interviews
which approaches demonstrate the idiographic approach
humanistic and psychodynamic
nomothetic approach
produces general laws of human behaviour, provides a ‘bench mark’ which people can be compared against using scientific experiments with large sample sizes hypotheses are rigorously tested and statistically analysed
which approaches demonstrate the nomothetic approach
cognitive, behaviourist and biological
case for idiographic
provides complete global account of the individual, may complement nomothetic by shedding light on or challenging general laws, the single case may generate further hypothesis for future study
case against idiographic
narrow and restrictive nature, generalisations cannot be made, least scientific
case for nomothetic
more scientific due to standardised procedures, enables norms too be established, greater scientific credibility
case against nomothetic
accused of ‘ losing the person’, knowing statistics about a disorder doesnt tell us anything about what it is actually like to live with it, subjective experience ignored, overlooks richness of human experience
holism
the idea that any attempt to break up behaviour and experience is inappropriate as these can only be understood by analysing the person or behaviour as a whole
reductionism
analyses behaviour by breaking it down into constituent parts. based on scientific principle that all phenomena should be explained using the most basic principles
levels of explanation in psychology
different ways of viewing the same phenomena in psychology some more reductionist than others. in the science hierarchy lower levels are more reductionist
biological reductionism
based on the premise that we are all biological organisms made up of physiological structures and processes. so behaviour can be explained through biological factors. led to practical applications such as psychoactive drugs in treating mental disorders
environment stimulus
behaviourist approach. breaks complex learning into simple stimulus response links that are measurable in the lab. analysis occurs at the physical level and ignores any cognitive factors
case for holism
some social behaviour only occurs in group situations such as conformity and so cannot be understood by only studying the individual. holism provide a more complete and global understanding of behaviour