Issues and Debates - Ethical implications and social sensitivity

Question 1

What is socially sensitive research?

Answer 1

Any research that might have direct social consequences for the participants in the research or the group they represent

Question 2

What are the major BPS ethical guidelines?

Answer 2

Respect, competence, responsibility and integrity

Question 3

What are some potential ethical issues which arise as a result of breaching ethical guidelines?

Answer 3

Privacy, confidentiality, valid methodology, deception, informed consent, equitable treatment, scientific freedom, ownership of data, values and the risk/benefit ratio

Question 4

Give examples of socially sensitive research

Answer 4

Bowlby’s monotropic attachment theory = Bowlby was an advisor to the World Health Organisation in the 1950s. His findings of the critical period being 2 years of life and maternal deprivation causing severe emotional and intellectual consequences. This led to Britain being one of the only countries in the EU not offering free childcare for children under the age of 5

Burt’s research into intelligence. Fraudulently published research demonstrating that the heritability coefficient for intelligence 0.77 and so played a significant part in the development of the 11+ exams. Even though his work was false, 11+ exams still exist to this day, as well as the idea that children can be organised according to their ‘natural intelligence’

Question 5

Give strengths of the ethical implications of research studies and theory

Answer 5

+ Important that researchers do not stay away from socially sensitive research. This is important because such research may have major positive impacts, such as challenging stereotypes or ‘scientific justifications’ for discrimination.

+ Cost-benefit analysis - when deciding whether certain research projects should be allowed to continue, ethics committees undergo a cost-benefit analysis , where the benefit of the research is compared to the costs of breaching ethical guidelines. However some implications of socially sensitive research may be difficult to predict/ anticipate.

Question 6

Limitations of ethical implications of research studies and theory

Answer 6

• Social control - Socially sensitive research has historically been used as ‘scientific justification’ for discriminatory practice. Such as the USA in the 1920s and 30s sterilisation programmes. Mentally ill, disabled, drug addicts were deemed ‘unfit to breed’. Therefore, socially sensitive research can be and has been used for malicious and unjust ends.
• Research could be potentially misused so psychologists should take responsibility for the presentation of findings. Packard proposed the idea of ‘subliminal messaging’ where he found that when pictures of Coca Cola and popcorn were projected onto cinema screens for split seconds so that audience members could not see it, their sales increased significantly. However he completely made these results up.