Issues And Debates - Ethical Implications & Social Sensitivity. Flashcards
What are ethical implications?
The impact that pscyhological research may have in terms of the rights of others.
Can be at a societal level -> influencing public policy and/or the way certain groups are treated
What is social sensitivity?
Sieber & Stanley -> ‘studies in which there are potential consequences/implications, either directly for the participants in the research of the class of individuals represented by the research’
Why were ethical guidelines established?
To protect those involved in research
What are some ethical issues in social sensitive research, pointed out by Sieber & Stanley?
Implications -> The wider effects of the research (some studies can give ‘scientific’ credence to discrimination) but can be difficult to predict
Uses/public policy -> What the research is going to be used & what would happen if it was used incorrectly needs to be considered
Validity of the research -> Some findings presented as objective in the past have been highly suspect/fraudulent -> many modern social constructionist researchers are more up front about their biases & preconceptions & comment on the reflexive nature of their work
EVALUATION: What are the benefits of socially sensitive research?
Scarr argues studies of underrepresented groups & issues may promote greater sensitivity & understanding of them
It has benefited society -> e.g. research into the unreliability of eyewitness testimony = reduced risk of miscarriages of justice n the legal system (valuable)
EVALUATION: What are the issues with framing the question?
Sieber & Stanley warn the way which research questions are phrased & investigated may influence how the findings are interpreted e.g. cross-cultural research may be blighted by ethnocentrism from researchers -> suggests investigators must approach research with ‘open mind’ & be prepared to have preconceptions challenged to avoid misinterpreting minority groups
EVALUATION: What are the issues with who gains from socially sensitive research?
It has been used to influence social policy despite dubious nature of its findings & can have consequences e.g. Packard did a study and claimed the sales of Coca-Cola & popcorn increased significantly when the cinema screen flashed images of them too quickly so the audience wasn’t aware -> however he made them up
Research that seeks to manipulate the public has ethical implications & raises issues of who benefits from the research which is difficult to manage when the research is out there
EVALUATION: What are the issues with research being used for social control?
America in 1920s-30s -> large number of US states enacted legislation that led to compulsory sterilisation of individuals on the grounds that they were a drain on society (drug/alcohol addicts, low IQ & mentally ill) which was supported by multiple many sections of psychological & scientific communities -> causes an argument against conducting socially sensitive research if it is going to ‘pop up’ discrimination
EVALUATION: What are the costs & benefits of socially sensitive research?
Research with possible sensitive implications may be scrutinised by an ethics committee (weigh up pros & cons of research). However some of the social consequences of research may be difficult to anticipate -> real impact of research can only be known once it has been made public
