Key Terms of Ethical Implications

Question 1

Ethical Implications

Answer 1

impact that research has on society, how it influences public policy and /or the way in which certain groups of people are seen.

Question 2

Socially Sensitive Research

Answer 2

any research that may be controversial e.g. sexuality or race, and negatively impact a group of people.

Question 3

Sieber and Stanley’s concerns

Answer 3

Concerns need to be aware of when doing socially sensitive research: implications, public policy, validity/interpretation and application of findings

Question 4

Implications

Answer 4

some studies may give scientific status to prejudice and discrimination as difficult to predict data. E.g. Bowlby’s research found serious psychological effects if children deprived of contact with mother between 0-2yrs, led to marginalisation of women as if left baby discriminated against and policies encouraged women to stay at home.

Question 5

Public policy

Answer 5

sometimes research can be used for wrong purpose and findings of research may be used to shape public policies. E.g. Burt’s research found IQ has a large heritability coefficient concluding intelligence was genetic, Government introduced 11+ to separate based on ‘natural intelligence’ (w/c vs m/c).

Question 6

Validity/interpretation and application of findings

Answer 6

some findings that have been presented as objective in past have turned out to be highly subjective and may be used for other reasons. E.g. IQ tests used to identify people with very low IQ so they could then be sterilised (as intelligence is genetic), primarily ethnic minorities performed worse.