Lesson 3 - Ethical implications and social sensitivity Flashcards
What are ethical implications?
Effects of research on participants
Effects of publication on wider public
Potential use of the findings, like allocation of resources
Potential use of the findings, like political consequences/legislation, like social welfare
Potential bias against people of certain cultures/socioeconomic backgrounds
Potential influence on moral attitudes towards individual/social/ethnic groups, like the schizophrenogenic mother
Economic implications, like funding and further research, like costs on the NHS
Examples of studies with ethical issues
- Bowlby’s research and the effects on child-rearing/working mothers, as Bowlby assumed that the primary caregiver must be a mother. This could put a weight of guilt on mothers for going to work and not being with their child.
Strengths of ethical issues
- It has led to a lot of research being conducted in a much more sensitive manner. It aims to preserve the health and dignity of participants.
- A cost-benefit analysis can be used to decide whether it is worth carrying out that piece of research. If the costs outweigh the benefits then the research should not be carried out
Weaknesses of ethical issues
- Sometimes it is not always possible to see what the effects of research might be on the researcher, the participants and society. This makes it hard to judge. It is also not an objective decision, so there is potential for bias from within the decision makers. This means that research, (particularly socially sensitive research which has the potential to impact treatment of certain groups in society) causes problems from time to time. For example, carrying out research on the effects of daycare on children seems to show an increase in children’s aggression levels. This means that we need to be careful about this finding because it is insinuating that children should not go to daycare. This would then affect working mothers and whether they send their children to daycare.
What is socially sensitive research?
Studies in which there are potential social consequences or implications, either directly for the participants in the research or the class of individuals represented by the research leading to prejudice or discrimination.
Sieber and Stanley (1988)
Warn that the way that the research questions are phrased and investigated may influence the way that the research results are interpreted
Examples of socially sensitive research
- Research into relationships tend to focus on heterosexual relationships and any research into homosexual relations were compared and judged on heterosexual norms. Some of the research into relationships is definitely more guilty this such as the evolutionary explanations of partner preferences which focuses on inter-sexual selection which does not apply to homosexuals.
- Bowlby’s work on attachments. The law of continuity and the zero dose idea may give women a sense of guilt for if they went to work. This also had implications on legislation, as after WW2, the government put in place a law where mothers were told to stay at home for the first five years of a childs life which mean that fathers were breadwinners.
Strengths of socially sensitive research
It is important to recognise that not all socially sensitive research is controversial and some is desirable and beneficial to society. For example, studies examining eye witness testimony especially the use of child-witnesses has found that young children can be reliable witnesses if they are questioned in a timely and appropriate manner. This has resulted in a good working relationship between psychologists and law enforcement and legal professionals.
- Sieber and Stanley argue that taking a reflexive approach to dealing with socially sensitive research is better than avoiding sensitive issues entirely. This involves psychologists reflecting on how their now biases and beliefs affect the research process.
- You can do a cost-benefit analysis for studies.
Weaknesses of socially sensitive research
- Socially sensitive research can lead to unwarranted means of discrimination, such as examining racial differences in IQ, which has subsequently been used in social control. Between 1907 and 1963, over 64,000 individuals were forcibly sterilised under eugenic legislation in the US, and in 1972, it was found that at least 2,000 poor black women were sterilised without knowledge or consent. a ‘justification’ for this are studies like this that are sometimes flawed.
- Socially sensitive topics like the above may mean that researchers do not investigate these, however this leaves questions unanswered. It is better if researchers collaborate more closely with policy makers to make sure that results do not get misused.
- By ignoring socially sensitive areas of research, researchers are released of their moral responsibility to help highlight differences in social groups. We need these pieces of evidence to help support underprivileged or underrepresented groups.
