Lesson 7: Ethical Implications Of Psychological Research Flashcards
Ethical implications of research studies and theory
- we have seen in the study of psychology how ethical issues may arise when there is a conflict between psychology’s need to gain valid and valuable research findings whilst at the same time, preserving the rights and dignity of the participants.
- ethical implications are the impact psychological research may have on the rights of other people especially participants. This includes the influence on research in public policy and the way certain groups of people in society are perceived.
- ethical guidelines exist to protect those involved in research, however psychologists have limited control over
1) how the findings of their study are presented in the media
2) the impact of their findings on public policy
3) how their findings may impact the perception of particular groups in society
Ethical implications of Milgram’s study
- research and attitudes to people of different nationalities
- attempted to prove ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis by stating the that American people when put in a situation where they are required to obey an authority figure to give lethal electric shocks to another individual would not obey.
- was making assumptions about German people about being obedient due to their authoritarian personalities
- might cause people to frown upon Germans if it was proven
Ethical implications of Bowlby’s research
- research and the effects on working mothers
- Bowlby assumed the PCG must be the mother or mother figure and must be with the infant in the critical period otherwise the child would suffer from maternal deprivation (and become AP)
- puts pressure on mothers and makes them feel guilty going to work
Other examples of studies that may have ethical implications
- diagnosis of depression, schizophrenia
- labelling e.g. gender identity
- biological research into addiction/aggression/offending
- implications of relationship based counselling based on research into relationships
- how research into gender might affect parenting/educational practices
Strengths of ethical implications in research
+ Main practical implication of the consideration of ethical implications is that it has led to research that is conducted in a much more sensitive manner, which has resulted in the protection of the health and dignity of participants, as well as the reputation of psychology. For example, experiments like Milgram’s and Zimbardo’s would not have been carried out unless they were carefully controlled and not having any long lasting damaging effects on the participants.
+ Another positive of looking at ethical implications is that most research does have ethical implications and the fact that this point is recognised is a strength in that researchers can then be more careful when they carry out research and be aware of the ethical implications. In effect the code of ethics governed by the BPS together with university ethics boards mean that ethical implications of research have to be considered if research is to be conducted. Stringent guidelines have become more careful as time has passed so the chances of research causing problems has been reduced.
Weaknesses of ethical implications in research
- Sometimes it is not possible to see what the effects of research might be on the researcher, the participants and coding. 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 causes problems from time to time. For example, carrying out research on the effects of daycare in 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 or not.
- The ethical guidelines set for research permission are sometimes seen as too strict. There are areas of research which could elicit helpful findings that could benefit a lot of people. However, the research cannot be conducted due to the research process potentially causing issues for the participants or researcher. Reaching a balance is therefore problematic.
Socially sensitive research
- refers to 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 (Sieber and Stanley)
Concerns (Sieber and Stanley)
- Implications (wider effects, ‘scientific credence’ to prejudice?)
- Uses/public policy (what is the research likely to be used for?, what would happen if used for the wrong purpose)
- validity of research
10 types of ethical issues (Sieber and Stanley)
- Privacy
- Confidentiality
- Valid methodology
- Deception
- Informed consent
- Equitable treatment
- Scientific freedom
- Ownership of data
- Values
- Risk/benefit ratio
Social control
- another ethical implication was shown in America in the 1920s and 30s, a large number of US statues enacted legislation that led to the compulsory sterilisation of many citizens on the grounds that they were ‘feeble-minded’ and a drain in society. This included people deemed to be of low intelligence, drug or alcohol addicts and the mentally ill. The rationale, supported by many sections of the scientific and psychological community at the time, was that such feeble-minded people were ‘unfit’ to breed. The fact that socially sensitive research has been used to support discriminatory practices in the past is an argument against its widespread adoption therefore leading to negative and unfair social control.
Examples of socially sensitive research (Lowney, 1995)
- participant observations of a group of teenager satanists in the USA. Lowney recorded their views on life and their activities which mainly included a small amount of underage drinking, drug taking and listening to music. She interpreted her findings as suggesting they had become satanists as they did not agree with their peer group within their high school and other schools in America.
- effects: parental backlash over the behaviour of the young people in the study, condemnation form the community, peer exclusion as the research was very critical of certain high school social groups
Examples of socially sensitive research (Humphreys 1970)
- research into the social interactions and practises of homosexuals meeting in public toilets for sex. Humphreys, himself homosexual, acted as a gay man and talked to participants. He took their car number plates to check their backgrounds and used a contact he had from the police to find out their addresses. His analysis of his findings suggested that gay stereotypes are false.
- At the time homosexuality was not widely accepted and the breach of privacy potentially had negative implications for the participants (e.g. police now had access to their details(. Although the research outcome was positive, the research may have led to distrust of psychologists and caused real upset amongst those involved.
Examples of socially sensitive research (Raine 1996)
- this research used brain scans of violent criminals to examine their impulse control. Raine found that there was damage in most of the brains, focused around the frontal lobe, which specialises in impulse control. Raine stated that these findings provided a method of identification of people with a predisposition to violent criminal behaviour. He suggested that children could be scanned to help find the potential violent criminals of the future.
- potential discrimination against those who are found to have this Neuroanatomical abnormality
Weaknesses of socially sensitive research
- considerations outlined by Sieber and Stanley provide a mechanism to safeguard individuals who are indirectly affected by psychological research. Because of the problems associated with socially sensitive research, it is not sufficient enough to simply safeguard the interests of the participants taking part in the research. There is also the potential for an indirect impact on the participant’s family and co worked and therefore it is important for researchers to consider the wider implications of their research. Current guidelines are more focused in direct effects of research on participants but may not address the ways research may i;flint harm in people in society. For example, the current ethical guidelines do not require researchers to consider how their findings may be used by other people to form public social policy. Furthermore, because many marginalised groups (those with disabilities, elderly people, economically disadvantaged) are excluded from research they may be harmed by its conclusions and application.
- Issues with conducting socially sensitive research are why some psychologists simply suggest that we should avoid conducting such research and steer clear of sensitive topics like ethnicity, gender and sexuality. However this would probably leave researchers with nothing but trivial questions investigate. A more acceptable solution might be for psychologist to engage with policy makers after the publication of their findings to help reduce the likelihood that data is misused and to ensure that evidence based research is used in socially sensitive ways.
Strengths of socially sensitive research
+ Psychologists should conduct socially sensitive research because many groups in society have suffered the consequences of being excluded from research or being misrepresented when they have been included. Our understanding of human behaviour has been lessened by misinterpretations and failure to represent certain groups within research. This has ethical implications because these people miss out on the benefits of psychological research,
+ It is important to recognise that not all socially sensitive research is controversial and some is desirable and beneficial to society. For example, research examining eye-witness testimony, especially the use of child-witnesses (Flin et al) has found that young children can be reliable witnesses if they are questioned in a timely and appropriate manner. In this area, socially sensitive research has resulted in a good working relationship between psychologists and the legal profession to help improve the accuracy and validity of children eye-witnesses.
