Socially sensitive research

Question 1

How does research raise sensitive social issues

Answer 1

• there are ethical implications when it comes to what the research findings might tell us
• findings from psychological research may highlight social issues that create negative effects of reactions in society
• might lead to certain griups being stigmatised, or to laws being passed that put some people at a disadvantage
• this is socially sensitive research

Question 2

What is socially sensitive research SIEBER AND STANLEY

Answer 2

-research that may have implications for the individuals in the research, or for groups in society, such as the pps families of particular cultural groups

Question 3

Genetic influences+criminal behaviour- issues

Answer 3

• research into whether there are gentici influences on criminal behaviour could have important consequences e.g. genetics could be used as a defence against being convicted for a crime
• the possibility of compulsory genetic testing to identify people with a particular gene
• screening could identify genes linked to psychological disorders
• this could lead to anxiety and social stigma, especially as people have a genetic vulnerability for a disorder but not actually develop it

Question 4

Using race as the IV- issues

Answer 4

• some studies using IQ tests have shown possible racial differencew in intelligence
• issue is if this is an approporiate topic for research because of social tensions that the results may produce
• this research is discredited because of methodlogical problems with the IQ tests that were used- e.g. they may have been biased toward some social cultural groups

Question 5

Should socially sensitive research be carried out

Answer 5

• there’s an argument that this research shouldn’t be carried out for ethical reasons
• but some people argue that researchers have to carry out this type of research as it can help society as a whole e.g. by showing the father can be the primary care giver

Question 6

Using race as the IQ- example of research- Yerkes (1917)

Answer 6

• many of the questions in the test required cultural knowledge of the US
• lower scores were due to a lack of culturalisations rather than low intelligence