What are ethical issues?
Issues that arise when there is a conflict between gaining valuable research and preserving the rights of participants (DRIP)
What do researchers have little control of how their findings are afterwards? (Ethical implications)
- how their findings are presented/misrepresented in the media
- how their findings affect public policy
- how their findings influence our perception of particular groups in society
Define socially sensitive research.
Any research that may be controversial
Sieber + Stanley found a number of concerns that researchers need to be mindful of when conducting socially sensitive research.
- implications: eg; racial basis for intelligence - US ARMY IQ test lead to African Americans not being hired in the workplace due to being seen as ‘feeble minded’ for having a low IQ
- uses/public policy: eg; impact on govt policy - Bowlblys research may have lead the UK Govt not to offer free childcare
- validity of the research
How can researchers deal with socially sensitive research?
- The researches must consider their research question carefully.
- The researcher needs to consider their treatment of the participants and their right to privacy.
- The researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and the funding.
- The researcher needs to consider how their findings may be interpreted and applied in the real life world.
P: Socially sensitive research does have some benefits.
E: Scarr argued that studies of underrepresented groups and issues promote greater understanding and awareness. It can reduce prejudiced and encourage acceptance.
E: This suggests that SSR has a valuable role in society.
L: Therefore, we shouldn’t shy away from conducting SSR and just be aware of the implications it may have.
P: A strength of SSR is that it can have benefits for the group who have been studied.
E: For example, in 1952, the DSM-1 listed homosexuality as a personality disorder but finally removed it in 1973 due to the Kingsley report.
E: This report concluded that homosexuality is a typical expression of human sexual behaviour which led to less discrimination, more acceptable and changed to social policies.
L: Therefore, SSR can be important.
P: An advantage of SSR is that lawmakers can use it to inform their decisions making.
E: For example, the govt. has individual groups such as the ONS to gather information bout the economy, society, population etc.
E: This means that data collected from research into education, crime and other socially sensitive areas can be used to create fair policies.
L: Therefore, psychologists have an important role to play in providing high quality research on SS topics.
CA: However, the ONS doesn’t represent all people are there are hidden statistics. This means it lacks validity as it’s not representative of all groups.
P: One limitation is that it may lead to erroneous findings.
E: This was the case in Burts research because after he was exposed, the 11+ exam was still used as a selection tool for grammar schools in the UK today.
E: Similarly, access to many independent schools are based on a child’s performance in an entrance exam in Year6 and is likely based on the same reasoning as Burts.
L: Therefore, any research on SS topics need to be planned with the greatest care that findings are valid because of the effects of particular groups of people.
