Ethical Implications (Issues and Debates)

Question 1

Ethics in Psychology

Answer 1

• It is considered to protect participants from psychological and physical or loss of self-esteem
• It is considered when we ask if ‘ends justify the means’
• Researchers follow advice set out by the British Psychological Society (BPS) to help psychologists carry out their research ethically

Question 2

Ethical implications of research

Answer 2

• psychological research does not appear in a vacuum- it has an impact on the lives of those studied and other similar groups
• the ethical implications of psychological research is concerned with the way research impacts on those who participate and the impact of the research findings on the wider society
• the wider effects of the research should be carefully considered
• some studies may give scientific credence to prejudice and discrimination
-Uses/public policy
• the researcher needs to consider the research and what purpose it cold be used for
• could be used for political ends to shape public policy e.g. Bert and the 11+

Question 3

Socially sensitive research

Answer 3

• Simon Baron Cohen is one of the country’s top researcher’s into ASD
  —“Chinese scientists create ‘autistic’ monkeys in controversial study they claim could lead to cure for humans”
  • implies ‘cure’ for ASD
  • autistic monkeys would not be the same as autistic humans
  -Sieber and Stanley (1988) define social sensitivity as:Studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants involved in the research or for the class of individuals represented by the research”
  —examples
  • maternal deprivation
  • Romanian orphans
  • obedience
  • genetic basis for criminality

Question 4

Sieber and Stanley 1988

Answer 4

outlined four groups that may be affected by psychological research

1. members of the social group being studied such as racial or ethnic groups. For example, early research on IQ was used to discriminate against African-American citizens in the US
2. friends and relative of those taking part in the study, particularly in case studies, where individuals may become famous or infamous. Cases that spring to mind would include Genie’s mother
3. the research team: there are examples of researchers being intimidated because of the line of research they are in
4. the institution in which the research is conducted

Question 5

Validity of psychological research

Answer 5

• although research is supposed to be objective and value-free this is not always the case; the researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and consider who is funding the research

Question 6

(Evaluation) Considerations of socially sensitive research

Answer 6

• the considerations outlined by Siber 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 to simply safeguard the interests of the participants taking part in the research
• for example, the current ethical guidelines do not require researchers to consider how their findings may be used by other people or institutions to form and/or shape public social policy

Question 7

(Evaluation) Benefits of socially sensitive research

Answer 7

• Scarr (1988) argues that studies of under-represented groups and issues may promote greater understanding to help reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance
• socially sensitive research can benefit society as a whole, for example, research into unreliability of EWT has reduced the risk of miscarriages of justice within the legal system
• this suggests that socially sensitive research may play a valuable role in society

Question 8

(Evaluation) framing the question

Answer 8

• Sieber and Stanley (1998) warn that how research questions are phrased and investigated may influence the ways findings are interpreted
• for example, research into ‘alternative relationships’ has been guilty of a heterosexual bias in that homosexual relationships have been judged against heterosexual norms (Coyle and Kitzinger)
• suggests researchers can misrepresent minority groups
• Reflexivity: acknowledge own bias in research

Question 9

(Evaluation) who does it benefit? social policy

Answer 9

• 1950s subliminal messages (Packard, 1957)
• a study claimed that sales of Coca-Cola and popcorn increases significantly when images of them were flashes up on cinema screens, too quickly for audiences to be aware of them

Question 10

(Evaluation) social control

Answer 10

• the fact that socially sensitive research has been used to ‘prop up’ discriminatory practices in the past is an argument against its widespread adoption
• use of examining racial differences in IQ has been used to justify forms of social control. For example, between 1907 and 1963 over 64,000 individuals were forcibly sterilised under eugenic legislation in the US
• 2000 involuntary sterilisations were also performed on poor black women without their knowledge (1972)
• this could be ‘justified’ by research findings which argued that black Americans had lower IQ scores in comparison to white people highlighting a serious issue with socially sensitive research

Question 11

(Evaluation) Costs and benefits might be difficult to predict

Answer 11

• although potential research is scrutinised by an ethics committee, some of the consequences of research involving vulnerable groups might be difficult to anticipate
• assessments of the worth of such research are typically subjective and the real impact of the research can only ever be known once it has been made public
• may be particularly difficult to manage once the research is ‘out there’