Issues - ethical issues

Question 1

What is the cost of carrying out unethical research

Answer 1

• public can lose trust in researchers - leads to a lack of volunteers
• causes psychological/ physical harm to humans or animals
• impacts the participant’s future behaviour due to their involvement in the study

Question 2

What are the benefits of carrying out unethical research

Answer 2

• progresses the understanding of psychology
• records natural and therefore ecologically valid behaviour
• reduces biases
• provides further real life application and useful research

Question 3

how do researchers determine if they should proceed with asking to carry out unethical research

Answer 3

they shoudl carry out a cost-benefit anaylsis to determine if they should proceed

Question 4

define ethical implications

Answer 4

the impact of (psychological) research may have on the rights of the people after its conducted. This may be individuals or the groups they represent (e.g. Yerkes IQ test). This can be more difficult/ impossible to control than ethical issues.

Question 5

define ethical issues

Answer 5

Ethical issues are issues that arise when there is a conflict between the rights of the participants in the research study and the goals of the research to produce authentic, valid and worthwhile data

Question 6

What must be followed by the researchers to protect the participants

Answer 6

Researchers must follow the ethical guidlines designed by the british psychological society (in the uk)

e.g. do not bring harm to participants

Question 7

What were the ethical implications of the Yerkes IQ test

Answer 7

• The findings were described as facts and valued as scientific knowledge by many
• use of the intelligence test findings prevented a lot of immigrants from moving to America including many jews who were escaping
• The differences the tests showed in racial and national groups was colossal and was used by many as ammunition for rasist behaviour and propaganda
• The research feulled an immigration restriction act that passed.

Question 8

define social sensitive research

Answer 8

any research in which there are potential consequences or implications for any of the stakeholders

Question 9

Give an example of social sensitive research that had a positive impact

Answer 9

The DSM-1 listed homosexuality as a sociopathic disorder until Kinsley anonymously interviewed 5000 men about their sexual behaviour and concluded being gay was normal.
Homosexuality was removed from future DSMs

Question 10

define ethical guidlines

Answer 10

a set of rules and ways to deal with participants

Question 11

According to the ethical guidlines how do you deal with participants

Answer 11

• gain fully informed consent
• debreif participants when study concludes
• ensure confidentiality/ anonymity
• take care with the disclosure of results to participants