(P3) synoptic content: issues & debates

Question 1

(1) ethical issues: human
what are the ethical issues that arise from social psychology?

Answer 1

• the implications of findings in prejudice and obedience include ethics as they may be exploited by others and the way psychology is used in society.
• the ethical issues that arise when doing research in relation to PP’s. milgram’s original 1963 study of obedience had serious ethical concerns.
• sherif et al. conducted an interview with the boys parents’ to obtain presumptive consent.
• sherif et al.’s study may be criticised for its ethical issues because the boys were deceived, under the impression that they were on a trip and they were put in situations, which could have been distressing.
• social psychology has since shown good ethics where burger 2009 replicated milgram’s original obedience study and adhered to the BPS code of ethics and the four ethical principles: intergrity, comptence, respect, privacy. he also conducted a risk assessment to minimise any potential harm caused or to screen out at-risk PP’s.

Question 2

AO1: ethical issues
give facts about ethical issues in relation to human ethics

Answer 2

human ethics in psychology refer to the BPS code of ethics or the HCPC code for practitioners.

BPS PRINCIPLES

respect involves treating the PP’s well.
responsibility involves the researcher taking accountability for their research and its procedure, ensuring that it is ethical and safe. whatever happens, the researcher is responsible for it.
integrity involves preserving and maintaining the privacy of the individual and their status as a person in society.
competence refers to the ability and skills for the psychologist to be able to conduct the study with the correct expertise.

**HCPC

Question 3

(1) ethical issues: human
what are the ethical issues that arise from cognitive psychology?

Answer 3

• field experiments require obtaining samples of ordinary PP’s ‘on the street’ which can give rise to ethical issues, where using them gives the difficulty of debriefing and obtaining informed consent all the while maintaining the objectivity and validity of the study.
• lab experiments like baddeley’s study mean taking PP’s out of their ordinary environment and putting them into a strange and unnatural environment or scenario which may be stressful.
• case studies of people with damage to their brains may struggle to give informed consent or the right to withdraw because of an ability to comprehend what the researcher is saying due to their brain impairment. for example, H.M case study may be deemed unethical because researchers working with H.M. could offer the right to withdraw but due to his impaired memory the extent to which this was followed is questionable, so this research may not be ethical.
• case studies in cognitive psychology regularly give patients a pseudonym to cover their identity and maintain privacy (e.g. H.M.) this is ethical and adheres to the BPS principle of respect.
• there are consequences of the findings of studies for example, knowledge about the WMM helping those with dementia may carry ethical implications because they may be exploited.