Ethical implications of research studies and theory

• Ethical issues are due to conflict. They arise when there is a conflict between:


  • Psychology’s need for valid and valuable research. 
  • Preserving the rights and dignity of participants.
• Wider ethical implications of research are hard to predict.

  • Researchers can control the methods they use and how they treat participants.
  • They have less influence on how findings are presented in the media, how their work impacts public policy and how it affects perception of some groups in society.
• Socially sensitive research - research with social consequences (e.g. criminality or race). 


  j there are potential social implications, either directly for the participants in research or the class of individuals represented by the research. For example:

  • Research investigating the genetic basis of criminality might have far-reaching consequences for those who take part or for the broader social groups the participants represent. 
  • Studies that tackle socially sensitive ‘taboo’ topics, such as race or sexuality attract attention from the public.
• Researches often try to avoid this type of research - but they shouldn't. 


  Some forms of research are socially sensitive but psychologists should not ‘shy away’ from them. Because of the importance of such research, psychologists may have a social responsibility to carry it out (Aronson).
• Concerns for socially sensitive research include implications, public policy and validity. Sieber and Stanley have identified concerns:

  1. Implications - some studies may give ‘scientific status’ to prejudice and discrimination (difficult to predict as outset). 
  2. Uses/public policy - what would happen if it was used for the wrong purpose? Findings may be adopted by the government for political ends or to shape public policy. 
  3. Validity of the research - some findings presented as objective in the past turned out to be fraudulent. 
• Burt's socially sensitive research


  nBurt’s research on IQ has consequences for UK schoolchildren. Burt was a leading psychologist influential in establishing the 11 + examination in the UK. This was used to decide whether children could go to grammar school based on their ‘natural’ intelligence. 

  Burt’s view was that intelligence is genetic, based on his studies of twins showing a heritability coefficient of + .77. 

  But discrepancies in the data showed he made much of the data up, and invented two research assistants. He was publicly discredited but the 11+ remained for many years.
• One strength is there are benefits of socially sensitive research.


  Scarr argues that studies of underrepresented groups and issues may promote greater understanding to help reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance. Socially sensitive research has benefited society (e.g. research into unreliability of eyewitness testimony 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. 
• Another strength is understanding how to frame questions.

  Sieber and Stanley warn that how research questions are harassed and investigated may influence the ways findings are interpreted. Kitzinger and Coyle note how research into so-called ‘alternative relationships’ has been guilty of ‘heterosexual bias’ - homosexual relationships were judged against heterosexual norms. This suggests that investigators must approach their research with an ‘open mind’ and be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged to avoid misrepresenting minority groups. 
• One limitation of socially sensitive research is it may be used for social control. 


  In the 1920s and 30s, a large number of US states enacted legislation that led to the compulsory sterilisation of many of its citizens. These people were judged to be ‘feeble-minded’ and a drain on society (e.g. those of ‘low intelligence’, drug addicts/alcohol addicts and the mentally ill). Some psychologists argued they were ‘unfit to breed’. The fact that socially sensitive research has been used to ‘prop up’ discriminatory practices in the past is an argument against its widespread adoption. 
• Another limitation is that costs and benefits may be difficult to predict. 


  Another limitation is that costs and benefits may be difficult to predict. Research that carries ethical implications (or is socially sensitive) is scrutinised by an ethics committee - it is their job to weigh up the costs and benefits of the research. However, some of the social consequences of research involving vulnerable groups may be difficult to anticipate. Assessments of the ‘worth’ of such research are typically subjective, and the real impact of research can only ever be known once it has been made public.