Socially sensitive research

• socially sensitive research is any research that might have direct social consequences for participants in research or group they represent
• implications are effects or consequences that researcher may come into when discovering their theory
• ethical implications include deception, informed consent, privacy e.c.t.
• psychologists are required to balance rights of individual participants against need to produce research useful to society
• before research can be funded and carried out it must be approved by the research ethics committee
• research ethics committee carry out cost effective analysis on research proposals
• research ethics committee carry out cost benefit anlysis to make sure the benefits outweigh any damage/harm the research is likely to do
• the research ethics committee is a group of people appointed to review research proposals to assess if research is ethical - research must conform to recognised ethical standards
• the cost benefit analysis outlines what moral costs of the research may be alongside the contribution of the world it may have from the research
• milgram broke a number of modern ethical guidelines
• milgrams research opened up debate and stimulated efforts to improve ethical considerations
• milgram improved our understanding of obedience which would be far poorer if he hadnt done the research
• although bowlby contributed to development of childcare practises it has encouraged view that womans place is to be at home with her children - could make some mothers feel guilty for wanting to return to work following childbirth
• sieber and stanley used term 'social sensitivity' to describe studies where there are potential social consequences for particular group of people represented by research
• sieber and stanley identified four aspects in scientific research process that raises ethical implications to socially sensitive research

  • research question
  • conduct or research and treatment of participants
  • the institutional context
  • interpretation and application findings
• the research question is where researchers must consider research questions carefully as they dont want to ask damaging questions
• conduct of research and treatment of participants is where researcher needs to consider treatment of participants and their right to confidentiality and anonymity - example is someone committing a crime and the question is should the researcher maintain confidentiality
• the institutional context - is where research always has to be funded - if funded by political body (or body with specific aims) - this can bias research process if individual has personal interest for profit if research goes right way
• interpretation and application of findings is where research findings can be used in ways other than those intended