Ethical Implications

• Define Ethical Implications


  considers the impact or consequences that psychological research has on the rights of other people in a wider context, not just the ppts taking part in the research study.
• Define Ethical Issues


  issues that arise when there's conflict between the rights of the ppts and the aims of the researcher(s).
• Define Ethical Guidelines


  a set of principles set out by the BPS to help psychologists behave honestly and with integrity.
• Define Social Sensitivity


  refers to 'studies in which there are potential social consequences or implications, either directly for the ppts in research or the class of individuals represented by the research' (Sieber and Stanley, 1988)
• Define Cost vs Benefit

  weighing up the benefits of the research to the costs incurred following the research study.
• Research Studies - Milgram

  • promoted stereotypes about German people, which could lead to racism and discrimination.
  • wanted to know how easily ordinary people could be influenced into committing atrocities, e.g. the murder of over 6million Jews in Nazi concentration camps during WWII.
  • set out to disprove this because he believed that it was the situation that influenced obedience.
  • believed that anyone, who was put in the same situation, would follow extreme orders.
• Theories - Bowlby's Monotropic Theory of Attachment

  • encourages the idea that a women's place is at home with her children -> this can have a detrimental effect on mothers, who probably feel they should stay home with their baby to avoid disrupting bonding.
  • implication can be problematic especially if they need or want to return to work
  • other people who think they should be home with their baby may also discriminate against them.
  • may also reinforce that a women's 'natural' role is a child bearer.
• Sieber and Stanley


  4 aspects:

  1. The Research Question - researcher must consider their research question. carefully asking questions like 'Are there racial questions in IQ?' may be damaging to members of a particular group.
  2. The Methodology Used - researcher needs to consider the treatment of the ppts and their right to confidentiality and anonymity e.g. if someone admits to committing a crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality?
  3. The Institutional Context - researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and consider who's funding the research. if the research is funded by a private institution, why are they funding the research and how do they intent to use the findings.
  4. Interpretation and Application of Findings - finally, the researcher needs to consider how their feelings might be interpreted and applied in the real-world.
• AO3 Evaluation - Benefits of Socially Sensitive Research

  • despite the ethical implications associated with research into controversial and 'taboo' topics.
  • Scarr argues that studies of under-represented groups and issues may promote greater understanding to help prejudice and encourage acceptance.
  • similarly, SSR has benefitted society.
  • e.g. research into (un)reliability of EWT has reduced the risk of miscarriages of justice within the legal system.
  • strength as it suggests that SSR may play a valuable role in society.
• AO3 Evaluation - Costs and Benefits may be Difficult to Predict

  • research that carries with it possible ethical implications or socially sensitive, is scrutinised by an ethical committee.
  • it's their job to weight up the cost against the potential benefits of the research.
  • some of the social consequences of research involving vulnerable groups may be difficult to anticipate.
  • weakness as it suggests that assessments of the 'worth' of such research are typically subjective, and the real impact of research can only ever by known once it has been made public.
• AO3 Evaluation - No Consideration for the Wider Impact of Research

  • e.g. there's increased potential for a more indirect impact on the ppts family and co-workers, or maybe even the group that the ppt represents.
  • (e.g. addicts, women, the elderly, etc).
  • researchers need to think beyond simply safeguarding the interests of the ppts.
  • limitation as research must take account of the likely impact of the research on the larger group of which the ppt is a member.
• AO3 Evaluation - Marginalised Groups in Psychological Research

  • several groups in society have suffered the consequences of being excluded from research or being misinterpreted when they are included.
  • might be argued that our understanding of human behaviour has been lessened by our misinterpretations of, or our failure to include, representative samples of people with disabilities, the elderly, the disadvantages and member of minority cultures.
  • shortcomings also mean that these groups then miss out on any of the potential benefits in research.
  • limitation as this failure to fully include such groups in psychological research means out understanding of human behaviour has been unnecessarily restricted.