Ethical issues

• Ethical implications

  • the impact psychological research can have on other people including in society, the way certain groups are percieved and government legislation
  • although ethical issues during the research are considered, there is little control over the impact their research may have after it has been published
  • and how the findings may be represented or manipulated by the media
  • so ethical implications must be carefully considered before collecting data or starting research
• Social sensitivity - Sieber and Stanley

  • 'studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants involved in the research or for the class of individuals represented by the research.'
  • although socially sensitive research is often conducted into taboo topics like gender (atypical chromosomes or gender dysphoria), it doesn't have to be to have ethical implications
  • e.g. research into schizophrenia symptoms may cause people with a schizophrenia diagnosis to be deterministic about their prognosis, causing them to have worse wellbeing, when they may not experience these symptoms
• Sieber and Stanley identified 4 main reasons for ethical implications in socially sensitive research

  • Research Question - the phrasing is crucial! shouldn't be written to try and provoke ethical implications for people or groups (don't make it 'Are there racial differences in IQ?', should be more subtle)
  • Methodology - the treatment of the participants, their right to confidentiality and anonymity needs to be considered
  • e.g. if a ppt discloses that they have committed a crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality
  • Institutional Context - must be mindful about how the research is going to be used, who is funding the research? if it is funded by a private institution, why are they doing so? how do they intend to use the findings?
  • Application of Findings - could they be used by the gov for political reasons or developing policy? if yes, are there any risks? could it lead to discimination (MAIN CAUSE OF ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS)
• Social sensitivity can never be avoided completely - researchers should instead weigh up possible costs and benefits before conducting any research

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  Only preceed when there are more benefits to outweigh the costs
• Application to topic areas

  • Gender
  • research into atypical sex chromosome patterns - consequences for funding of treatment to help with the deficiencies
  • self-fulfilling prophecy with the label - may change how they are percieved in society
  • gender dysphoria - gender is a taboo topic, must be carefully considered when attempting to explain it, and impact on individuals
  • Social influence
  • Milgram's study broke the assumption that 'Germans are different' in the way they obey authority figures
  • these findings have also been used in attempt to defend a number of war crimes e.g. the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War
  • Schizophrenia
  • research into the nature of schizophrenia and its symptoms may determine those with a schizophrenia diagnosis into thinking they will experience those symptoms - they may not actually experiences these symptoms but due to research be fixed minded in their thinking which may reduce their wellbeing
• Used to validate discrimination

  • Yerkes IQ test was developed to decide who should be sent to the frontlines and who should be an officer
  • because this test was culturally biased, non-white Americans and Europeans typically scored worse, causing them to be sent the frontlines, more died
  • this was also used to prop up discimination and prejudices against these groups in society
  • clearly showing how socially sensitive research can lead to the justification of discrimination
• Benefits

  • Can be beneficial to society as a whole
  • Scarr - argues studies of under-represented groups and issues may promote greater understanding to help reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance - this would be greatly benficial to groups who face discrimination
  • also research into the unreliability of EWT - reduced the miscarriage of justice within the legal system
• Costs and benefits can be difficult to predict

  • this makes it harder to avoid the costs
  • for example, Milgram's colleagues predicted that only 3% of participants would go to 450V when actually 65% did
  • therefore, Milgram hadn't accurately predicted the consequences of research on society, making them more significant
  • he also hadn't fully considered the impact on participants, but then appropriately followed up with them
  • clearly showing how costs and benefits can be unpredictable even for experts
• Not doing socially sensitive research is irresponsible

  • Because psychology is the study of human behaviour, we should take responsibility and carry out research even if it might have consequences on society
  • researchers can't always predict what they research will show but they can be reflective and act appropriately, particularly towards their participants if there are significant consequences