ethical issues

• what is an issue?

  • something to consider when looking at contributions made to understanding behaviour
  • can be from perspective of who conducts research/how research is conducted/who it applies to
• define ethical issue?

  • issues that arise when theres conflict between rights of p & aims of researcher
• define ethical implications?

  • effects/consequences of psych research
  • could affect individuals involved in study/have wider implications for society as whole
• what are ethical guidelines?

  • set of principles set out by bps to help psychologists behave honestly & with integrity
• ethical implications in attachment?

  • bowlbys monotropic theory suggests infants form 1 att thats more important above all others - happens in critical period
  • has important implications for child rearing practices suggesting women should stay at home to take care of their children
  • has potential impact on employability of women & reinforces gender stereotypes that their role is to stay at home & look after children
• define social sensitivity?

  • TYPE OF ETHICAL IMPLICATION
  • refers to any research that has wider ethical implications that impact outside research context
  • relates to studies which have potential social consequence for p/individuals represented by research
• sieber & stanley 1988?

  • identified 4 aspects that raise ethical implications in socially sensitive research
• 4 aspects sieber & stanley identified?

  1. research question
  2. methodology
  3. institutional contect
  4. interpretation & application of findings
• research question?

  • consider question being asked
  • is it potentially socially sensitive to certain groups
• methodology?

  • are p being treated correctly
  • are they getting confidentiality & anonymity
• institutional context?

  • who is funding research & what is it being used for
• interpretation & application of findings?

  • how might research be interpreted in real world
  • might findings be used to inform policy
• social sensitivity in obedience?

  • nazi soldiers just blindly followed orders of authority figure as they left autonomous state & entered agentic shift & thus not able to take responsibility for their actions
  • may be offensive to survivors of holocaust & their families by minimising blame of officers who took part in mass killings
• what are costs?

  • not being protected from psychological harm
  • less people willing to take part in future
  • gives psychology bad reputation/discrediting its work
• what are benefits?

  • can help lots of people with socially sensitive topics
  • get an understanding for human behaviour
  • contribute to social science discipline & its research - improve different social institutions
• cost benefit analysis?

  • not always possible to stick to ethical guidelines as they may jeopardise results of research
  • can break guidelines provided you can justify your reasons & must find way around issue - needs to be approvrd by ethical committee
  • cost to p must be less than benefits to research
• used to disadvantage certain groups - consequence?

  • in early 20th century cyril burt used studies of identical twins to support his view that intelligence is largely genetic
  • used in 1920s to justify 11+ - entrance exam place kids in grammar schools/secondary moderns depending on scores
  • those from disadv background more likely to fail & not go to academic grammar schools
  • important as it shows socially sensitive research can have huge implications for certain groups in society when used to shape policy
  • thousands of kids will have been disadv in life due to this research
• * practical application - positive impact?

  • milgrams research has been rightly criticised for removing blame from nazi soldiers
  • but milgram himself was jewish & instead used his findings to warn future generations of dangers of blind obedience
  • suggests study teaches us valuable lessons about how to prevent dangerous obedience in future
  • important as it shows socially sensitive research can have positive practical application even when theres risk of upsetting some people
  • m would argue benefits of research outweigh costs
• use ethics boards - fix?

  • ethics boards will bring together senior members of university staff to look at research being carried out & will use seiber & stanleys criteria to conduct cost benefit analysis of study
  • thinking about research question/institutional context of research
  • means this research is checked before being carried out
  • this is important as it means research can be carried out only when costs & benefits to society have been carefully considered minimising risk of harm to p/society