my version ethical issues in research

• ethical implications definition

  the consequences of any research (studies and/or theory) in terms of the effects on individual participants or on the way in which certain groups of people are subsequently regarded. there may also be consequences on a wider societal level
• social sensitivity definition

  sieber and stanley 1988 define socially sensitive research as studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants in the research or for the class of individuals represented by the research
• ethical issues

  e.g. deception and privacy - issues generally arise because of the conflict between psychology's need to gain valid research findings whilst preserving the rights of participants.

  ethical guidelines were established to protect participants and guide researchers
• ethical implications & social sensitivity

  ethical implications - concern consequences that psychological research may have. may apply to all psychological research but some areas of research have greater social sensitivity than others
• ethical implications and social sensitivity pt 2

  e.g. research on LTM in student in a student population is unlikely to have consequences for individual participants or for the broader social groups the participants represent (participants may not represent 1 social group - may be drawn from many different social groups). also there are unlikely to be consequences for social policy.
• ethical implications and social sensitivity

  CONTRAST a study on depression may have consequences in terms of individual participants, wider social group they represent & social policy. e.g. an individual participant may reveal personal info that is later accessed by a prospective employer or findings from a study may suggest people with depression never recover fully - therefore risk as an employee. in terms of social policy the findings of a study on depression could inform preferred treatment options recommended by the NHS. even seemingly innocuous may have consequences
• implications for the research process

  all psychological research has potential consequences but applies to socially sensitive research in particular. therefore all stages of planning and conducting studies are important when thinking of social sensitivity as well as later in handling the findings
• implications for research - research question

  Sieber and Stanley 1988 warn that the way in which research questions are phrased & investigated may influence the way in which findings are interpreted.

  e.g. Kitzinger and Coyle 1995 note how research into relationships has been guilty of a form of 'heterosexual bias' within with homosexual relationships were compared and judged against heterosexual norms
• implications for the research process - dealing with participants 


  issues such as informed consent, confidentiality and psychological harm may be especially important in socially sensitive research. e.g. a study on domestic abuse participants may worry an ex partner will find out about the study and also it is likely to be extremely stressful for participants to describe their experiences such participants may provide informed consent at the start but not fully understand the effect of the research
• implications for the research process - the way findings are used

  researchers should consider in advance how research findings may be used - may impact what data they collect. especially important because findings from research may be seen as giving scientific credence to existing prejudices e.g. studies examining the ethnic basis of intelligence.

  sensitive info = what media tend to be interested in & will publicise. e.g. Owen's research on people in a minimally conscious state received enormous media attention as it appeared he had made contact with patients that were thought unreachable
• strength - benefits for groups - one strength of socially sensitive research is that it can have benefits for the group who have been studied


  one example = homosexuality - 1952 the DSM-1 listed this as sociopathic personality disorder, but finally removed in 1973. this change has been credited to the Kinsey (1948) report which was based on anonymous interviews with over 5000 men + their sexual behaviour the report concluded that homosexuality is a typical expression of human sexual behaviour. Report also included data on interviews with 6000 women & caused outrage at the time because these were topics that no one discussed. this illustrates the importance of researchers tackling topics that are sensitive.
• counterpoint to the benefit for groups who have been studied - limitation


  however, in some studies there could be negative consequences for the groups being studied , which in some cases could have been anticipated. e.g., research investigating the genetic basis of criminality has found that there is a 'criminal gene'. if this is true does it mean someone could be convicted on the basis they have such a gene or should they be excused because they cannot be held responsible for any wrongdoing?

  this suggests that, when researching socially sensitive topics, there is a need for careful consideration of the possible outcomes and their consequences.
• strength - real world application - another strength is that certain groups (e.g. policymakers) rely on research related to socially sensitive issues.


  the government looks to research when developing important social policies e.g. decisions related to child care, education, mental health provision, crime and soon. it is clearly preferable to base such policies on scientific research rather than politically motivated views. for this reason in the UK there are independent groups such as the ONS (office for national statistics) who describe themselves as being responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating objective statistics about the UK's economy, society and population. such data is used in psychological research.

  this means that psychologists have an important role to play in providing high quality research on socially sensitive topics
• limitation - poor research design - one limitation is that poor research design may lead to erroneous findings which, once in the public arena, continue to have an impact.


  this was the case in relation to Burt's research because even after the fraud was exposed, the 11+ continued to be used. indeed the 11+ is still used as a selection tool in parts of the UK today (Kent & Belfast). similarly access to many independent schools is based on a childs performance in an entrance exam taken in yr 6 age 11 and is likely based on the same reasoning - that genetic potential has revealed itself by this age.

  therefore any research on socially sensitive topics needs to be planned with the greatest care to ensure the findings are valid because of the enduring effects on particular groups of people
• eval extra - to do or not to do

  one way to deal with socially sensitive research is to avoid doing it. this appears to be what people are doing. the American Psychological Association (APA 2001) reported that ethical committees approved 95% of non sensitive proposals that didn't include ethical problems whereas sensitive proposals were only approved about 50% of the time.

  however, sieber and stanley advised that ignoring such topics is not a responsible approach. one possibility is to follow qualitative researchers who are more upfront about their own biases and are a reflexive in their approach (reflect on how personal beliefs affect the research process)