social sensitivity

• Social sensitivity 


  Research that could be used in a negative way if it was to get into thee wrong political behaviour
• Ethical implication


  The impact the psychological research may have for the rights of ppts in research, it also includes influencing how people see certain groups at a societal level, influencing public opinion & public policy.
• Sieber & Stanley - 4 ways in which research can become socially sensitive

  1.Research question can be socially sensitive & have ethical implications, 2.Agenda of the funder, 3.Treatment of ppts, 4. Sinister use of the findings, research findings may be used for a purpose other than they originally intended.
• Example of a socially sensitive research question - schizophrenia

  Is there an association between cold parenting style & the development of schizophrenia?
• Ethical issues this could lead to - schizophrenia


  May make parents feel like they are to blame. May stop them from getting help & support for their child as they feel like 'bad parents'
• What does agenda refer to?

  The true motive of the funder
• Murray's research into race & IQ - political agenda

  Bell shaped curve implies black people have lower IQ than white people in USA, researcher put it down to genetic difference.
• Ethical issues - Murray's research into race & IQ: political agenda


  Used by right-wing political groups to justify racial discrimination. Could be used to cut findings in education in black areas in the USA.
• 2 ethical issues a psychologist needs to consider when conducting socially sensitive research

  Confidentially must be maintained. Ppts must be protected from harm.
• David Reimer - A study where confidentiality could have been an issue for a socially sensitive piece of research


  David Reimer - sex change as a baby -> went public with story. Research could attract attention from the mass media who may invade the privacy of the ppts involved. Media may pay for story
• Ethical implications - David Reimer

  The media exposure would have put extra pressure on David Reimer which may have contributed in part to his suicide.
• Milgram's obedience study - Study where protection could have been an issue


  Ppts were placed under pressure to give a victim increasing voltage electric shocks.
• Milgram's obedience study - ethical issues

  May of the ppts thought they had harmed/killed the 'learner' during the study
• Genetic basis for crime - Findings which have a negative ethical implication for groups of people


  MAOA gene aka the 'warrior gene' has been linked to crime.
• Genetic basis for crime - ethical implications

  Eugenics, sterilisation of aggressive people/criminals in order to reduce the government needs to spend on prisons. See criminals as lesser beings - medical experiments on prisoners as they're seen as inferior in 1920s, eg. infecting them with the plague, testing reactions to different types of chemicals. Defence for murder - diminished reponsibility.
• Brain of a murderer - Findings which have a negative ethical implication for groups of people


  Raine study - reduced activity in the pre-frontal cortex (so may cause them to act in a more impulsive way). Abnormality in the amygdala - linked with aggression.
• Brain of a murderer - ethical implications

  Could lead to compulsory brain scanning of all teenagers to see if they fit the brain scan profile of a psychopath. Could lead to anyone with the brain scan profile of a murderer being segregated from the rest of society.
• What should a psychologist think about before embarking on a socially sensitive area of research?

  The cost-benefit model: low risk/cost, high reward/benefit