Ethical implications

• what are ethical implications?

  -how findings could impact wider society and public policy

  -how research impacts the individuals who take part

  -implications can be +ve or -ve
• what is social sensitivity?

  -research that has ethical implications and that are centred around a taboo subject and are classed as socially sensitive
• whose responsibility is it to conduct cost benefits analysis?

  ethics committee
• what have sieber and stanley identified?

  4 areas of the research process that could have implications
• what are the 3 areas?

  -research question

  -dealing with participants

  -interpretation and applications of findings - how findings are used
• what does the research question refer to?

  -make sure research question is not damaging to certain groups. How the research question is phrased could influence the interpretation of findings e.g. using the phrase 'alternative relationships' suggests that they are being judged against heterosexual relationships and thus heterosexual norms
• what does the methodology used mean?


  -participants confidentiality and anonymity
• what does the institutional context mean?

  -mindful of how the data is going to be used

  -consider who is funding and why
• what does the interpretation and application of findings mean?

  -how findings may be used in real life

  -policies
• Example of socially sensitive research

  Milgram

  - results could be used to ensure that people obey orders, including those they don't wish to follow

  -provides obedience alibi

  -HOWEVER, highlights importance of blind obedience
• what are the evaluation points?

  -socially sensitive research should not be conducted

  -ss research should be conducted

  -not all ss research is controversial

  -need to consider ways of dealing with potential ethical issues before conducting research
• why should socially sensitive research not be conducted?

  -led to discrimination against many groups in society

  -e.g. research (in 1900's) into intelligence stated that african americans are intellectually inferior to white people

  -this enforced white supremacy and affected employment

  -understanding human behaviour has lessened as inability to represent groups of people
• why should ss research be conducted?

  -while may be tempting to avoid it would only leave trivial questions to investigate

  -science should always seek truth no matter the consequences

  -sieber and stanley argue that it is not responsible approach to science to avoid
• why is not all ss research controverial?

  -studying topics allows for greater understanding which leads to practical applications

  -e.g. in EWT research witnesses were found to be bias when identifying suspects of a different age

  -courts now treat witnesses that identify people in a different age range with caution

  -can have long term benefits
• why do we need to consider ways of dealing with potential ethical issues before conducting research?

  -current ethical guidelines may help keep participants safe but don't require participants to consider how findings affect the wider society

  -4 areas enable that research is not misused

  -therefore, ss can be conducted w/o damaging society
• Seiber and Stanely (1988) define socially sensitive research as:

  • Studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for participants in the research, or for the class of individuals represented by the research