Well-being of participants

• 1

  • All psychological research depends on individuals who volunteer to participate, such as those willing to undergo drug testing or families agreeing to take part in separation case studies
• 2

  • The well-being of these individuals deserves as much attention as the political benefits to society at large
  • A prime example is Little Albert, who partook in Watson and Rayners study
  • In this study, they demonstrated conditional emotional responses
  • The study showed that emotions can be learnt, suggesting the possibility of influencing feelings through psychotherapy
  • However, it came at a significant cost to Little Albert, who was deliberately subjected to psychological harm that could have lifelong effects
• 3

  • Individuals may experience immediate risks from participating in research which results in stress, discomfort, embarrassment or shame
  • It is hard to justify this just for the sake of research.