ethical implications and social sensitivity

ethical implications

 considers the impact or consequences that psychological research has on the rights of other people in wider context, not just the participants taking part in the research

POSITIVE ethical implication-Research studies- Milgram eg

Did the ends justify the means? The participants were deceived, they were unable to fully provide informed consent. The experiment was distressing.

However they were debriefed and took part in a follow-up interview.  Participants said that they suffered no long-term effects.

Therefore it can be argues that the importance of the findings did justify the way the research was conducted, as the research is useful to society in determining the factors that affect obedience to authority

NEGATIVE ethical implication- Bowlby's theory of attachment eg

Bowlby's theory of attachment suggests that children form one special attachment suggest that children form one special attachment bond, usually with their mother, which must take place within a critical period.

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Bowlby also suggested that this attachment bond affects their future relationships through an internal working model.

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While Bowlby’s theory has contributed to the development of childcare practices, it has also encouraged the view that a women’s place is at home with her children,

which could make some mothers feel guilty for wanting to return to work, following childbirth (-).

social sensitivity

*Sieber and Stanley (1988) used the term socially sensitive to describe studies where there are potential social consequences for the participants or the group of people represented by the research.*

social sensitivity Research studies- Milgram

Did the ends justify the means?

The participants were deceived, they were unable to provide fully informed consent. The experiment was distressing. However, they were debriefed and took part in a follow-up interview. Participants said that they suffered no long-term effects.

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It could be argued that Milgram’s research is socially sensitive as the results could be used to ensure that people obey orders, including those they don’t wish to follow.

social sensitivity-Bowlby's theory of attachment

suggests that children form one special attachment suggest that children form one special attachment bond, usually with their mother, which must take place within a critical period.

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Bowlby also suggested that this attachment bond affects their future relationships through an internal working model

 

Likewise, it could be argued that Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment is socially sensitive as it could be used to coerce mothers to stay at home and look after their children.

The research question

the researcher must consider their research question carefully. Asking questions like 'are there racial differences in IQ' or 'is intelligence inherited?' may be damaging to members of a particular group.

the methodology used

 

The researcher needs to consider the treatment of the participants and their right to confidentiality and anonymity. For example, if someone admits to committing a crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality.

the institutional context

The research should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and consider who is funding the research. If the research is funded by private institution or organisation, why are they funding the research and how do they intend to use the findings?

interpretations and applications of findings

Finally, the researcher needs to consider how their findings might be interpretated and applied in the real world. Could their data or results be used to inform policy?

socially sensitive research is that it can lead to issues of discrimination AO3

between 1907 and 1963, over 64,000 individuals were forcibly sterilised under eugenic legislation in the United States, and in 1972, the United States Senate Committee revealed that at least 2,000 involuntary sterilisations had been performed on poor, black women without their consent and knowledge.

This could be 'justified' by (flawed) research findings which argued that black Americans had lower IQ scores in comparison to white Americans, highlighting a serious issue with socially sensitive research.

socially sensitive research is that its not all controversial and some is desirable and beneficial to society. AO3

research examining eye-witness testimony, especially the use of child witnesses (eg Flin et al) has found that young children can be reliable witnesses if they are questioned in a timely and appropriate manner.

In this area, socially sensitive research has resulted in a good working relationship between psychologists and the legal profession to help improve the accuracy and validity of children eye-witnesses. 

some psychologists have suggested avoiding conducting research and to steer clear of sensitive topics AO3

 including race, gender and sexuality. Some psychologists believe that such research has negative impacts on the participants. However this will then leave researchers with nothing but trivial questions to investigate. A more acceptable solution might be for psychologists to engage more actively in policy makers after the publication of their findings to help reduce the likelihood that data is misused an ensure that evidence-based research is done is socially sensitive.