Ethical Implications and Social Sensitivity

Ethical Issues definition

arise when there is a conflict between gaining valuable research and preserving the rights and dignity of participants

Ethical Guidelines

established to help protect those involved in research

Ethical Implications definition

the impact that research has on society, how it influences public policy and/or the way in which certain groups of people are seen

Socially Sensitive Research

any research that may be controversial (e.g., sexuality, race)

Implications of Social Sensitive Research

socially sensitive research may be seen as giving "scientific" credibility to prejudice and discrimination, and can be used to justify public policy

e.g., be adopted by the government for political means

Ethical Issues

= things we control DURING the research process

· Informed consent

· Protection from harm

· Deception

· Privacy and confidentiality

=> direct impact on the participants involved in the study

Ethical Implications

= the potential impact of our research on society AFTER it has been published

· Media portrayal

· Impact on the wider community - how the findings are used after the research has published them

· Global impact

· Public policy - a governing body could wrongly use the findings to enforce laws or rules

· Misuse or misrepresentation

Ethical Implications red textbook quote

"The impact that psychological research may have in terms of the rights of other people, especially participants. This includes at a societal level, influencing public policy and/or the way in which certain groups of people are regarded."

= how it affects a society/community/society AFTER the research has been published

example of social sensitivity - Bowlby's theory of attachment

=> Socially sensitive

- guilt about mother's returning to work

- disadvantaged children who do not form bond in critical period

- stigma against same sex male couples/stay at home dads

- impact on economy and family dynamic

- contributions to development of childcare practices with key workers

Social Sensitivity - Sieber and Stanley (1998)

= 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"

some research is naturally more sensitive than others

... an investigation into the cognitive processes involved in long-term memory is unlikely to have a widely negative impact on the participants, or the social groups those participants represent

=> unlikely to gain media attention as it isn't particularly interesting to anyone outside of the research community

Vs

... An investigation into vulnerability of certain groups to criminality is very much likely to gain media attention and spark public interest and debate and would have wide reaching repercussions for those identified in the groups that have been found vulnerable to criminality

Aronson (1999)

suggests that we have a social responsibility to carry this type of research out

socially sensitive research is extremely important

Sieber and Stanley (1988)

Identified a number of concerns that researchers must be mindful of when carrying out and publishing potentially socially sensitive research

Implications of psychology

Must consider wider effects of such research

Some studies may give scientific credit to prejudice and discrimination

Henry Goddard (1971) IQ tests

used IQ tests on immigrants as they arrived in the US and went on to claim that his findings demonstrated how the majority of Russians, Jews, Hungarians, and Italians were "feeble-minded"

... failed to mention how the test required an understanding of English

Uses/Public Policy

- We have to consider what the research might be used for

- Could it be used for the wrong purpose

- Could a government use the research for political gain or to shape public policy

e.g.,

Burt (1955) suggested that intelligence was genetic, citing studies of twins that showed a heritability coefficient of .77 => influenced the development of the 11+ which arguably has a significant impact on a child's subsequent life chances

The Validity of Research

- Research presented as objective and factual is actually fact false and subjective

- Most psychologist that undertakes more socially sensitive research tends to be very upfront about their own preconceptions and biases and comment on the reflexive nature of their work

- Not shying away from biases/opinion, embrace it in the work and allow it to form discussions

Considerations before conducting research

1. What is the research question

2. What methodology is used

3. What is the institutional context

4. The interpretation and application of findings

1. what is the research question

= researcher must consider research question carefully

...asking questions like "are there radical differences in IQ?" or "is intelligence inherited?" may be damaging to members of particular groups

2. what methodology is used

= researcher must consider the treatment of the participants and their rights to confidentiality and anonymity

... if someone admits to committing a crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality

3. what is the institutional context

= researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and consider who is funding the research

... if research is funded by a private institution or organisation, why are they funding the research and how do they intend to use the findings?

(research bias??)

4. the interpretation and application of findings

= researcher needs to consider how their findings might be interpreted and applied in the real world

... could their data/results be used to inform policy?

A03 STRENGTH - practical application

P

There are many benefits of socially sensitive research, as argued by Sandra Scarr (1988), who suggests that despite the controversial nature of socially sensitive studies, they can actually be used to shed light on underrepresented groups or issues to promote a greater understanding of them.

EX

This deeper understanding and sensitivity can lead to a reduction in prejudice and encourage acceptance of these particular taboo subjects, leading to further discussions and development which can help provide more valid objective work.

EV

For example, Goddard (1917) and later Shockley (1952) and Jensen (1969) contributed heavily to the racial inequality of America in their time, investigating claims that intelligence was linked to race and that genetics of black and ethnic minority groups lead to a lower IQ. Despite being accepted in its time, nowadays we can clearly see that this would lead to racist prejudice against these groups and is overtly racist, providing more support for these groups.

EXT

In addition to this, Gould criticised work on the link between race and intelligence and deemed it scientifically racist. He acknowledged the built-in culture bias of IQ tests which led the psychological community to further investigate this and develop the IQ test today which attempts to irradiate bias in their methods.

LB

These clearly shows how socially sensitive investigation can lead to a greater, deeper understanding of groups that have previously been discriminated against or wrongly represented , which is vital for the development of an equal and fair society.

A03 WEAKNESS - phrasing

P

However, the way in which a research question is phrased has to be considered carefully, as Sieber and Stanley warn that this phrasing can impact the way the findings from such research is used.

EX

The phrasing of a research question may compare one group to another or suggest that its isn't "normal", and this can undermine groups of people and lead to discrimination of these particular groups by suggesting that they are disadvantaged because of this.

EV

For example, Kitzinger and Coyle (1995) note how research into so-called "alternative relationships" are guilty of heterosexual-bias. Naming a relationship "alternative" means it is compared or judged against heterosexual norms which in itself is clearly a form of bias. These groups are therefore misrepresented as abnormal.

C

On the other hand, modern day psychologists are becoming more reflexive in their approach to studying socially sensitive topics. By being open and upfront about their own preconceptions and bias instead of shying away from these topics, more discussions and debates can arise, and it is possible that researchers can gain a greater understanding of the topic from a holistic viewpoint because of these discussions.

LB

This suggests that researchers must approach their investigations with an open mind and be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged to avoid misrepresenting minority groups.

A03 WEAKNESS - misuse

P

In addition to this, it is historically known that socially sensitive research has been misused by the media and the government for political or financial gain.

EX

Some socially sensitive research can have unpredicted and damaging effects if taken out of the context it was originally cited in. in some cases this type of research has been used to shape dubious public policy, and increase profit for large organisations.

EV

For example, Bowlby's theory of attachment argues that a mother's love in infancy is as important for mental health as vitamins are for physical health, and that babies have a critical period of 30 months in which they need to form an attachment bond. Not only can this be seen as socially sensitive for children who have been adopted or orphaned, suggesting that they are disadvantaged because they didn't have the opportunity to form this bond, but it also stigmatises women who return to work after giving birth, same sex male couples, and single parent fathers.

C

Although this is true, it could also be argued that this is preventable and should not be a barrier to carrying out socially sensitive research. It would be reasonable to assume that it is the job of the reviewing ethics committee to weigh up potential costs and risks of such research against the benefit of it, therefore protecting the public from potential harm.

LB

This therefore suggests that we, as a psychological research community, have a duty to carefully consider and manage the research that is published to ensure that any high risk to the public is controlled.