3. social sensitivity

what are the implications psychological research has in wider society

• influence public policy e.g. bowlby

• for the way certain social groups are treated e.g. research may lead to the discrimination of certain groups or the perception of certain groups of people

what is socially sensitive research

• defined by sieber and stanley (1988) as:

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

outline socially sensitive research

• some areas of pyschology are likely to be more controversial than others, it is these areas that are said to be socially sensitive

• often confronts taboo topics such as race, sexuality etc

• however just because research is socially sensitive doesn’t mean it should not be conducted - aronson 1999 states psychologists have a social responsibility to do so

what are the ethical issues in socially sensitive research

• sieber and stanley (1988) identified four aspects in the scientific research process that raise ethical implications in socially sensitive research

• the research question

• the methodology used

• the institutional context

• interpretation and application of findings

outline the ethical implication: the research question

• the researcher must consider their research question carefully

• asking questions like ‘are their racial difference in IQ’ may be damaging to members of a particular group

outline: the methodology used

• the researcher needs to consider the treatment of the participants and their right to confidentiality and anonymity

outline: the institutional context

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

outline: interpretation and application of findings

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

(+) evaluation: benefits of socially sensitive research

• scarr (1988) argues that studies of under-represented groups and issues may promote greater understanding to help reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance

• socially sensitive research can benefit society as a whole - for example, research into unreliability of EWT has reduced the risk of miscarriages of justice within the legal system

• this suggests that socially sensitive research may play a valuable role in society

(+) evaluation: framing the question

• sieber and stanley (1988) warn that how research questions are phrased and investigated may influence the ways findings are interpreted

• e.g. research into unreliability ‘alternative relationships’ has been guilty of a heterosexual bias in that homosexual relationships have been judged against heterosexual norms

• this suggests that investigators must approach their research with an open mind and be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged to avoid misrepresenting minority groups

(-) evaluations: understanding potential damage

• research that seeks to manipulate the public has obvious ethical implications

• it also raises the question of who benefits from the research - this may be particularly difficult to manage once the research is ‘out there’

(-) evaluation: data may be used for social control

• the fact that socially sensitive research has been used to ‘prop up’ discriminatory practices in the past is an argument against its widespread adoption