social sensitivity
ao1
ethical implications consider the impact or consequences psychological research has on the participants and the rights of other people in a wider context, usually as a result of socially sensitive research
socially sensitive research is studies where there are potential social consequences for the ppts and the groups of people represented by the research
it can be used to discriminate against these groups, promote prejudice against them and even informs policies that further marginalise them
it can create self fulfilling prophecies, where individuals are labelled as having a certain trait by research
this results in stigma, shaping their experiences and resulting in that trait becoming true
an example of socially sensitive research would be Darwin’s theory of evolution influencing relationship behaviour
darwin argued that, to prevent cuckoldry, men using aggressive male retention strategies to prevent female infidelity is an adaptive strategy
this is socially sensitive as it trivialises domestic abuse and promotes the idea that male violence is the norms, raising questions on whether it is suitable to blame or ciminalise men for their violence
in extreme circumstances, this could lead to policies which do not protect women suffering from abuse, marginalising them or may encourage men to be more violent if it is established as the norm, resulting in a self fulfilling prophecy
ao3
psychologists are attempting to address ethical implications by changing their methodology
psychologists should first understand the potential consequences of a research question
if it has obvious implications for a certain group (such as linking IQ to race), then it may be advisable for the psychologist to not conduct the research at all, as the potential benefits do not outweigh the risks
if conducted, psychologists should ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of data that ppt reveal, so that any results will not be directly identifiable to the ppt and, therefore, decreases the direct effect it has
a further method would be by involving the group being researched into the research process, as the group can inform the team on how to frame information sensitively, as well as inform context that otherwise might not be known by the researchers
thus, psychologists are taking multiple paths to conduct research while considering its ethical implication
however, socially sensitive research can be considered useful to benefit society
as opposed to completely avoiding socially sensitive research, it can often inform policies which can reduce prejudice and stigma
for example, homosexuality was previously listed in the DSM as being sociopathic personality disorder
this was a result of research which at the time would have been considered socially sensitive: researchers interviewed 5000 men about about their sexual behaviour and determined that homosexuality was typical sexual behaviour, not a sign of psychopathology
this was socially sensitive as topics regarding sexual behaviour and especially homosexual sexual behaviour would have stigma and were not discussed publicly
thus, one could argue that socially sensitive research is useful in causing social change and that certain topics will only remain ‘taboo’ if they are under investigated
yet, one could argue that the potential benefits of socially sensitive research do not outweigh the risks
socially sensitive research can have dire consequences and be used to implement policies that instead control and minimise the opportunities of certain groups
for example, bowlby’s theory of monotropy suggested separations from the mother are detrimental for child attachment development
this would make mothers reconsider returning to work and, at extremes, lead to social policies around mother leaving their children
thus, one could argue the risks of socially sensitive research mean it is simply not worth undergoing the research in the first place