Notes on Sociology: Research Methods & Ethics

The Scientific Method & Research Process

  • Defining the problem
  • Reviewing the literature
  • Formulating a hypothesis
  • Collecting and analyzing data
  • Developing the conclusion

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

  • Location: USA (Alabama)
  • Period: 1932−19731932-1973
  • Sponsor: US Public Health Service
  • Participants: 600600 low-income African-American men
  • Deception: Participants were not told about their condition; penicillin proven to cure the condition but not provided
  • Coercion: Denied or coerced into not seeking external treatment
  • End: Ended after exposure by national media
  • Apology: Clinton apologized to survivors in 19971997

The Hawthorne Effect

  • Definition: Individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to awareness of being observed
  • Summary: The unintended influence observers of human behavior can have on their subjects

Uses of Social Science Research

  • Finding information about the world
  • Adds to knowledge about how we know things and how others know what they know
  • How this knowledge can be used to construct and evaluate theories and policies
  • Offers skills for employment
  • Allows us to solve social problems and advocate for more just social policies

Ethics in Social Research

  • Ethics: What you can, and can’t do, with human subjects and best ethical practices in reporting outcomes
  • Key ethical questions to consider include harm, voluntary participation, informing subjects of risks, and whether benefits outweigh risks

Ethical Principles & Dilemmas

  • Confidentiality: Keep subjects’ information private; case Rik Scarce (1993) jailed for refusing to testify
  • First Amendment limits on researchers vs journalists; confidentiality concerns when studying people
  • Dual role and government inquiries; safety of participants; informed consent; privacy; benefits; researcher integrity; cultural sensitivity; do no harm

Value Neutrality & Reflexivity

  • Max Weber proposed value neutrality: objectivity in interpreting data
  • Researchers should report findings even if they conflict with beliefs or theories
  • Researchers must set aside biases and analyze data impartially
  • Not truly value-free; reflexivity required because we are subjective

Ethics of Social Research

  • Responsibilities to participants, colleagues, and those potentially affected
  • Reporting design, analyses, and findings honestly; protect privacy; avoid deception
  • Voluntary participation; inform risks/benefits
  • Avoid conflicts of interest; be culturally aware; do no harm
  • Example: Laud Humphreys’ Tearoom Trade

Conflicts of Interest

  • Funding from private organizations or government agencies can bias objectivity
  • Exxon Valdez case: 5.3 billion5.3\text{ billion} damages; later reduced on appeal to 500 million500\text{ million} due to company-funded research
  • Raises questions about objectivity

Summary

  • Identify and consider potential ethical issues from the outset
  • Ethical concerns can arise at any stage: access, data collection, analysis, reporting

Service Learning & Community Engagement

  • Examples of opportunities and events: BU Wellness Network, Fresh Market, HIV/STI testing; civic engagement