Debates - Ethics

Question 1

What is socially sensitive research?

Answer 1

Research that could have consequences or implications for the participants or for the group of people they represent.

Question 2

What are the 3 main concerns of social sensitive research?

Answer 2

• Could research be seen to support prejudice and discrimination?
• Use by companies or in public policy: who gains?
• Validity: is bias affecting the validity?

Question 3

What research could be seen to support prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 3

• Attachment research could result in discrimination against women when hiring staff (should be at home with their children)
• IQ tests which claim to find a difference in IQ between different types of people could lead to prejudice and discrimination in school and work

Question 4

Why is research being used by companies or in public policy negative?

Answer 4

• Can research be used to manipulate people? By advertisers or even interrogators? eg. normative social influence
• Can it be used for political ends? eg. eugenics (preventing the passing on of certain genetic predispositions?) In America in the 1920s and 30s many US states legislated the enforced sterilisation of the ‘feeble minded’ based on (biased) IQ research and a belief that IQ is innate

Question 5

Why is bias affecting validity a concern?

Answer 5

• With socially sensitive research it is important to be sure that the question, design, tasks, conclusions are not affected by bias (including gender and cultural bias)
• So as to be sure that any controversial findings are true and not the result of bias

Question 6

How do you deal with the issue of social sensitivity?

Answer 6

• Care when framing the research question (eg. research into ‘alternative lifestyles’ suggests these lifestyles deviate from the ‘norm’ and may imply judgment)
• Sensitive briefing/debriefing of participants, parents etc
• Care in relation to publication: disclosure or results and confidentiality

Question 7

How is the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia socially sensitive?

Answer 7

• Blame and negative view of family
• Guilt
• Others may judge
• May discriminate

Question 8

How is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory and 44 thieves study socially sensitive?

Answer 8

• Blames mother
• Guilt
• Judged by others
• Prejudice against children who have been separated from mother
• May go on to lead people to believe mothers should never be separated from children so mothers stay at home and not work

Question 9

How are family studies of concordance rates for psychopathology socially sensitive?

Answer 9

(The more genes you share the more likely you are to share the disorder)

• Parents may feel responsible for passing on genes
• May worry other relatives to know they are at high risk - May impact decisions to have children of their own

Question 10

How could Milgram’s study have had long term implications for the individual participants?

Answer 10

Some had learned troubling information about themselves, that they were willing to harm another person just because an authority figure told them to. This may have been distressing.

It could also harm groups of people outside of the study. Milgram’s study aimed to explain the holocaust. This could have been upsetting to survivors of the Holocaust, because it may Nazis an excuse for their actions.