Ethical Implications

Ethical Issues in SSR

• Sieber and Stanley identified a number of concerns that researchers should be mindful of when conducting SSR.
• Implications - Wider effects of such research, as some studies are given scientific credence to prejudice and discrimination.
• Uses/public policy - What will the research be used for and what would happen if used for the wrong purpose? Findings may be adopted by the government to shape public policy.
• Validity of the research - Findings originally presented as objective have turned out to be highly suspect or fraudulent. Modern social constructionist researchers are more up-front about their own biases, and comment of the reflexive nature of their work.

Socially Sensitive Research

• Some areas of research are more controversial than others.
• Studies that tackle taboo topics, such as aspects of race or sexuality, also attract a good deal of attention from the media and public.
• This should not cause psychologists to shy away from socially sensitive research.
• There is an undoubted importance of such research, and psychologists have a social responsibility to carry it out.

Evaluation

Framing the Question

Benefits of Socially Sensitive Research

Who Gains?

• Scarr argues that studies of underrepresented groups and issues may promote a greater sensitivity and understanding of these.
• This can help reduce prejudice and encourage acceptance.
• Research into the unreliability of eyewitness testimony has reduced the risk of miscarriages of justice within the legal system.

• Sieber and Stanley warn that the way research questions are phrased and investigated may influence the way findings are interpreted.
• Cross-cultural research may be blighted by ethnocentrism on the part of the researchers.
• Kitzinger and Coyle note how research into 'alternative relationships' compared and judged homosexual relationships against heterosexual norms.
• Investigators must approach their research with an open mind and be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged.

• SSR has been used by the government and other institutions to shape social policy.
• This is sometimes without the full consideration of the moderating effects of the environment on characteristics like intelligence.
• Other research that may seem harmless but has SS consequences includes that from the 50's.
• Research into the persuasive effects of subliminal messages was used by marketing companies to advertise their products.

Costs and Benefits

Social Control

• In America in the 20's and 30's, lots of states enacted legislation that led to the compulsory sterilisation of many citizens who were deemed 'feeble-minded'.
• This included those who were mentally ill, drug addicts, alcoholics and those of low intelligence.
• The psychological community at the time stated that these people were 'unfit' to breed.
• SSR has been used to 'prop up' discriminatory practices in the past.

• Research that carries possible ethical implications or is socially sensitive may be subject to scrutiny by an ethical committee.
• It is their job to weigh up the potential costs against the possible benefits of the research.
• However, some of the social consequences of research involving vulnerable groups may be difficult to predict.
• Assessments of the 'worth' of such research are invariably subjective.
• The real impact can only be known once the research has been made public.

Ethical Implications

• Ethical issues arise when there is a conflict between the need to gain valid research findings, whilst also preserving the rights of participants.
• Ethical guidelines were established to protect those involved in research.
• It may be difficult to guard the social impact of research once it's been conducted.
• Researchers have relatively little say in how their findings are represented in the media, the impact of their work on public policy, and how it influences our perception of particular groups in society.

Ethical Implications