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ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS & SOCIAL SENSITIVITY - Coggle Diagram
ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS & SOCIAL SENSITIVITY
AO1
ethical implications
: the consequences of any research/study/theory in terms of the effects in individual participants or on the way in which certain groups of people are subsequently regarded. There may also be consequences on a wider societal level
social sensitivity
: the
possibility
for studies to have results that could negatively impact some groups of people.
Sieber and Stanley (1988)
: warn hat the way in which research questions are phrased and investigated may influence the wa in which findings are interpreted
example:
Kitzinger and Coyle (1995)
note how research into relationships has been guilty of a form of 'heterosexual bias' within which homosexual relationships were compared and judged against heterosexual norms
AO3
strengths
socially sensitive research can have some benefits for the group being studied
counterpoint: In some studies there could be negative consequences for the group studies that should have been anticipated. This suggests that there needs to be careful consideration of the possible outlines and their consequdevs when researching socially sensitive topics
example: research investigating the genetic basis of criminality has found there is a 'criminal gene'. if this is true it could mean that someone is convicted on the basis that they have such a gene or not be held responsible for any wrong doing
example: according to DSM-1 homosexuality was a sociopathic personality disorder but this changed due to
Kinsey et al (1948)
report which concluded that homosexuality was a typical expression of human sexual behaviour. This illustrates the importance of researchers tackling topics that are sensitive
real-world application
policy makers rely on research related to socially sensitive issues when developing important social policies e.g related to child care and education. ONS describe themselves as being responsible for colleclecting, analysing and disseminating objective stats about such issues to avoid politically motivated views. This means that psychologists have an important role to play in providing high quality research on socially sensitive topics
limitations
poor research design
Cyril Burt (1955)
found that intelligence was highly heritable from the age of 11 by using twin studies - this was used to establish the 11+ exam which determines what types of secondary school a child goes to. However even after fraud was exposed and the finding were discredited the 11+ continued to be used and effects the life chances of children. Therefore any research on socially sensitive topics needs to be planned with greater care to ensure the findings are valid because of the enduring effects on particular groups or people.
avoiding doing socially sensitive research
American Psychological Association (2001)
reported that ethical committees approved 95% of non-sensitive proposals that didn't include ethical problems compared to sensitive proposals that were only approved 50% of the time.
Sieber and Staley
advised that ignoring such topics is not responsible so one possibility is to follow qualitative researchers who are reflexive in their approach in order to make sure socially sensitive topics still get researched