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Issues relating to socially sensitive research - Coggle Diagram
Issues relating to socially sensitive research
The Research Question: The researcher must consider their research question carefully. Asking questions like ‘Are there racial differences in IQ?’ or ‘Is intelligence inherited?’ may be damaging to members of a particular group.
Raine et al: the results may alarm people with brain injury as they could be stressed that
Milgram: Was investigating why Germans were obedient in the Holocaust, expecting to find a difference in obedience which could be considered as discrimination
Interpretation and Application of Findings: the researcher needs to consider how their findings might be interpreted and applied in the real-world. Could their data or results be used to inform policy?
Social identity theory implies that prejudice is unavoidable and inevitable
Loftus and palmer: Criminals could use the lack of reliability of eye witness testiomony
The Institutional Context: The researcher should be mindful of how the data is going to be used and consider who is funding the research. If the research is funded by a private institution or organisation, why are they funding the research and how do they intend to use the findings?
The Methodology Used: The researcher needs to consider the treatment of the participant's and their right to confidentiality and anonymity.
Distress to participants
Milgram's study caused participants a lot of stress, Society was shocked by the results and videos of the study and felt uncomfortable
Lotus and Palmer showed participants a video of a car crash, some ps may have felt distressed watching this, therefore causing them harm
Reasons socially sensitive research should be done
Not all socially sensitive research is controversial (e.g. Sperry)
Some is beneficial to society (e.g. Loftus and Palmer)
Some psychologists argue that ignoring socially sensitive areas is abandoning our ‘social responsibilities’.
Reasons socially sensitive research should not be done
Indirect impact on the participant’s family and co-workers
Interest of the Ps taking part
How the findings may be used by other people or institutions to form and/or shape public social policy
Harm to people and marginalised groups (e.g. with disabilities, the elderly, poor) who are largely excluded from research