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ISSUES RELATED TO SOCIALLY SENSITIVE RESEARCH - Coggle Diagram
ISSUES RELATED TO SOCIALLY SENSITIVE RESEARCH
AO1 INFORMATION
Research that has negative implications for the individual or group they present beyond the study is considered to be socially sensitive research.
This may mean that the research may reflect negatively on people as individual or may impact negatively on their life, their family, society, profession or the culture to which they belong.
In the BPS code of Ethics, scientific integrity and social responsibility relate to problems associated with socially sensitive research - principles ensure that outcomes of research should be used for the "common good".
HOWEVER, avoiding socially sensitive research may mean that important topics of legitimate concern to the principle of psychology and society as a whole are overlooked.
SOCIAL
Research into prejudice links to racism - this may result in an impact on participants and the groups the research represents as they may be labelled as a "prejudice group of people".
Agency theory - this forces people to obey and socialises them into an agentic state, this can be seen through behaviour in schools from a young age.
Realistic conflict theory shows a concern of socially sensitive research as it could be seen as trying to '"justify" discrimination as it identifies and underlying causes - studies supporting this could be interpreted as showing that the discriminatory behaviour is legitimate as there is a genuine scarcity of resources.
The need for socially sensitive research:
Research on authoritarianism has the potential to be socially sensitive, for example Gordon Allport (1954), suggested that individuals with right wing (authoritarian) views are less capable for critical thinking.
THEREFORE this research has implications for the way right wing individuals and their opinions are regarded in society which is SOCIALLY SENSITIVE.
HOWEVER, this should not prevent research being conducted as where risks are identified it is the duty of psychologists to explore them for the benefit of society - so although it may be uncomfortable for individuals the there is risk of misusing findings to people with this personality, the research is VALUABLE.
Since authoritarian personalities also tend to be highly prejudice, the findings could also ultimately help to protect the rights of minority groups along side this = VALUABLE.
COGNITIVE
Issues of memory loss due to dementia may lead to an impact for the individuals of these studies and their families - it may cause concern and therefore negatively impact upon their lives.
Experimental research on amnesia patients, such as Clive Wearing, can be socially sensitive as research can be distressing for participants as stress may occurs when they cannot remember things.
The need for socially sensitive research:
Aspects of Alzheimer's disease have been explored with research, identifying associated problems with cognitive deficits linked to losses in the hippocampus, frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
The research explains WHY people living with Alzheimer's first lose episodic memories and later their semantic memory.
THEREFORE this research is socially sensitive as it creates a negative impact of people with Alzehimer's which threatens their dignity.
HOWEVER, research is valuable as it can lead to ways of improving quality of life for people currently living with the disease, eg. different kinds of help can be targeted at people at different stages of the disease to help preserve specific cognitive abilities (cognitive stimulation - research has also found potential ways to slow the process of the disorder thus offering to help people in the future.
CRIMINAL
Researching the causes of criminal behaviour can lead to socially sensitive research as it can generalise groups of people, linking them to aggression eg. those with XYY syndrome or a psychopathic personality disorder.
CLINICAL
The power of the therapist over the client can have a long-lasting effect on the client.
They may feel they need to act in a certain way to comply with what the clinitian wants, such as accepting additionally therapy, in order to keep the drug supply.
Rosenhan 1973 study is socially sensitive research:
The issue of labelling a mental disorder when it is not true is dangerous.
People could question the reliability of mental hospitals and their effectiveness.
LEARNING THEORIES
Shaping a child's behaviour through rewards could be seen as manipulative.
Watson and Rayner created a phobias they were unable to prove they had removed.
Becker's study shows that participants may feel as if they should develop an eating disorder or follow similar toxic eating habits to those around them.
The need for socially sensitive research:
Research on TV viewing - Bandura in 1961 & 1963 showed that when children observe aggression live, filmed or even as cartoons, it increases the risk of them displaying aggression.
THEREFORE it is socially sensitive as it has implications for parenting practises because parents may feel or be accused of being irresponsible for allowing their children to observe aggressive behaviour.
HOWEVER, such research is important as it exposes dangers and therefore enables people to reduce children being exposed through active parenting and film censorship's.
BIOLOGICAL
Linking biology to behaviour such as aggression, homosexuality or intelligence is socially sensitive for those involved and it also has implications for the rest of society with a similar biological make up.
Determinism vs Free Will Debate - do criminals have free will or is their behaviour biologically determined?
Concerns of socially sensitive research:
Findings about the biological underpinnings of aggression might lead to the wrong conclusions - Raine's study in 1997 investigating the difference in brain structures between NGRI's and non-murders may lead to the conclusion that murder is "not the murders fault" - this might means that criminal courts could not punish murders because they are not responsible for their actions - it is the result of an imbalance in activity in the PFC and amygdala.
HOWEVER, Raine stated that the difference in brains of criminals does not means it explains the criminal behaviour.