ETHICAL COSTS OF CONDUCTING RESEARCH
BENEFITS TO SOCIETY AND THE ECONOMY
Treatment of mental health
via research into psychoactive drugs
McCrone report (2008)
- Estimated direct costs of mental health in England £22.5 billion a year
- Found number of people receiving medication provides greater economic
gain than physical therapies
Thus, research reduces costs & helps people return to work
Emotional care
Bowlby’s research into attachment displayed importance of emotional care in
early childhood development
- Foster care to give children individual attention instead of large-scale
orphanages
- Paternity leave
UNICEF
- Deprivation eg abuse, is just as detrimental in effect on brain development
as a lack of food
Ensures children grow into productive members of society so they then
contribute to the economy
Emotionally secure individuals can form secure attachments & are less likely to
require NHS mental health services in the future
INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS
Welfare of individuals worthy of equal consideration to potential benefits to
wider society
Conflict between needs of researchers to produce good research & needs of
participants to have right to fair treatment
Participants should experience no more psychological or physical risk as they
would in everyday life
Watson and Rayner’s study
Showed emotional could be learned, so feelings could be shaped through
psychotherapy
Systematic desensitisation
- Saves economy money, Rothbaum 93% agreed to take a trial flight after SD
for fear of flying
High cost to baby Albert
Systematically frightened, thumb sucking forcibly removed
Moved away before counter conditioning, valid consent issues due to power
imbalance
Powell suggests lifelong aversion to animals
, Milgram’s study
Impacted views on obedience
Clear stress, 3 pps had seizures & learnt something negative about themselves
84% glad to have taken part
1 year follow up showed no longterm psychological effects
Can’t always predict ethical impact as he sought advice from colleagues before
Participants said it taught them important life lessons
- Slater: you can never really debrief someone after an experiment like that
- Reevaluated his life, realised vulnerability to authority, came out as gay
Costs to participants may not be justified as they are unlikely to receive the bulk
of the ethical costs, only experiencing suffering side effect
POTENTIALLY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIETY
Some research could be damaging to groups when asking a question that looks
scientifically credible eg ‘are there racial differences in iq?’
Increased potential for indirect impact on participants family, co-workers or
group that the pps represent eg addicts
Hernnstein & Murray ‘The Bell Curve’
- Used psychological research to argue
Blumstein & Schwartz
- 43% of lesbians and 94% of gay men reported having an additional sex
partner
Sieber & Stanley
- Producing peer reviewed research into such areas provides “scientific
credibility to the prevailing prejudice”
Raine’s research into differences in brains of murderers has many implications
(freewill/determinism), removes blame from government & society
Forced sterilisation & eugenics
Solution
Not carrying out research could result in negative outcomes for society,
Can’t avoid research that may have negative consequences eg gender, as it
would leave psychologists with nothing to important to examine
Sieber & Stanley
- Avoiding controversial topics simply because they are controversial is an
avoidance of responsibility
- Psychologists have a duty to conduct research
To reduce the misuse of data, psychologists should take responsibility for what
happens to their findings & be aware findings may lead to abuse &
discrimination
RISK MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES USED BY
PSYCHOLOGISTS
Guidelines of BPS
BENEFITS TO SOCIETY AND THE ECONOMY
Treatment of mental health
via research into psychoactive drugs
McCrone report (2008)
- Estimated direct costs of mental health in England £22.5 billion a year
- Found number of people receiving medication provides greater economic
gain than physical therapies
Thus, research reduces costs & helps people return to work
Emotional care
Bowlby’s research into attachment displayed importance of emotional care in
early childhood development
- Foster care to give children individual attention instead of large-scale
orphanages
- Paternity leave
UNICEF
- Deprivation eg abuse, is just as detrimental in effect on brain development
as a lack of food
Ensures children grow into productive members of society so they then
contribute to the economy
Emotionally secure individuals can form secure attachments & are less likely to
require NHS mental health services in the future
INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS
Welfare of individuals worthy of equal consideration to potential benefits to
wider society
Conflict between needs of researchers to produce good research & needs of
participants to have right to fair treatment
Participants should experience no more psychological or physical risk as they
would in everyday life
Watson and Rayner’s study
Showed emotional could be learned, so feelings could be shaped through
psychotherapy
Systematic desensitisation
- Saves economy money, Rothbaum 93% agreed to take a trial flight after SD
for fear of flying
High cost to baby Albert
Systematically frightened, thumb sucking forcibly removed
Moved away before counter conditioning, valid consent issues due to power
imbalance
Powell suggests lifelong aversion to animals
, Milgram’s study
Impacted views on obedience
Clear stress, 3 pps had seizures & learnt something negative about themselves
84% glad to have taken part
1 year follow up showed no longterm psychological effects
Can’t always predict ethical impact as he sought advice from colleagues before
Participants said it taught them important life lessons
- Slater: you can never really debrief someone after an experiment like that
- Reevaluated his life, realised vulnerability to authority, came out as gay
Costs to participants may not be justified as they are unlikely to receive the bulk
of the ethical costs, only experiencing suffering side effect
POTENTIALLY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIETY
Some research could be damaging to groups when asking a question that looks
scientifically credible eg ‘are there racial differences in iq?’
Increased potential for indirect impact on participants family, co-workers or
group that the pps represent eg addicts
Hernnstein & Murray ‘The Bell Curve’
- Used psychological research to argue
Blumstein & Schwartz
- 43% of lesbians and 94% of gay men reported having an additional sex
partner
Sieber & Stanley
- Producing peer reviewed research into such areas provides “scientific
credibility to the prevailing prejudice”
Raine’s research into differences in brains of murderers has many implications
(freewill/determinism), removes blame from government & society
Forced sterilisation & eugenics
Solution
Not carrying out research could result in negative outcomes for society,
Can’t avoid research that may have negative consequences eg gender, as it
would leave psychologists with nothing to important to examine
Sieber & Stanley
- Avoiding controversial topics simply because they are controversial is an
avoidance of responsibility
- Psychologists have a duty to conduct research
To reduce the misuse of data, psychologists should take responsibility for what
happens to their findings & be aware findings may lead to abuse &
discrimination
RISK MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES USED BY
PSYCHOLOGISTS
Guidelines of BPS
