Discuss one or more ethical implications of research in psychology. Refer to at least one topic you
have studied in psychology in your answer. [16 marks]
Ethical implications are defined as negative consequences of socially sensitive research that can
effect participants, or any groups represented in a study. Stanley and Sieber identified 4 different
ways that ethical implications may arise during the research process when conducting research into
social sensitive research.
One of these implications is the research question, which may be damaging to the group of people
being studied or the group represented by the sample studies, as it could add scientific credibility to
prevailing prejudice. For example, researching is ‘Is schizophrenia caused by family dysfunction’
which may cause unjust biases towards the families of schizophrenic patients in the eyes of the law
or potentially lead to medical biases where patients don’t get the right treatments as the family is
blamed more.
Another ethical implication is the, ‘conduct of research and the treatment of participants’. The
main concern in this area is the confidentiality of information which if violated can lead to negative
implications. For example, if the family of a schizophrenic involved in the previously mentioned
research were found to be abusive, mishandling that information may lead to people jumping to
conclusions and potentially causing discrimination against the families of schizophrenic patients.
A third area identified by S&S is the institutional context, where research can be funded by
institutions who can misuse and misunderstand data. For example, if a pharmaceutical company
funded research on biological factors of schizophrenia, they may misuse the data to promote their
treatments.
The final area S&S identified is interpretation and application of the findings, where research may
be used in ways that it wasn’t originally intended for or misinterpreted in harmful ways. An example
of this using the same research, would be if the research findings were misinterpreted to mean that
schizophrenia is only caused by family dysfunction, this can be problematic as there is a substantial
genetic basis, and this misinterpretation may lead to medical professionals ignoring that genetic
basis when trying to treat schizophrenia.
One negative aspect of psychological research is that it has the potential to have indirect, broader
implications. For instance, a person's family and friends, as well as members of the group they
represent in society. This could be a problem when looking into socially sensitive topics like family
dysfunction in the development of schizophrenia because the findings could have an influence on
the patient's family due to negative perceptions about various family structures. This means that
there needs to be more consideration of the impact of socially sensitive research on a larger number
of people than just participants.
Another disadvantage of psychological research is that marginalised and judged groups will be
negatively affected. For example, studies focused on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, such
as delusions and hallucinations, could be harmful to the marginalized population. This is because the
information found may be misinterpreted and misused by society, resulting in harmful stereotypes.
Furthermore, if the research is not appropriately represented, these groups will miss the positive
effects it could have.
A final disadvantage is that the current ethical guidelines are inadequate when conducting socially
sensitive research. For example, ethical guidelines are written for patients that can give consent.
Patients with schizophrenia who experience psychosis may not be able to give full consent or realise
have studied in psychology in your answer. [16 marks]
Ethical implications are defined as negative consequences of socially sensitive research that can
effect participants, or any groups represented in a study. Stanley and Sieber identified 4 different
ways that ethical implications may arise during the research process when conducting research into
social sensitive research.
One of these implications is the research question, which may be damaging to the group of people
being studied or the group represented by the sample studies, as it could add scientific credibility to
prevailing prejudice. For example, researching is ‘Is schizophrenia caused by family dysfunction’
which may cause unjust biases towards the families of schizophrenic patients in the eyes of the law
or potentially lead to medical biases where patients don’t get the right treatments as the family is
blamed more.
Another ethical implication is the, ‘conduct of research and the treatment of participants’. The
main concern in this area is the confidentiality of information which if violated can lead to negative
implications. For example, if the family of a schizophrenic involved in the previously mentioned
research were found to be abusive, mishandling that information may lead to people jumping to
conclusions and potentially causing discrimination against the families of schizophrenic patients.
A third area identified by S&S is the institutional context, where research can be funded by
institutions who can misuse and misunderstand data. For example, if a pharmaceutical company
funded research on biological factors of schizophrenia, they may misuse the data to promote their
treatments.
The final area S&S identified is interpretation and application of the findings, where research may
be used in ways that it wasn’t originally intended for or misinterpreted in harmful ways. An example
of this using the same research, would be if the research findings were misinterpreted to mean that
schizophrenia is only caused by family dysfunction, this can be problematic as there is a substantial
genetic basis, and this misinterpretation may lead to medical professionals ignoring that genetic
basis when trying to treat schizophrenia.
One negative aspect of psychological research is that it has the potential to have indirect, broader
implications. For instance, a person's family and friends, as well as members of the group they
represent in society. This could be a problem when looking into socially sensitive topics like family
dysfunction in the development of schizophrenia because the findings could have an influence on
the patient's family due to negative perceptions about various family structures. This means that
there needs to be more consideration of the impact of socially sensitive research on a larger number
of people than just participants.
Another disadvantage of psychological research is that marginalised and judged groups will be
negatively affected. For example, studies focused on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, such
as delusions and hallucinations, could be harmful to the marginalized population. This is because the
information found may be misinterpreted and misused by society, resulting in harmful stereotypes.
Furthermore, if the research is not appropriately represented, these groups will miss the positive
effects it could have.
A final disadvantage is that the current ethical guidelines are inadequate when conducting socially
sensitive research. For example, ethical guidelines are written for patients that can give consent.
Patients with schizophrenia who experience psychosis may not be able to give full consent or realise
