Chapter 3 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research
Ethical Issues in Social Research 1. Voluntary participation 2. No harm to participants 3. Anonymity and confidentiality
Ethical Issues in Social Research 4.Deception must be justified by compelling scientific concerns. 5.Researchers must be honest about their findings and research.
Informed Consent Subjects in a study must base their voluntary participation on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.
Confidentiality Researcher can identify a given person's responses but promises not to do so publicly.
Debriefing Interviewing subjects to learn about their experience of participation in the project and to inform them of any unrevealed purpose. This is especially important if there’s a possibility that they have been damaged by that participation.
Institutional Review Boards Review research proposals involving humans so they can guarantee the rights and interests are protected. The chief responsibility of an IRB is to ensure that the risks faced by human participants in research are minimal. The IRB may refuse to approve a study or may ask the researcher to revise the study design.
Ethical Controversy: Laud Humphreys Study of homosexual behavior in public restrooms. Lied to participants by telling them he was a voyeur-participant. Traced participants to their home and interviewed them under false pretenses.
Ethical Controversy: Stanley Milgram Study of human obedience. Subjects had role of "teacher" and administered a shock to "pupils". Pupils were actually part of the experiment.