T HE P RACTICE OF S OCIAL R ESEARCH Chapter 3 – The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Chapter 3 – The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Ethical Issues in Social Research Two Ethical Controversies The Politics of Social Research Quick Quiz

ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.


Voluntary Participation No one should be forced to participate.

Balance of science and ethics?

Possible?

ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH No Harm to the Participants

People being researched should never be injured (physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, psychologically).

Examples: Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Stanford Prison Experiment

Possible to eliminate 100% of risk?

Informed Consent – a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects on a full understanding of the possible risk involved.


Anonymity and Confidentiality Anonymity – guaranteed in a research project

when neither the researchers nor the readers of the findings can identify a given response with a given respondent.

Confidentiality – guaranteed when the research can identify a given person’s responses but promises not to do so publicly.


Deception Deception within social research needs to be

justified by scientific or administrative concerns.

Debriefing – interviewing subjects to learn about their experience of participation in the project.


Analysis and Reporting Ethical obligation to colleagues in the scientific

community.

All results must be reported (positive and negative).

All limitations must be admitted.


Institutional Review Boards – a panel of faculty who review all research proposals involving human subjects so that they can guarantee that the subjects’ rights and interests will be protected. Exceptions


Professional Code of Ethics

TWO ETHICAL CONTROVERSIES

Trouble in the Tearoom – Laud Humphreys Studied homosexual activities in public

restrooms in parks Researcher became interested in the lives of

participants Researcher volunteered to become

“watchqueen” Researcher collected personal information about

the participants (license numbers of cars)

Which ethical issues are in question?

TWO ETHICAL CONTROVERSIES

Observing Human Obedience – Stanley Milgram Participants imitated a laboratory-based World

War II controversy Participants were assigned job of “teacher” – to

teach a list of works to the “pupil.” If the pupil got the word wrong, the teacher would administer increasing levels of shocks to the pupil.

Which ethical issues are in question?

THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

The ethics of social research deals mostly with the methods employed.

Political issues tend to center on the substance and use of research.

There are no formal codes of acceptable political conduct, while there are formal codes of conduct for social research.


Objectivity and Ideology Science achieves objectivity through inter-

subjectivity.

Weber (1925): sociology needs to be unencumbered by personal values if it is to make a special contribution to society.


Politics with a Little “p” Social research in relation to contested social

issues cannot remain antiseptically objective.


Politics in Perspective1. Science is not untouched by politics.2. Science does proceed in the midst of political

controversy and hostility.3. An awareness of ideological considerations

enriches the study and practice of social research methods.

4. Whereas researchers should not let their own values interfere with the quality and honesty of the research, this does not mean that researchers cannot or should not participate in public debates.

QUICK QUIZ

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1. Which constrains must be placed on social research for it to be considered realistic?

A. scientific constraintsB. administrative constraintsC. ethical constraintsD. all of the above

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ANSWER: D.Scientific, administrative, and ethical constraints must be placed on social research for it to be considered realistic.

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2. _____ is a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.

A. Research participationB. The Hawthorne effectC. Informed consentD. The code of ethics

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ANSWER: C.Informed consent is a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.

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3. Though the norm of voluntary participation is important, it is often

A. justifiably violated.B. not received.C. impossible to follow.D. all of the above

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ANSWER: D.Though the norm of voluntary participation is important, it is often justifiably violated, not received, and impossible to follow.

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4. Both ethics and politics hinge on

A. idiographic research.B. power and resources.C. manifest research.D. ideological points of view.

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ANSWER: D.Both ethics and politics hinge on ideological points of view.

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5. Ethics are not a consideration in which one of the following fields of research?

A. natural sciencesB. psychologyC. medicineD. sociologyE. None of the above – they all require ethical considerations.

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ANSWER: E.Ethics enters in all of these fields: natural sciences, psychology, medicine, and sociology.

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6. The major justification that social scientists have for requesting participation in a study is that

A. it may help the respondent.B. it may help all humanity.C. it may help the social scientist.D. it may help government officials make policy decisions.E. it may help improve the educational system.

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ANSWER: B.The major justification the social scientists has for requesting participation in a study is that it may help all humanity.

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7. The controversy surrounding Laud Humphreys’ study of homosexuals suggests that he most violated which of the following ethical principles?

A. anonymity and confidentialityB. harm to subjects and data reporting without identificationC. concealed identify or researcher anonymityD. harm to subjects and anonymity

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ANSWER: D.The controversy surrounding Laud Humphreys’

study of homosexuals suggests that he most violated the ethical principle of harm to subjects and anonymity.

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8. Which of the following is not a difference between ethical and political aspects of social research?A. Ethical considerations are more objective than political considerations.B. Ethical aspects include a professional code of ethics, whereas political aspects do not.C. Ethics deal more with methods, whereas political issues deal with substance.D. Ethical norms have been established, whereas political norms have not been established.

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ANSWER: A.The following is not a difference between ethical and political aspects of social research: Ethical considerations are more objective than political considerations.

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T HE P RACTICE OF S OCIAL R ESEARCH Chapter 3 – The Ethics and Politics of Social Research