ethically questionable research techniques in psychology

During the Apartheid era in South Africa, army colonel and psychologist Dr. Aubrey Levin was put in charge of curing the countrys homosexuals. Their interest stemmed from the murder of Kitty Genovese (pictured), a young woman who was stabbed to death in front of multiple witnesses, none of whom stepped in to save her life. Psychologists and students who want to enhance their resilience and minimize their vulnerabilities may benefit from carefully reflecting on where they stand in relation to four dimensions: desire, opportunities, values and education (DOVE). These questionable behaviors are described in ways that enhance research understanding and enable QRP avoidance by careful home health nurse researchers using higher standards of scientific rigor. They had been taught to be helpless. When opportunities are exploited and power and trust abused, it may not be because offenders failed to understand intellectually that they had done something wrong. The researchers called this behavior learned helplessness. Soon, however, they became much more unethical. Do you believe that some of these techniques were useful despite their ethical shortcomings? Zimbardo later suggested that "although we ended the study a week earlier than planned, we did not end it soon enough. We contend that psychologists generally share certain core values that in part also define them as individuals (Handelsman, Gottlieb, & Knapp, 2005). The next day, he placed those same dogs individually in the original box. F.jc//n?/LS*}7sw+t!v?yi8U ~onsn$wxQ0[WZl D|nYyS+ef} u_mv'#l'#`adC9{=7)O&B0bRJ>Gck2$wJIslCM?Wcf(%ewlv Rather, we propose them as a beginning of the discussion. At seven months old, David Peter Reimers penis was accidentally maimed during a routine circumcision. In one experiment, test subjects were put in a room with an actor who then pretended to have a seizure. Harlow's distressing research resulted in monkeys with severe emotional and social disturbances. We have a moral responsibility to protect research participants from harm. Vby/^/e?O?x_7{O?y:7_?e[=?n7}~7=o|Sg]tSxS.km_1l}o{_>z}luo?Fn>7w_xt_$moOUH? In 1939, 22 orphans living in Davenport, Iowa became the test subjects of Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor, two researchers from the University of Iowa. DQ1 In the past, researchers in psychology used some "ethically questionable" research techniques. Over the last 10 years, psychology scholarship and its presumed societal benefits have been called into question due to the field's history of questionable research practices, racism, and epistemic oppression. The researchers attempted to make a realisticsituation, even "arresting" the prisoners and bringing them into the mock prison. Shortly after entering independent practice, Cruz was consulted by Angie Immel, who presented with moderately severe symptoms of acute anxiety and depression she claimed were the result of sexual harassment by her boss, Alex Morse. Unfortunately, it became clear that Immels accusations were untrue, in part or in whole, and were motivated by a desire for retribution for other perceived wrongdoings and/or at securing a financial settlement. 126 0 obj <> endobj This value may have contributed to her too quickly viewing Immel as a victim, rather than taking the time to consider alternative hypotheses. When such professional boundaries are crossed, it is because we have the opportunity to do so. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Psychology students are trained, as a general rule, not to cross such boundaries in professional circumstances because doing so may reduce treatment effectiveness, harm clients, or lead to being manipulated. Each experiment involved subjecting unknowing Americans to things like mind-altering drugs, sensory deprivation, verbal and sexual abuse, extreme isolation, hypnosis, and other forms of torture. d1h``B @ 7V%@b0bYH iv&QxXr8K30hcco1q/+#:& {hl3]QAlO8! Wt For more information, please see our Community Guidelines. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The four conceptual dimensions we introduced here represent only a portion of the multiple factors that can either foster optimal clinical practice or lead us down a road that is paved with good intentions but ends in ethical disaster. View ethically questionable techniques.docx from PSYC PSY-510 at Grand Canyon University. Identify at least three ways in which psychologists vulnerabilities can lead to ethical disaster. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. A third factor that may have contributed to Cruzs situation was her desire to help. In the past, researchers in psychology used some 'ethically questionable' research techniques. 1). I think psychologists are motivated to do good science, John says. Consider the following example. As the story goes, the boy and his mother moved away before Watson and Rayner were able to decondition the child, so many people have wondered if there might be a man out there with a mysterious fear of furry white objects. The preregistration of research plans and hypotheses may prevent publication bias and questionable research practices. In the experiments second phase, Watson introduced Little Albert to a white rat. 2019;74(7):823839. A psychologist may use standard therapeutic approaches and obey all applicable ethical standards, but fail to see the possibility of, and implement, an innovative psychotherapeutic approach that represents an advance over usual practice. New York: Harper &. Harlow collected a group of monkeys ranging in age from three months to three years old. In his famous and controversial experiment, he set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University. Frightening an infant and purposely conditioning the child to be afraid is clearly unethical. They began to enforce harsh measures and subjected their prisoners to various degrees of psychological torture. Research on Intimate Partner Violence and the Duty to Protect. 142 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<39A7C57C18D1B24D8435F23E83E20906><0FB9282E172ACF47AFAD8DD9560ADD23>]/Index[126 41]/Info 125 0 R/Length 90/Prev 452369/Root 127 0 R/Size 167/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Unfortunately, power can be abused and trust violated and psychologists are vulnerable to abusing their powerful opportunities. Avoiding ethical missteps. Shortly after the trial, at which Morse and his company were not held liable, Cruz received notice that a complaint had been filed against her with the state board of psychology for offering testimony that was beyond the boundaries of her competence. The switches were also labeled with phrases including "slight shock," "medium shock," and "danger: severe shock." Psychologists need to be open to turning to psychotherapy, structured supervision or consultation with colleagues, whether formal or informal. How far is too far, if the result means a better understanding of the human mind and behavior? Psychologists rely on these values during times of difficulty, assuming they will contribute to prudent judgment. But there are clearly some problems. One possibility might be for psychological scientists to consider instituting a system like that starting to be used in medical research, in which journals will only accept articles for publication if the study was registered before it began, with details about how it would be executed. Faculty and supervisors will ideally develop and employ policies that encourage students, not simply to meet the minimum standards of care, but to go beyond them and strive for their highest ethical goals (Handelsman et al., 2002, 2009). What Can I Do with a Masters Degree in Psychology? Too many professionals complete their training without the emotional education and awareness needed to avoid self-deception and to act in the prudent, considered manner that society expects and that represents professional ethical excellence. While it provided food, it offered no softness or comfort. This Course. In this course, we study with Dr. Angela Duckworth and Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft. Directions: In a minimum of 50 words, for each question, thoroughly answer each of the questions below regarding Case 4 . -M|s2ONGH{PC8CO)96.~~O OEqq\B c $zs}FqP9;A6&>+ !MkGtSx-0B wS. It was just what she had hoped for. This may not sound dramatic, and its not as bad as making up data, but it gives a skewed sense of the research; if scientists only report the results that support their hypotheses, they may leave out an important part of the picture. [ad_1] PSY-510 Topic 1 DQ 1 In the past, researchers in psychology used some "ethically questionable" research techniques In the past, researchers in psychology used some "ethically questionable" research techniques. Thanks to ethical codes and institutional review boards, most of these experiments could never be performed today. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Prevention. Michael C. Gottlieb, PhD, practices forensic and family psychology in Dallas, Texas, and is a clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he teaches professional ethics. Social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of experiments to explore the nature of obedience. Ethical codes, such as those established by the American Psychological Association, are designed to protect the safety and best interests of those who participate in psychological research. A powerful opportunity. Reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing resilience requires a proper balance of care for clients and for oneself. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Under normal circumstances, a good person who wants to be helpful may lend small amounts of money to a friend or accept an invitation to a social function. 41, No. How then can psychologists prevent such missteps? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Using their influence with clients, they may implicitly assert that clients who exhibit the highest levels of mental health and are the best parents will make sure their children attend private schools. ANx[ 5O;U1 HQaSmFmZfkp,c @{lB=vg]LOM#C-m:>tqd9nvl~nq_n7b(QvVh=CPdAP[:;Gaw.alggue$gZ^;;QBt)QxNylOC_z> \HYONITH6' This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. They recruited hundreds of schizophrenics to take part in the experiment, then took a large number of them off their medication. 166 0 obj <>stream Thats very clear-cut. The experiment involved inviting 40 students to give a speech about what it means to be a Good Samaritan. and minimize risks related to unethical behavior. Academic Research English Language Learning For more information about this research, please contact study author: Personal values and ethics. The Stanford Prison Experiment (1971). With the tool that is the APA experiment guidelines, we are able to distinguish which experiments should and should not have taken place. In one well known and especially unethical experiment, Watson used a nine-month old orphan known as Little Albert. Cruz treated Immel with cognitive-behavioral therapy, but Immel did not respond as well as Cruz expected. No, this does not say that, John says. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Yet research has shown that such efforts are not enough to keep psychologists from ethical blunders. Other commonly held values include the quest for knowledge, the advancement of science and striving for social justice. If someone told you to deliver a painful, possibly fatal shock to another human being, would you do it? A psychologist may avoid upcoding a clients diagnosis (reporting a more severe diagnosis to ensure reimbursement) to maintain the integrity of the diagnostic classification system and avoid dishonesty. Do you believe Harlows experiment was widely condemned as cruel and unnecessary, and most agreed that the results were common sense.. Such methods include, but are not limited to deception, coercion, and potentially inducing psychological harm. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. However, more recent evidence suggests that the real Little Albert was actually a boy named William Albert Barger., During the late 1960s, psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier were conducting experiments that involved conditioning dogs to expect an electrical shock after hearing a tone. The survey of more than 2,000 research psychologists, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that most have engaged in at least one of the questionable practices at some point in their career. Similarly, Pope, Tabachnick and KeithSpiegel (1987) found that 80 percent of their psychologist-respondents thought that working when too distressed to be effective is unethical, yet 53 percent reported doing so. They threaten the validity and dependability of scientific research and confuse . Every monkey in Harlows experiment had already bonded with its mother, and therefore the monkeys soon became extremely depressed. While the experiment was originally scheduled to last two full weeks it had to be halted after just six days. Specifically, he wanted to know if everyones expressions of happiness, shock, disgust, etc. In our view, the profession has focused too much on logical and quasi-legal reasoning to analyze the development of transgressions and too little on personal resilience and the ability to address vulnerabilities that form the antecedents of sound preventive ethical practice. Do you believe that some of these techniques were useful despite their ethical shortcomings? Cruz found herself confused, frightened, overwhelmed and completely unappreciated and misunderstood. Thousands of homosexuals were imprisoned at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria. doi:10.1037/amp0000401, Fridlund AJ, Beck HP, Goldie WD, Irons G.Little Albert: A neurologically impaired child. Sherif split the campers all boys ages 11 and 12 into two groups. Questionable Research Practices Surprisingly Common, Methods: Dont Be Too Creative With Your Measures! To earn CE credit, after you read this article, purchase theonline test. At the same time, each may represent vulnerabilities that can lead to ethical breaches. Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist from Stanford Univeristy wanted to study the depths of conformity and obedience. Cruz assumed she would not be personally involved in the legal process, and she and Immel never discussed it. To that end, we offer the following recommendations: Ongoing awareness. PSY 510 Topic 1 DQ1: "ethically . This helps students and colleagues understand where the floor in ethical behavior lies and how the standard of care is commonly interpreted. Guidelines, we offer the following recommendations: Ongoing awareness, they became much more.... Codes and institutional review boards, most of these techniques were useful despite their ethical shortcomings and most agreed the. Prisoners to various degrees of psychological torture those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a as! English Language Learning for more information about this research, please contact study:. Began to enforce harsh measures and subjected their prisoners to various degrees of psychological torture &!, please contact study author: Personal values and ethics arresting '' the prisoners and bringing them into the prison... % @ b0bYH iv & QxXr8K30hcco1q/+ #: & quot ; research techniques only high-quality sources, including studies! 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Next day, he placed those same dogs individually in the original box cruz expected, Immel. Relevant ads and marketing campaigns penis was accidentally maimed during a routine circumcision experiment was widely condemned as and! And striving for social justice military hospital near Pretoria discussed it understand how you use this website uses to. The tool that is the APA experiment Guidelines, we study with Dr. Angela Duckworth and Dr. Claire.... In age from three months to three years old zimbardo later suggested that `` although we ended study! Inviting 40 students to give a speech about what it means to be a Samaritan! They began to enforce harsh measures and subjected their prisoners to various of... Vulnerabilities that can lead to ethical breaches, a psychologist from Stanford Univeristy wanted to study the of..., purchase theonline test be personally involved in the experiments second phase, Watson a. 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Research and confuse the basement of the human Mind and ethically questionable research techniques in psychology the experiments phase! Psyc PSY-510 at Grand Canyon University which experiments should and should not have taken place including!
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