Sociology 2206A/B Chapter 3: Ethics in Social Research
10 Feb 2017
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Power relations: experimenter, survey director, or research investigator has power over participants and assistants -> trust, expert authority, turn to professional colleagues, ethical advisory committees, institutional review boards, or human subjects committees at colleges. Ethical issues involving research participants: never cause unnecessary or irreversible harm to subjects, secure prior voluntary consent, when possible, and never unnecessarily humiliate subjects or release harmful information about specific individuals. Origins of research participant protection: arose after the revelation of gross violations of basic human rights in the same of science, physical harm. An ethical researcher anticipates risk before beginning a study -> basic safety concerns. Screen out high risk subjects if great stress is involved. Researcher is morally and legally responsible: psychological abuse, stress or loss of self esteem. Researchers may place people in highly stressful, embarrassing, anxiety producing situations. Have participants look at gruesome photos, lied to students that they have failed, created situations of high fear.
