Ethics and Politics of Social Research

1
Chapter 3

• Ethics and Politics of Social Research

2
Chapter Outline

• Ethical Issues in Social Research
• Two Ethical Controversies
• The Politics of Social Research

3
Ethical Issues in Social Research

• Voluntary participation.
• No harm to participants.
• Voluntary participation is based on a full
  understanding of possible risks.
• Anonymity and confidentiality.

4
Ethical Issues in Social Research

• Deception
• Needs to be justified by compelling scientific
  or administrative concerns.
• Analysis and Reporting
• Researchers must be honest about their findings
  and research.

5
Ethical Issues in Social Research

• Institutional Review Boards
• Review research proposals involving humans so
  they can guarantee the rights and interests are
  protected.
• Professional Codes of Ethics
• Most professional associations have formal codes
  of conduct that describe acceptable and
  unacceptable professional behavior.

6
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.

7
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.

8
Ethics and Politics of Social Research

• Ethics deals mostly with methods used in
  research.
• Politics deals with the substance and use of
  research.
• There are no formal codes of accepted political
  conduct.

9
Project Camelot

• Proposed research project concerning the topic of
  internal war within a nation.
• The project was canceled and dismantled.
• Science is neutral on topics of war and peace,
  scientists are not.

10
Politics in Perspective

• Three issues
• Science is not untouched by politics.
• Science does not proceed in the midst of
  political controversy.
• Awareness of ideologies enriches the study and
  practice of social research methods.