Ethics
Despite the fact that social psychological research typically does not have life and death consequences, such research can have an impact on individual health and well-being. Whether through participation in the study itself or through the implications of research findings, research may have unintended and unethical consequences. It is therefore incumbent on anyone conducting social psychological research to be familiar with both APA's policies and those of their institution's institutional review board regarding research with human participants.
For this Discussion, review this week's Learning Resources. Think about what ethical considerations you might need to make related to social psychology research.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by a brief explanation of how you might use ethics when forming your research question (use the APA's Code of Conduct to inform your response). Then explain two potential consequences if ethics are not considered. Finally, explain two ways culture might inform the development of your research question, and explain what ethical considerations you may need to consider.
References/Readings
• Course Text: Fiske, S. T. (2014). Social beings: Core motives in social psychology. (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
o Chapter 2, "Scientific Methods for Studying People in Interaction"
Course Text: The Handbook of Social Psychology
o Chapter 1, "History of Social Psychology: Insights, Challenges and Contributions to Theory and Application"
Course Text: The Sage Handbook of Social Psychology
o Chapter 2, "Questions and Comparisons: Methods of Research"
Article: Sandberg, J., & Alvesson, M. (2011). Ways of constructing research questions: Gap spotting or problemization? Organization, 18(1), 23-44.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Website: American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved November 30, 2011, from
https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx