NCJ Number
58125
Date Published
1978
Length
276 pages
Annotation
AN OVERVIEW OF ETHICAL ISSUES IN CONDUCTING SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH IS PRESENTED IN A BOOK DIRECTED TO STUDENTS AND PRACTICING RESEARCHERS.
Abstract
THE DISCUSSION IS RELEVANT TO A VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING ANTHROPOLOGY, EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY, AND SOCIOLOGY. A MAJOR THEME IS THAT EDUCATED AND CONCERNED RESEARCHERS PROVIDE THE BEST SAFEGUARD AGAINST ABUSES. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON PROVIDING READERS WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT ETHICAL QUESTIONS, NOT ON PROVIDING READY-MADE FORMULAS. THE TEXT DEALS WITH THREE MAJOR AREAS: (1) TREATMENT OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS, HARM TO PARTICIPANTS, INFORMED CONSENT, PRIVACY, DECEPTION, AND ETHICAL ISSUES RELATED TO SPECIFIC TYPES OF RESEARCH, SUCH AS CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS, DISGUISED PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION, AND CHANGE EXPERIMENTS; (2) PROFESSIONAL ISSUES (HONESTY AND ACCURACY, PUBLISHING AND GRANTS, AND THE JUSTIFIABILITY OF USING STUDENTS AS SEMIVOLUNTARY RESEARCH SUBJECTS); AND (3) THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG SCIENCE, VALUES, AND SOCIETY (THE EXTENT TO WHICH SOCIETAL CONCERNS AND CULTURAL VALUES SHOULD DICTATE THE COURSE OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SCIENTISTS TO SOCIETY). THE TEXT CLOSES WITH ETHICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR RESEARCHERS AND BROAD GUIDELINES THAT APPLY TO MOST STUDIES. THROUGHOUT THE TEXT, EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH CONTAINING QUESTIONABLE ETHICAL PRACTICES ARE CITED, WITH REFERENCES TO THE ORIGINAL STUDIES TO ENABLE READERS TO MAKE THEIR OWN JUDGMENTS. THE ETHICAL CODES OF SEVERAL PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES ARE APPENDED. A LIST OF REFERENCES AND AN INDEX ARE PROVIDED. (LKM)