Deck 3: Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research

Question 1

In the Asch (1956) study on social influence and conformity, what percentage of students knowingly gave wrong answers regarding about the length of the stimulus lines?

A) 100%
B) 76%
C) 5%
D) 20%

Answer 1

76%

Question 2

Intentionally withholding important information from research participants so that they behave as they would in a real life situation is called:

A) an ethical dilemma
B) operationalizing
C) deception
D) triangulation

Answer 2

deception

Question 3

Select the best description of the main result from Milgram's (1963) obedience to authority paradigm:

A) A majority of participants continued to the highest levels of shock intensity
B) Only a minority of participants continued to the highest levels of shock intensity
C) No one continued to the highest levels of shock intensity
D) Half of the participants continued to the highest levels of shock intensity, half quit early on

Answer 3

A majority of participants continued to the highest levels of shock intensity

Question 4

Which of the following is an ethical concern raised by the Milgram (1963) obedience to authority study?

A) Participants were deceived about the study's true purpose
B) Participants believed that they were shocking a fellow participant
C) Participants often became visibly and emotional upset during the study
D) All of the above are ethical concerns

Question 5

Critics can reasonably claim that virtually any psychology experiment-not only those conducted by social psychologists-contains some degree of deception.

Question 6

According to the book, which of the following is not a mild level of deception?

A) Withholding a researcher's name at the study sign-up
B) Observing participants in a field setting without their consent
C) Using a hidden camera
D) Giving the experiment a misleading title

Question 7

Which of the following is not generally listed as a benefit gained by research participants in social psychology studies?

A) learning about research by actually experiencing it
B) receiving compensation for participation
C) contributing to the growth of scientific knowledge
D) potentially gaining some self-insight

Question 8

Which of the following is not generally listed as a social cost incurred by research participants in social psychology studies?

A) embarrassment at being deceived by others
B) negative view of science
C) misuse of time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere
D) learning troubling or upsetting things about oneself

Question 9

When evaluating the cost of doing a project (high, low) and the benefit of doing a project (high, low), the preferred or ideal balance for cost versus benefit is:

A) low, high
B) high, low
C) low, low
D) high, high

Question 10

When describing participants in research reports (e.g., journal articles), which of the following label pairs is ethically-outdated?

A) Males and females
B) Ladies and gentlemen
C) Homosexual males
D) All are outdated

Question 11

The Asch (1956) conformity study was conducted at a time in US history when being conventional and not standing out was viewed favorably. If the study were replicated today, would the results be the same or different? Explain.

Question 12

In your opinion, was the Milgram (1963) obedience to authority experiment ethically justifiable? In other words, has our society benefitted from learning about the results? Why or why not?

Question 13

If you had been a participant in Milgram's (1963) obedience to authority research, how do you think you would have behaved? Would you have "shocked" the learner to the highest level (450 volts) or would you have quit sooner? Put another way, do you think your behavior would be different than the majority of participants in the study, the 65% who went to the highest level of shock? Explain.

Question 14

Is it true that virtually any psychology experiment, not just those in social psychology, has some degree of deception? Why or why not?

Question 15

Why is deception used so frequently in social psychology experiments? What makes such experiments somewhat different from other sorts of psychology experiments?

Question 16

Is deception necessary in order to conduct social psychological research? Why or why not?

Question 17

Explain the difference between experimental realism and mundane realism. Why are both important to social psychological research?

Question 18

What are some benefits for our culture when deception is used in social psychological research? What are some costs to our culture when deception is used?

Question 19

Why should psychologists be careful when they use labels to define or describe individuals or groups?

Question 20

Why do many psychologists argue that the term "subject" is outmoded? Why is the term "participant" preferred? Is there any risk in using one label instead of the other?

Question 21

Why is confidentiality so important in the context of social psychological research?

Question 22

When we say that research participants are "volunteers" or that their participation in a study was "voluntary," is this really true? Why or why not?

Question 23

Can learning troubling or upsetting things about oneself be a cost and a benefit of some social psychological research? How so? Do you think this was correct of the Milgram (1963) and/or Asch (1956) studies?

Question 24

Explain the role of the Institution Review Board (IRB) where the approval of social psychological research is concerned.