THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL
RESEARCH
Chapter 3 – The Ethics and Politics of Social
Research
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Ethical Issues in Social Research
 Two Ethical Controversies
 The Politics of Social Research
 Quick Quiz

ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards
of conduct of a given profession or group.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Voluntary Participation

No one should be forced to participate.

Balance of science and ethics?

Possible?
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

No Harm to the Participants

People being researched should never be injured
(physically, mentally, emotionally, socially,
psychologically).

Examples: Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Stanford Prison
Experiment

Possible to eliminate 100% of risk?

Informed Consent – a norm in which subjects base
their voluntary participation in research projects on a
full understanding of the possible risk involved.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Anonymity and Confidentiality

Anonymity – guaranteed in a research project when
neither the researchers nor the readers of the
findings can identify a given response with a given
respondent.

Confidentiality – guaranteed when the research can
identify a given person’s responses but promises not
to do so publicly.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Deception

Deception within social research needs to be justified
by scientific or administrative concerns.

Debriefing – interviewing subjects to learn about
their experience of participation in the project.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Analysis and Reporting

Ethical obligation to colleagues in the scientific
community.

All results must be reported (positive and negative).

All limitations must be admitted.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Institutional Review Boards – a panel of faculty
who review all research proposals involving
human subjects so that they can guarantee that
the subjects’ rights and interests will be
protected.

Exceptions
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Professional Code of Ethics
TWO ETHICAL CONTROVERSIES

Trouble in the Tearoom – Laud Humphreys
Studied homosexual activities in public restrooms in
parks
 Researcher became interested in the lives of
participants
 Researcher volunteered to become “watchqueen”
 Researcher collected personal information about the
participants (license numbers of cars)


Which ethical issues are in question?
TWO ETHICAL CONTROVERSIES

Observing Human Obedience – Stanley Milgram
Participants imitated a laboratory-based World War
II controversy
 Participants were assigned job of “teacher” – to teach
a list of works to the “pupil.” If the pupil got the word
wrong, the teacher would administer increasing
levels of shocks to the pupil.


Which ethical issues are in question?
THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH



The ethics of social research deals mostly with
the methods employed.
Political issues tend to center on the substance
and use of research.
There are no formal codes of acceptable political
conduct, while there are formal codes of conduct
for social research.
THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Objectivity and Ideology

Science achieves objectivity through inter-subjectivity.

Weber (1925): sociology needs to be unencumbered by
personal values if it is to make a special contribution
to society.
THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Politics with a Little “p”

Social research in relation to contested social issues
cannot remain antiseptically objective.
THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Politics in Perspective
1.
2.
3.
4.
Science is not untouched by politics.
Science does proceed in the midst of political
controversy and hostility.
An awareness of ideological considerations enriches
the study and practice of social research methods.
Whereas researchers should not let their own values
interfere with the quality and honesty of the
research, this does not mean that researchers cannot
or should not participate in public debates.
QUICK QUIZ
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which constrains must be placed on social
research for it to be considered realistic?
scientific constraints
administrative constraints
ethical constraints
all of the above
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: D.
Scientific, administrative, and ethical constraints
must be placed on social research for it to be
considered realistic.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
2. _____ is a norm in which subjects base their
voluntary participation in research projects on a
full understanding of the possible risks involved.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Research participation
The Hawthorne effect
Informed consent
The code of ethics
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: C.
Informed consent is a norm in which subjects base
their voluntary participation in research projects
on a full understanding of the possible risks
involved.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
3. Though the norm of voluntary participation is
important, it is often
A.
B.
C.
D.
justifiably violated.
not received.
impossible to follow.
all of the above
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: D.
Though the norm of voluntary participation is
important, it is often justifiably violated, not
received, and impossible to follow.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
4. Both ethics and politics hinge on
A.
B.
C.
D.
idiographic research.
power and resources.
manifest research.
ideological points of view.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: D.
Both ethics and politics hinge on ideological points
of view.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
5. Ethics are not a consideration in which one of the
following fields of research?
natural sciences
B. psychology
C. medicine
D. sociology
E. None of the above – they all require ethical
considerations.
A.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: E.
Ethics enters in all of these fields: natural sciences,
psychology, medicine, and sociology.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
6. The major justification that social scientists have
for requesting participation in a study is that
it may help the respondent.
B. it may help all humanity.
C. it may help the social scientist.
D. it may help government officials make policy
decisions.
E. it may help improve the educational system.
A.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: B.
The major justification the social scientists has for
requesting participation in a study is that it may
help all humanity.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
7. The controversy surrounding Laud Humphreys’
study of homosexuals suggests that he most
violated which of the following ethical principles?
anonymity and confidentiality
B. harm to subjects and data reporting without
identification
C. concealed identify or researcher anonymity
D. harm to subjects and anonymity
A.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: D.
The controversy surrounding Laud Humphreys’
study of homosexuals suggests that he most
violated the ethical principle of harm to subjects
and anonymity.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
8. Which of the following is not a difference
between ethical and political aspects of social
research?
A. Ethical considerations are more objective than
political considerations.
B. Ethical aspects include a professional code of
ethics, whereas political aspects do not.
C. Ethics deal more with methods, whereas
political issues deal with substance.
D. Ethical norms have been established, whereas
political norms have not been established.
CHAPTER 3 QUIZ
ANSWER: A.
The following is not a difference between ethical
and political aspects of social research: Ethical
considerations are more objective than political
considerations.