Socially Sensitive Research - Human Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Psychology

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Socially sensitive research

• Research that has implications that extend

beyond the PPs used in the study, during the

study

• For the participants
• For the group they represent

Socially sensitive research

• People potentially affected include:
  • The participants themselves (beyond the study)
  • People close to them (e.g. family, friends, colleagues)
  • The social group from which they were drawn (e.g. ethnic, cultural)
  • The researchers & their institution

Socially sensitive research

• Lee (1993)
• SSR is that which contains an element of

threat or risk

• Topics that are private, stressful or sacred
• Potential for exposure of incriminating or stigmatising info

Socially sensitive research

• Sieber & Stanley (1988)
• Research can become SSR for many reasons

including:

• The research question
• Treatment of pps
• The institutional context
• Interpretation and use of findings

Views on SSR

• SSR can have major consequences for

researchers e.g.:

• Negative media exposure
• Conflict with colleagues
• Loss of position/job
• Threats from extremist groups
• Can we blame researchers if they avoid SSR?

Views on SSR

• Scarr (1988)
  • We have a responsibility to do SSR even if we don’t like the findings
  • SSR can be very important in raising awareness e.g. of inequality & its effects

Views on SSR

“Shying away from controversial topics…[is] an

avoidance of responsibility.”

Sieber & Stanley (1988)