research ethics?

Question

hi, i'm a college student at PSU, and my professor gave us a bonus question that im can't seem to figure out. the question says:

When, if ever, should research ethics be violated, and does the data justify the means?

thanks for your help in advance

Answer 1

Ethics could be violated when:

(1) An unexpected safety issue came up and ethics needed to be violated to protect your subjects
(2) If there is overwhelming evidence that by you violating research ethics you are going to produce a utilitarian outcome

It's definitely a gray area though to determine whether the data justifies the means. Try arguing from the perspective that a lot of "unethical" research in the past has produced very important lessons for the field of psychology - even if these lessons include not using unethical methods in science.

Answer 2

I am reminded of an experiment whereby an 'interrogator' was placed in a room and the 'subject' was placed in an adjoining room. The interrogator was shown that adjoining room beforehand with a formidable electric chair. He was told that the subject was to be strapped in and administered an ever-increasing jolt of current when the subject did not answer a battery of questions correctly. He [the inquisitor] was led back to his station sat down in front of a microphone and was informed that he would administer the shock himself VIA a button on a console. The other end of the wire was connected to a simple light bulb,which when lit, would give a signal to the subject, who was in the moving picture trade, was known as a 'screamer'. As the interrogator pressed on with his queries the screaming got worse and worse (of course all the questions were answered wrong). What is interesting to note is that a correlation to the prestigious standing of the collage and the intensity and depth of the severity of 'pain inflicted'. A university in the "IV' league was more intense than say, a city collage. would a violation of ethics be more sustainable in a larger and more prestigious corporation than a smaller environment?

Answer 3

Does the end ever JUSTIFY the means? We may be forced into making a terrible choice, but sometimes we do what needs to be done and no justification is possible. I would doubt that the data could justify the means, but check out this scenario; a research animal is subjected to a horrible death to extract a vital procedure that can save many human lives. Is it justified, No, is it going to happen; you could call that a sure thing.