This means that there are certain things you can and cannot do to a human being just to get results for a test. There could be a ways around hurting someone to get results. One way around harming an actual human being for a statistic could be to come up with a system where an automatic response would be given to each single shock value. The experimenter could have been told that there was another human being on the other side receiving the shock, when in fact there wouldn’t be. So the experimenter could be lead to the thought that he/she had the power to harm another person but wouldn’t. A reason for an ethics board to approve a study like this one could be based on the fact that even though it may be unethical, the results produced outweigh the wrongness of it all.
How have cell phones affected the lives of American citizens? “Mobile phone Tracking Scrutinized” by Nikki Swartz is somewhat of an informational article based on the ability to track citizens through their cell phone. The author starts out by informing the reader that wireless technology companies, along with the government, can track their whereabouts through their cell phone. Apparently, the cell phones give off a signal which is received by the cell towers nearby. The author goes on to inform the reader by saying that even if the cell phone is turned off; it will still communicate with the towers about the phone’s position.
For, example, when looking at the reliability of eye witness testimony, video or slides can be used to ensure each participant witnesses the same event exactly. Standardised equipment and instructions also ensures the experiment can be replicated by other researchers. In evaluation of Laboratory experiments, the artificial nature means that ecological validity may be low, as a participant’s emotional state is not the same in an artificial crime as a real one, and therefore they will behave differently, or recall the event differently. Wagstaff et al (2003) found that
You would have to rely on the patient giving you the information for it not is socially desirable or have demand characteristics. On the other hand, it is better than individual differences as people may have the same thought patterns and processes. You can only obtain this information by self reports, which would probably give both of those issues; social desirability and demand characteristics. These would affect your results and therefore they would not be reliable or valid. If you were using the cognitive approach you would only get qualitative data which could be a problem as not everyone interprets the same answer in the same way.
CONFOUND: A confound means that there is an alternative explanation beyond the experimental variables for any observed differences in the dependent variable EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES: Variables that naturally exist in the environment that may have some systematic effect on the dependent variable DEMAND CHARACTERISTIC: Experimental design element or procedure that unintentionally provides subjects with hints about the research hypothesis DEMAND EFFECT: Occurs when demand characteristics actually affect the dependent variables HAWTHORNE EFFECT: People will perform differently from normal when they know they are experimental subjects PLACEBO: A false experimental condition aimed at creating the impression of an effect PLACEBO EFFECT: The effect in a dependent variable associated with the psychological impact that goes along with knowledge of some treatment being administered CONSTANCY OF CODITIONS: Means that subjects in all experimental groups are exposed to identical conditions except for the differing experimental treatments COUNTERBALANCING: Attempts to eliminate the confounding effects of order of presentation by requiring that one-fourth of the subjects be exposed to treatment A first, one-fourth to treatment B first, one-fourth to treatment C first, and finally one-fourth to treatment D
Therefore Holly broke these principles as the infant’s birth weight and sex was collected and they were intended to be used in another study. This also broke the principle of personal data being passed on to third parties, if Holly did pass on the data to a third party without consent from the participant this would also not be good practice. The data collected should be obtained with participant’s full consent, as Holly didn’t gain consent this principle was broken. These issues could be addressed by ensuring that only the data needed for a study is collected and that researchers ensure they are familiar with the data protection act and abide by these
The data collection method should not violate the self-respect or self-esteem of the participants. Any person’s desire to not participate in the survey should be respected. The goal of the researcher is informed consent even for videotaping, recorded interviews, etc. Observers or non-participants should not interfere with the survey. If the study is qualitative, personal bias can skew the data.
Examine the problems that some sociologists may face when using different kinds of experiments in their research (20 marks) There are two main types of experiments that sociologist like to use to gain primary data. These are lab and field experiments. Both experiments manipulate an independent variable (ID) and measure its effect on the dependent variable (DV) which allows for a cause and effect relationship to be concluded. A lab experiment is conducted within an artificial environment, whereas a field experiment is conducted in the participants’ natural environment. Interpretivist sociologists would choose to not use lab experiments because they lack ecological validity as they are conducted within an environment that is artificial to the participant.
In Milgram's experiment, test subjects were asked to do something that was, on the surface, unethical. Milgram was fascinated by the way people could be persuaded to cause harm to individuals if the instructions came from authoritative figures or those who would be considered credible. Although Milgram's experiment would not be conducted today for ethical reasons, the information derived from Milgram's experiment
As a result, this document can fail to accurately represent a culture, producing misleading data. - One major problem for deindividuation theory is that deindividuation can produce increases in pro-social behaviour rather than aggressive behaviour. - Deindividuation can also lead to a freeing of inhibitions rather than aggression - For example: Gergen et al – men and women were placed in either a lit room (control group) or a completely dark room (experimental group) - Participants who did not know each other were told that there are no rules about what they do together. Also told that after the study, they would not interact with each other. - Participants in the lit room – found the experiment a boring experience - Participants in dark room – First 15 minutes, participants in the dark room chatted idly.