When humans are a subject of research I believe ethics should be a priority. As a kid we are taught to "treat others the way you would like to be treated," and in psychological research I believe this is still highly relevant. While studying obedience in humans, Stanley Milgram caused psychological harm to his patients which then carried on after the experiment was over. Being unethical in psychological research is really just a selfish act. It is disregarding the risk you are putting humans at to get what you want. The cost-benefit analysis should not be considered because the suffering of the patient is not resolved through the benefit of the experiment. There is no cancelation. In regards to deception, ethics should still be a priority. I believe that there is not a problem with deception when there is consent from the patients and then they go through thorough debriefing.
In the use of animals in psychological experiments, keeping it ethical should also be a priority, but when the main reason for using animals is for a humans benefit, I believe it is less of an importance as long as there is not purposeful harm. There are too many positives in using animals in research to further the understanding of humans to cancel any possibilities of harm.
Just as I believe that ethics should be a priority is psychological research, I also believe that it should be priority in interrogation. Torture should not be condoned. It is dehumanizing to the subject individual and is traumatic and potentially post traumatic to both the tortured human and the person preforming the torturous interrogations.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your views concerning the danger of psychological experiments on humans. In order to be considered a valid, scientific study, ethics must be of the highest priority for an experiment. Rigging results or any form of bias evident in the execution of a test immediately voids the feedback which scientists hope to use. Every single aspect of an experiment must be controlled as best as it can be in order to ensure accurate results.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with your view on the ethics of psychology. Psychologists should always follow the morals as best they can and have the volunteers know everything they could ever want to know about the experiment. Additionally,I agree with your comments on torture. Every form of torture should be illegal, including water boarding, which IS a form of torture in my opinion. Torture is inhumane and should never be used, regardless of the situation.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteEthics ties into pretty much every topic. In some cases though, I believe ethics may need to be violated in order to advance and provide answers for humankind. BUT I believe that experiments like these should be done in the most ethical way as possible.