Ethical Research forSocial Change

PSY 6200 – Discussion – Week 11

Ethical Research forSocial Change

Consider the researcharticles you have read throughout this course and the themes and topics thatwere explored. Many of articles are descriptions of seminal research thatcontributed to the development of key theories in psychology, some wereconducted to advance knowledge in the field, and many had positive socialchange implications.

In this weeksdiscussion, you will be an agent for positive social change and describe astudy you would like to conduct that could improve peoples lives. In yourpost, do not worry about accurately describing the design or methodology ofyour study; focus instead on what you would like to learn more about and whatkinds of participants you would include in your study. Here is an example ofthe beginning of a discussion post describing a study and its participants:

I would like to conduct a study thatexamines the characteristics that contribute to adolescent texting whiledriving. My participants would be adolescents who are of driving age, male orfemale, anywhere in the United States, any culture, any socioeconomic level.

The rest of the postwould include a description of an ethical consideration and the positive socialchange implications of the study.

To Prepare

        Review this weeks Learning Resources on conducting ethicalresearch and promoting social change

        Think of a study you would like to conduct that has implicationsfor positive social change.

        Identify at least one ethical guideline that you would need toconsider as part of your research

By Day 4

Post a response to the following:

Briefly describe thestudy you would like to conduct, including the characteristics of theparticipants in your sample (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, any specialcharacteristics such as disability, sexual orientation, employment oreducation). Describe the ethical guideline you identified and explain why theguideline is necessary to consider as part of your study. Finally, explain howyour study would contribute to positive social change. Be specific.