Ethical Issues and Guidelines in Psychology (Routledge Modular Psychology) - Softcover

Banyard, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415268818 ISBN 13: 9780415268813

Publisher: Routledge, 2006

Synopsis

How do we know right from wrong, good from bad, help from hindrance, and how can we judge the behavior of others? Ethics are the rules and guidelines that we use to make such judgements. Often there are no clear answers, which make this subject both interesting and potentially frustrating. In this book the authors offer readers the opportunity to develop and express their own opinions in relation to ethics in psychology. There are a number of famous many psychological studies that appear to have been harmful or cruel to the people or animals who took part in them. For example, memory researchers carried out studies on a man who had no memory for over forty years, but because he had no memory, he was never able to agree to the studies. Is this a reasonable thing to do to someone? Comparative psychologist Harry Harlow found that he could create severe and lasting distress in monkeys by keeping them in social isolation. Is this a reasonable thing to do even if we find out useful things about human distress?If you were able to use psychological techniques to break someone down so that they revealed information that was useful to your government would you do it? If so, why and if not, why not? These ethical issues are not easy to resolve and the debates continue as we encounter new dilemmas. The book uses many examples of psychological research to look at key ethical issues ethical guidelines of psychologists socially sensitive research ethics in applied psychology the use of animals in research This book will be essential reading for and undergraduate and pre-undergraduate students studying psychology and students of other subjects concerned with ethics.

About this title

Synopsis

What are the right ways to behave and the right ways to treat other people? Ethics are the rules and guidelines that we use to make judgements of right and wrong. Psychologists have to consider ethical issues because they deal with people and study their behaviour on a daily basis. The study of ethics is one of the more difficult areas of psychology because there are no clear answers. That might well make it one of the more interesting areas for you, or one of the most frustrating. In this book we offer you the opportunity to develop and express your own opinion in relation to ethics in psychology. The book explains some key ethical issues and reviews the various ethical principles and guidelines developed by professional bodies. The problems relating to different kinds of research are discussed, as well as the special case of socially sensitive research. Finally the question of the use of animals in research is examined - is it useful and is it right to use non-human animals in psychological research?

About the Author

Philip Banyard, Associate Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Nottingham Trent University Cara Flanagan, widely published freelance author and experienced senior examiner

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0415268818
• ISBN 13: 9780415268813
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192