Question

1. Ethic are an important aspect of the way we conduct research. Examples throughout history have shown that when investigators are not concerned with the ramifications to participants there is a very likely chance for abuse. The following section gives a scenario of a proposed research study. Read the scenario and then identify three specific ethical concerns that they researcher should take into account when they conduct the study.

Scenario: George plans to investigate a communication phenomenon dealing with partners in a romantic relationship. He want to study how partners decide the way they communicate feelings of being devalued in a relationship. He plans to study physically abusive, verbal abuse, verbal compromise, and verbal avoidance as the main reactions to feeling devalued by a partner. Participants will be recruited through an email survey sent out on social media and will ask participants to recall the last time they felt devalued by a partner and describe how they reacted. All data gathered will be anonymous to protect privacy and data will be used to create a better understanding of how conflict is resolved in romantic relationships.

Answer 1

For any research to be conducted in an ethical and moral way, certain ethical practices and guidelines are outlined for the researcher to be followed. These guidelines enables the research practices in an ethical way, thereby taking into account concerns, interests and well being of the human participants at psychological, social, and physical levels.
In the study to be conducted by George, involves understanding how partners decide the way they communicate the feelings of being devalued in a relationship. The main reactions to feeling devalued by partner are physical abuse, verbal abuse, verbal compromise and verbal avoidance. An email survey is to be sent out on social media to recruit participants, and ask participants to recall last time they felt devalued by their partner and how they reacted. In the study by George, following ethical concerns are to be taken into account:

CONFIDENTIALITY: The participants should be informed that the data will be kept anonymous and confidential. Since, the present study involves personal information and experiences, confidentiality is a matter of great importance. All the data is proposed to be used in creating better understanding of conflict expression and its resolution . The information is of sensitive nature, which may heal or break a relationship, therefore the ethical practice of confidentiality and anonymity is imperative.

INFORMED CONSENT: Informed consent is yet another ethical concern in the research conducted by George. The participants needs to be informed about the purpose of study, expected use of the data collected and how that data will be used for various inferences and outcomes. The participants should be made clear their purpose in the study, what they are required to do and also outline the guidelines they are expected to follow. Participants should be made aware, in advance the feelings and emotions they may experience while describing the reactions to being devalued by the partner. Hence , informed consent needs to be taken.

MINIMISING THE RISK OF HARM: The study involves describing of the feelings of being devalued and their reaction to that by the participants. In this case the psychological and emotional well being of the participants is vulnerable. The participants should be made aware of those feelings, feelings of uncomfortableness, distress and discomfort should be addressed in a sensitive manner. Participants should be informed, that they have right to withdraw anytime they are uncomfortable. They should be made aware that the outcomes of study may enable a better understanding and dealing with such emotions in a better way. Therefore , the study should be conducted in an ethical way that causes minimum psychological and emotional harm, with the right to withdraw.