Assignment 1: Identifying Ethical Issues in Psychological Research
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Instructions
Background
For the Week 1 Discussion, you identified and discussed two peer-reviewed journal articles related to your topic of interest. One was a report on a quantitative study and one a report on qualitative study. Some research projects combine both approaches in what are called mixed methods studies. An example is a study conducted by National University Professors Dr. Allyson Washburn and Dr. Susan Williams (2021) that asked what it is like to become and be an older adult. Participants over the age of 70 responded to interview questions about their experience of being old and completed quantitative measures of their adjustment to aging.
Instructions
For this assignment, find a mixed methods study related to the topic you are considering for your senior project. (By now, you will have three peer-reviewed journal articles that you can use for you Week 2 Written Assignment, as well as for your senior project if you stick with your topic.)
Part I
“Dissect” this article as you did for the two articles you reviewed for the Week 1 Discussion.
• Reference citation for the journal article (in correct APA format):
• General purpose: What was the purpose of the study? How did the author(s) make a case for its importance to the field?
• Fit and specific rationale: How does the study fit into the existing research literature?
• Participants: Who were the participants? How were they selected? Who was the author(s), and how was he or she/they related to the purpose, participants, and study site?
• Context: Where did the study take place?
• Research approach: How did the author(s) characterize the research approach used?
• Results: What were the primary findings?
• Conclusions: How did the author(s) interpret their findings with respect to the general purpose of the study?
• Your Take-aways: What did you learn about human behavior and/or experience from reading this research report?
Part II
Address each of the following:
• What ethical issues could the researchers have faced in designing and conducting the study?
• What did the researchers say about how they protected their human participants—for example, their confidentiality and privacy?
• If the researchers did not directly address ethical issues in the article, what assurance do you have that their human participants were treated in accordance with the APA Ethical Guidelines for Research?
In addressing each part of the assignment, use the three references below to support what you say. The Cherry (2020) article provides a good introduction to the ethical conduct of research and includes a link to Stanley Milgrim’s infamous study of the effects of authority on obedience.
Additional Resources
References
Cherry, K. (2020). The process of conducting ethical research in psychology. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/conducting-ethical-research-in-psychology-2795184
Washburn, A. M., & Williams, S. (2020). Becoming and being an older adult: A mixed methods study of the lived experience of aging. Journal of Aging Studies, 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100871
