PROFESSIONAL GOALS, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND ETHICS
You probably consider yourself to be an ethical person. You likely maintain responsibility for your actions, try to act with integrity, and behave in ways that promote the common good. Yet what happens when research, intended to promote the common good, ends up violating participants’ rights? The Tuskegee syphilis study, begun in 1932, was initially intended to justify treatment programs for Blacks suffering from syphilis (CDC, 2016). Stanley Milgram’s research in 1961 was intended to understand why individuals were willing to obey an authority figure’s orders to harm another. Such research, while well-intentioned, was ethically questionable and led to more stringent research oversight and professional ethical standards. As a developmental psychology professional, you will have to be mindful of maintaining ethical standards while striving to effect positive social change.
Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). The Tuskegee timeline. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Required Readings
- American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
- “Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Research Participants” (pp. 16–18)
- “Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Research Participants” (pp. 16–18)
- Lewis, T. T. (2023). Milgram experimentLinks to an external site.. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru...
- Society for Research in Child Development. (2021, March). Ethical principles and standards for developmental scientistsLinks to an external site.. https://www.srcd.org/about-us/ethical-principles-a...
Required Media
TO PREPARE
- Review the Learning Resources for this week.
- Review the posts you made in the Week 1 Share Your Thoughts activity and reflect on the positive social change implications that could be associated with your professional goals.
- Consider one ethical guideline that might need to be considered when working with individuals to effect positive social change as a part of your professional goals.