Question

From an ethical perspective, what two goals often collide in social psychological research? On the one hand, social psychologists ________; on the other hand, they ________.

A) provide cover stories to disguise their true purposes; debrief participants at the close of the study
B) use a limited number of participants in their studies; want to generalize to all people
C) are concerned about their participants; want to find interesting results D) want to satisfy their intellectual curiosity; want to respond to real-life problems
E) seek both mundane and psychological realism; don't want to cause participants unnecessary discomfort or harm

Answer 1

Social psychologists face the ethical dilemma of balancing participant well-being with the pursuit of interesting research results. Ethical concerns like informed consent and participant safety should be prioritized, even if it may limit the study's scope.

Step-by-step explanation:

From an ethical perspective, the two goals that often collide in social psychological research are that on one hand, social psychologists are concerned about their participants; on the other hand, they want to find interesting results. Choice C) are concerned about their participants; want to find interesting results best represents this ethical conflict. These goals pose a dilemma because while ensuring the well-being of participants is paramount, researchers are also driven by the quest for valuable insights that contribute to the understanding of social behavior.

During their studies, social psychologists must carefully navigate the balance between protecting their participants from harm and achieving meaningful and valid results. Informed consent, ensuring the safety of participants, and considering the potential impact on the subjects or groups are essential ethical concerns in sociological and psychological research. Sometimes, this need for ethical diligence might limit the scope of the study, but it is a necessary part of maintaining integrity and public trust in research practices.