Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the cognitive level of analysis | ib psych notes

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Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the cognitive level of analysis. (22)

Discuss (22) – A considered and balanced review, including a range of arguments, factors or hypothesis. Opinions and conclusions presented clearly supported by appropriate evidence.

Ethical guidelines

Informed consent
Right to withdraw
Deception
Debriefing
Confidentiality/Privacy
Protection of participants (from mental and/or physical harm)

The need to break guidelines

For research purposes, where there are no other feasible methods
Demand characteristics (mostly with Deception)
Cues in an experiment that tells participants what behaviour is expected

LeDoux – Fear in rats experiment (Biological factors in emotion)
[A]	Investigate the role of the amygdala.
[P]	Rats were conditioned to feel fear when they hear the sound of a bell. Assumption that the brian has made a connection between the bell and fear. LeDoux lesioned the rats to find out which part of the brain made the connection between the bell and fear.
[F]	After several lesions, they removed the Auditory Thalamus. The rats did not show respond to the bell with fear anymore. In further studies, they found out that lesions on one site of the amygdala was able to stop blood pressure from rising.
[C]	This shows that there are biological interactions with emotions.
[E]	Unethical study Induced feat in subjects, caused mental harm. Performed lesioning on subjects, cause physical harm. Subjects did not have rights to withdraw.

Montague – Neuromarketing study (fMRI)
[A]	Investigate cognition of consumers’ preferences.
[P]	Invited 70 participants to a blind taste test of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Participants were asked to rate the two after the blind test. They were then placed into the fMRI machine for scanning their brain activity.
[F]	Pepsi was by far the most preferred drink in the blind test. The Ventral Putamen, part of the brain’s pleasure center, lit up more in the fMRI scans when tasting Pepsi.
[C]	Findings do not match with the general public’s preference of Coca-Cola over Pepsi. fMRI scans (neuroplasticity technology) can be used for identifying consumer preferences.
[E]	Sample size not big enough to represent the nation. Ethical considerations: Confidentiality problems. Thoughts and preferences should personal and private.

Schachter &amp Singer – Injection study (Two Factor Theory of Emotion)
[A]	Show that both cognition and biological factors interact with emotion.
[P]	184 male college students participated in the experiment. They were taken to a private room. The experimenter told them the aim of the experiment was to see “the effect of vitamin injection on visual skills”. Deception: In actual fact the aim of the experiment was to test the Two Factor Theory of Emotion. The participants were given either a placebo shot (with no side effects) or an adrenalin shot. The effects was increased heart rates, blood pressure, blood sugar level and respiration. The effects started showing at 3 minutes and lasted for 10 minutes to an hour. Participants were put into one of the 4 experimental conditions. 1. Adrenalin ignorant – participants with adrenalin were not told of the effects. 2. Adrenalin informed – participants were informed with the side effects so they were prepared. 3. Adrenalin misinformed – participants were not informed with the true side effects. 4. Control – placebo injection without being told what side effects to expect. Participants were then assigned either Euphoria (feeling of happy) condition – Assistant in the waiting room carried out silly actions to entertain participants. Anger condition – Assistant in the waiting room annoyed the participant. Researchers observed through one-way mirror. Participants filled in a self appraisal form.
[F]	Euphoria condition Misinformed participants were feeling happier than all other groups. Ignorant participants were the second happiest. Anger condition Ignorant participants felt the angriest. Placebo participants felt the second angriest.
[C]	Participants were more influenced by the assistant because they had no explanation for the emotion high. Leads to a wrong labeling of the physiological responses. Supports the Two Factor Theory of Emotion. Physiological arousal in different emotion is entirely the same. We label our arousal according to cognition. Cannot fully evaluate the feeling of emotional arousal. Leading to misattribution Influenced by surrounding situation.
[E]	Observations and self appraisal of emotion was subjective. Measurements were rudimentary, only pulse was measured. Low in ecologically validity Lab experiment, unlikely to have a sudden emotional arousal. Emotion arousal might be caused by external stimuli (i.e. the other way around). Unethical: Induced anger and aggression in participants.