Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the biological level of analysis

Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the biological 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

Seligman – Learned Helplessness Dog Study (Depression)
[A]	Prove that Learned Helplessness can lead to depression.
[P]	A dog was trapped in an enclosed area where the floor was lined with electrodes. The experimenter would activate the electrode once in a while. The dog would jump over a low wall to the other side of the enclosed area where no electrodes were on the floor. The experimenter raised the wall slowly until it was too high for the dog to jump over. Then after a few trials, the experimenter lowered the wall again.
[F]	The dog gave the high wall a few attempts. But after knowing that it is impossible to jump across, the dog gave up and let itself get electrocuted. When the walls were lowered again, the dog did not attempt to jump across.
[C]	The dog learnt that he is incapable of jumping across. Learn that its are helpless therefore lowering its self esteem.
[E]	Low in ecological validity, lab experiment. Controlled, no confounding variable. Animal experiment can provide insight into human behaviour. Unethical, participants did not have rights to withdraw. Induced fear and depression into participants.

Milner and Scoville- The Case Study of HM
Description	HM suffered from epilepsy. Went through lesioning to remove temporal lobe. Surgeon accidentally removed parts of the Hippocampus (responsible for LTM retrieval). Caused anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia only affected memory up to 11 years before surgery. He can remember things 12 years before the accident. Discovered that the cortex and hippocampus is connected and years in first grade would not be fully consolidated until first year in sophomore. Emotional memory was intact, at the mention of the death of his favourite uncle, he experienced distress.
[E]	Ecological validity: High, study of a real life case. Low potential ability to generalise because cases are individual. Ethics: Patient’s name was kept confidential until he died.

Milner and Scoville- The Case Study of HM

Description

HM suffered from epilepsy.
Went through lesioning to remove temporal lobe.
Surgeon accidentally removed parts of the Hippocampus (responsible for LTM retrieval).
Caused anterograde and retrograde amnesia.
Retrograde amnesia only affected memory up to 11 years before surgery.
He can remember things 12 years before the accident.
Discovered that the cortex and hippocampus is connected and years in first grade would not be fully consolidated until first year in sophomore.
Emotional memory was intact, at the mention of the death of his favourite uncle, he experienced distress.

[E]

Ecological validity: High, study of a real life case.
Low potential ability to generalise because cases are individual.
Ethics: Patient’s name was kept confidential until he died.

Money – Sex Change Case Study (Genetics)
[A]	Prove that nurture determined gender identity, not nature.
[P]	Longitudinal study on David Reimer. David Reimer was a boy who lost his penis while a circumcision accident. Money suggested David’s parents to give him a sex change. He did not reveal his true motive was to prove that nurture determines gender identity, not nature.
[F]	When David grew up, he displayed masculine behaviour. Causing problems in school with his peers.
[C]	Proves the psychosexual development is determined by chromosomes and hormones.
[E]	Ethical guidelines: Unethical A lot of deception and uninformed consent. No protection from physical and mental harm. No rights of withdrawal. Milton Diamond was not convinced, he examined the role of hormones on the developing fetus. Suggesting that psychosexual development is not determined by genitalia or upbringing, but rather chromosomes and hormones.