Is it justifiable for researchers?????

Question

Do you think there is any time when it is justifiable for researchers to be less than honest with people he/she is investigating? Perhaps it just involves withholding information or going through the discarded trash to find out what the truth is.

Answer 1

That is a great question.  Deception in research is a touchy subject.  In deciding whether deception is warranted, a researcher needs to determine the cost/benefit of the deception.  That is, does the knowledge gained outweigh the potentially adverse efect of deceiving people.  I believe in many instances it does.  In certain instances it is necessary to create a certain situation, contrived, in order to study behavior in a controlled setting.  A good example is Milgram's obedience studies of the early 1960's.  In research I conducted as a grad student, deception was used.  But, I did not go willy nilly about my research.  I had to justify it and go before the university's institutional review board -- just like everyone else that does research in academia.  I recommend you look at section 8 of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html

Answer 2

You could make the case that when research needs honest answers to a question to be meaningful.   Most of us want to be generally liked and that often directs us to give the "right answer."   So, yes the research objective could justify trickery in the questions.  

Answer 3

Of course it's justifiable.

As a researcher, your obligation is to your client / customer. If disclosing any information you obtain while investigating somebody may put your client / customer in a compromised position, then you have the duty not to.

If your investigation doesn't turn up anything derogatory against the target, it's still your obligation to report it to your client / customer.

Answer 4

I'm a little lost here. Are you talking about the FBI, the papperazzi, or psychological testing? I've never heard of any kind of psychological experiments where an experimenter would have to go through somebody's trash. It would certainly be unethical unless a consent form was signed. I believe it would also be illegal.

Answer 5

Depends on what kind of research. Something like a "Double blind" experiment leaves the subject completely in the dark. You as the researcher have to follow certain moral guidelines set forth by your field of study and usually have to have a formal disclosure that the subject signs.