Ethics in Changing Human Behavior.

PSY5102-8 > Applied Psychology and Behaviorism > Week 5

Syllabus ID: 33198

Week: 5

Instructor: Michelle Ackerman , PhD , mackerman@ncu.edu

Introduction:

Ethics in Changing Human Behavior

Before 1906 when the U.S. federal government passed the Pure Food and Drug Act that created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States was not overly concerned about research ethics. This legislation set basic standards for research using human subjects; however, it did not present clear-cut guidelines for researchers. In fact, ethical standards involving human research participants were not addressed until after the Nuremberg trials of the Nazi war criminals.

Behaviorist John Watson strongly believed that psychologists must focus only on objectively studying behavior through observation to make psychology more like a natural science. He reduced all behavior to basic stimulus-response units and proposed that behaviors can be unlearned and manipulated, through psychology. Watson, along with his graduate assistant, Rosalie Rayner (who later became his second wife) put his theory to the test in perhaps one of the most controversial psychological experiments ever conducted. In the “Little Albert” experiment, the researchers conditioned a small child to fear a white rat. The controversy with the experiment centers on the fact that the researchers did not decondition the child’s fear.

Clever Hans and the animals in the IQ Zoo were all examples of behavioral principles used to change animal behaviors. When these principles were used to breed fear of furry objects in Little Albert, questions of the ethical treatment of human subjects in psychological experiments began to emerge. This week requires you to assess whether the Little Albert experiment could have been conducted ethically.

Be sure to review this week’s resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.

Books and Resources for this Week:
Websites

Reference

Instruction
The Critical Thinking Community. (2013). Developing as rational persons: Viewing our development in stages.

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/developing-as-rational-persons-viewing-our-development-in-stages/518

Review website

The psych files. (2008). The Little Albert study: What you know is…mostly wrong.

http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2008/02/episode-47-the-little-albert-study-what-you-know-ismostly-wrong/

Review website

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). The Belmont Report.

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html

Review website

Activities for week (07/13/2015 – 07/19/2015)

Activity 1:

Complete Assignment 1

Due: 07/19/2015

Activity 2:

Complete TSM Activity 1

Due: 07/19/2015

PSY5102-8 > Applied Psychology and Behaviorism > Week 5 > Examine the Historical Roots of the Belmont Report (Graded, Required)

Syllabus ID: 33198

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Week 5 Assignment: Examine the Historical Roots of the Belmont Report

Activity Description

Warm-Up Activity 5.1: Little Albert Experiment

Examine the controversy about the Little Albert experiment (resource is located under your weekly resources) to determine whether it was really an experiment or not: The Little Albert Study: What You Know Is…Mostly Wrong

Warm-Up Activity 5.2: Belmont Report

Review the Belmont Report located under your weekly resources.

Warm-Up Activity 5.3: Critical Thinking Skills

Further develop your critical thinking skills through careful reading and application of the principles identified in the following article, located under your weekly resources: Developing as Rational Persons.

Assignment

For this task, you will consider the historical context and influences on the development of the Belmont Report which today governs research using human participants.

After you have completed your readings for the week, prepare a paper that addresses the following:

•Explain why the Belmont report was created.

•Discuss the “Basic Ethical Principles” cited in the Belmont Report.

•Identify the ethical controversies that existed in the following psychological experiments:

• Little Albert

• Milgram’s Obedience

• Zimbardo Prisoner Stanford Experiment

•Explain how the ethical controversies of these experiments might have influenced the need to create the Belmont Report.

•Include your assessment of what basic ethical principles cited in the Belmont Report appear to have been violated in these experiments.

Support your paper with reference to three articles published in peer reviewed journals. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.

Length: 5-7 pages

Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

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