Key Points: Chapters 3 Ethics

This week we had an ethics marathon.  We discussed many examples including Milgram, Zimbardo, Humphreys, Tuskegee, Olivieri, and Chandra.

For the exam, you’ll need to know about each case discussed in the text and during lecture.  While memorizing every detail is unnecessary, you should be able to recognize the details of a specific case even if you’re not given a name like Milgram or Zimbardo.  For each case you should be able to identify the key ethics issue and explain why there was a violation.  And if you want to go hog wild, try locating the different cases in the typology of legal and moral action (p.46).

Remember that there are different kinds of ethics violations.  On the one hand is scientific misconduct—i.e., types of cheating like fraud and plagiarism.  On the other are issues involving research participants that occur when people are harmed.

Also remember that there are different types of harm that human subjects can experience in research.  The harm experienced by subjects in the Milgram study is different than that incurred by subjects in the Tuskegee case.  You will need to be specific on the test.

And finally, realize that we don’t show the films for entertainment value alone.  We expect you to have viewed and to understand them.  The films demonstrate course themes.  You should be able to identify which theme(s) and then explain how it is illustrated in the film.