Question

Finally, respond to the following short answer prompt: Imagine you are a lead social science researcher and are responsible for approving students' proposed research studies. Review the three sample proposals below and provide brief feedback to summarize any ethical concerns you have related to each of the proposals, based on what you know about ethical codes and expectations in the social sciences.

Proposal 3: Health Problems, Diet, and Socioeconomic Status – This study aims to examine the relationship between health problems (diabetes, heart disease, and obesity), diet, and socioeconomic status. It is proposed that people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to encounter these problems. Research will be conducted on human subjects where data are collected on diet (the types of food consumed along with money spent on food), and this will be related to the overall health of individuals in the study. The results and findings of this research will be published publicly so others can see the risks of consuming cheap, low-quality food.

Answer 1

This study appears to violate the principle of anonymity and confidentiality. Researchers are ethically required to maintain anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants' identities and data. Making the results and findings public without regarding participants information would be considered highly unethical.