- Social: Issues of informed consent, causing psychological harm and right to withdraw within obedience research. The necessity of creating these conditions in order to study prejudice and obedience. For example, Milgram’s study was very unethical. Sherif also deliberately induced conflict.
- Cognitive: Case studies of brain damaged patients, such as HM, raise issues such as informed consent and confidentiality.
- Biological: Studying aggression and issues around links to brain damage. Use of brain scanning techniques and protection of ppt. Issues of confidentiality esp. within adoption studies. Ethical issues with use of animals. Raine’s study had issues with informed consent.
- Learning: Ethical issues with use of animals, issues with Watson and Rayner and children in Bandura study. Little Albert was also never unconditioned.
- Clinical: Testing effectiveness of therapies – ppts may be vulnerable. Also control groups may be withheld from treatment. Rosenhan’s study unethical – patients at hospital there to get help, not to be part of a study for example.
- Child: Strange situation can be criticised for distressing children, anonymity is hard to establish, i.e. Genie; rare case and so was high profile.
