Read the following fictional vignette(s) and write a paper identifying any possible ethical issues in each. Please assume that informed consent was obtained from the parents for all 3 scenarios. Try to identify at least two violations in each vignette. Identify ethical violations based on relevant specific standards delineated in the “Ethical Standards” found in the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 2017). Think about diversity issues as well, and if you think culture or other factors might affect someone’s experience or interpretation of these research studies. Finally, do you think anything could be done to mediate any possible ethical issues? The following research vignettes are adapted from: Thompson, R. A. (1990). Vulnerability in research: A developmental perspective on research risk. Child Development, 61, 1-16. Vignette #1: A 12 month-old infant and her mother are ushered into the research playroom by a smiling lab assistant. After a few minutes of instructions, the two are left alone for the beginning of a 21-minute procedure designed to appraise the security of their attachment relationship. During the period, a female stranger enters the room on two occasions to play with the baby. The mother also leaves the room on two occasions – once leaving the baby in the company of the stranger, and a second time leaving the child alone. The baby’s behavior throughout the procedure is observed, especially the reactions to the stranger and the separations from and reunions with the mother. Vignette #2: A 9-year-old boy enters the empty school classroom with the researcher who had been introduced to him just moments before. After a few minutes of getting acquainted, the researcher tells the boy that she is interested in his speed at completing jigsaw puzzles and gives him a puzzle to complete. He does so quickly and receives her admiration and praise in return. She then gives him four more puzzles, and for each one he is surprised to find that he is unable to finish it in the time provided. The researcher then asks him some questions about how he evaluates his abilities and efforts in completing puzzles, in finishing school work, and in other areas of achievement. Before he leaves, she notes that the four puzzles were designed to be difficult to solve, so he should not feel bad about his performance. Vignette #3: A 13-year-old girl is observed from behind one-way windows while she plays with the young baby who had been presented to her when she arrived at the laboratory. After this 30-minute observational session, she is then escorted to an adjoining room where she completes several questionnaires concerning her personality, background, interests, and other characteristics. Among these questionnaires is one in which she is asked to indicate the development of her secondary sexual characteristics by marking which of a series of photographs is most similar to her own breast size, pubic hair growth, and other physical features.
