Ethical Issues

 
      There is only one real ethical issue with microbial forensics, which is funding.  Where is the nation going to get that kind of money to fund a project to setup the national database.  Is the government going to take funding away from other projects or groups?  This ethical decision will be left up to the government. 

      The psychology of terrorism has a few ethical issues to consider.  First of all, one must be very careful before labeling another person.  Psychologists need to be very careful about defining exactly who is a terrorist.  It would be unethical to start labeling healthy people as terrorists just because they fit into a certain set of guidelines.  Another ethical issue deals with the shortage of scientific data.  It would be unethical for psychologist to allow the public to believe that their findings are completely scientific and that the discipline itself is completely scientifically based.  Ethical decisions made in the psychology of terrorism are based off of the ethical guidelines of the APA.  If the researchers are affiliated with an institution or university then a Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) will make sure that all decision are ethical.  To learn more about the HSRB, go to the psychology department's HSRB at Monmouth College.  Some of the ethical decisions and guidelines that all psychologists and HSRBs must follow include gaining informed consent from participants, do not use deception unless absolutely necessary, maintain confidentiality, allow the subjects to quit at anytime during the study, maintain the mental and physical safety of the subjects at all times, and debrief the subjects once finished.  For every psychological study, it is important to make sure that the benefits outweigh the risks.

      

 

 

 

Click on the picture to go home

 

 

This is a site created for Biotechnology and Human Values (ISSI470), an academic course at Monmouth College.