Find and list any ethical problems (and only the ethical problems) in the follow

Question

Find and list any ethical problems (and only the ethical problems) in the following study. Dr. Kelson is interested in studying the effects of rejection on self-esteem. Dr. Kelson expects that social rejection will reduce self-esteem, but that self-esteem will improve only if participants compare themselves to people who are worse off (downward social comparison). Dr. Kelson pays participants $150 to come into the lab, where she tells them that they will play a short computer game with another participant (who is actually a confederate). They immediately start to play. As they play the game, the confederate makes slightly insulting remarks about the real participant. When “both” participants rate the interaction, the participant learns that the confederate supposedly rated the real participant as unpleasant, boring, and even unintelligent. Participants then take a self-esteem questionnaire. The procedure is then set up so that the participant has the choice of learning similar information about someone who is 1) the same as them, or 2) worse off than them. After the participant learns this information, they take a second self-esteem questionnaire and then immediately leave the experiment when finished.

Explanation / Answer

The study is about the effects of rejecction on self esteem.

The hypothesis made here is that, social rejection will reduce elf esteem .

Participant's self esteem will improve upon downward comparision.

The ethical issue here is choosing between the right and the wrong.

Some of the issues here are:

1) Dr. Kelson need not buy the paticipants by paying them to make them as her subjects.

2) It should be a informed decision. The researcher could have briefly explained the subjects about the purpose of the study such as to observe the learning behaviour.

3) The test taken/recorded may be momentory reactions. This cannot validate their actual level of self esteem.

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