Hello Graduate Research Advisor,
b b b b b b b b b b I pray this letter finds you well. I am currently faced with a dilemma that
needs attention and I would some assistance in the form of advice. I am
investigating racist hiring practices and I am troubled that if I do not mask the
focus of the questioning, I may not be able to truly appraise the practice of racist
hiring. Since it is illegal to hire people based on their race, I do not think many
employers would outwardly admit to hiring someone in this regard, so I believe
that deception in investigating may be justified to root out illegal activity. At the
same time, I am faced with the dilemma of whether or not the ends justify the
means.
b b b b b b b b b b My idea for an experiment when investigating racist hiring practices is to
submit 20 false applications, all with comparable education and experience, but
using distinctive white and black names. I would also put the applicants'
addresses down as being in different areas of town, such as upper white class
neighborhoods and traditionally black neighborhoods. I would then check to see
which ones were called in for an interview. I believe that no individuals would be
harmed and that I could disguise the study as though I were gauging response
time that measured the time from when the applications were submitted to the
time the first call was received.
Both my apprehension and conviction to commit to this investigation stems from,
first, the Code of Conduct: Principle C Integrity which shows that psychologists
have an obligation to be seriously aware of consequences that come from using
untruthfulness and be prepared to restore any mistrust or any other kind of harm
that occurs because of the deception (A.P.A., 2017). b Secondly, I believe that
Code of Conduct: Principle D supports my investigation because this principle
operates on the premise that justice is available to all without bias. Code of
Conduct: Principle D (A.P.A., 2017) considers justice to include the limitations of
the psychologist when it comes to biases and the ability to use precautions to curb
their own biases, and for all sides to benefit from the results of the study. I believe
all sides would benefit from this study. b If the investigation turns up that racist
hiring is at play, it would be in the interest of justice to alert the company of the
findings in an effort to abolish racism in hiring practices and it would bring justice
to minority races to do so.
b b b b b b b b b b After further review, the Psychologist’s Code of Conduct Deception in
Research 8.07 (A.P.A.,2017) states that deceptive methods are only justified by
the significant benefits provided and there is no foreseeable way of completing the
research without deception, no harm comes to individuals except for what is
assumed to be expected and that the details of the deception are provided to the
participants as early as possible, including no later than right after data collection.
I believe this documentation to be supportive of using deception to root out racist
hiring practices.
Finally, the Bible tells us, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do
it, for him it is sin (James 4:17, English Standard Version, 2001/1611). I believe
that in view of these psychological principles and the Word of God, that this study
would be beneficial to all concerned and that the harm induced by deception is
manageable.
Thank you for your help,
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists
and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1,
2017). http://www.apa.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ethics/code/index.html
English Standard Version Bible (2001) Crossway. Wheaton, Il. (original work in
1611)
