Ethics in the Social Sciences

Can you think of any cases in history that have raised ethical questions about how human beings have been treated?  Unfortunately, maltreatment of human participants during and after World War II raised serious concerns about the work of some scientists and the types of experiments they were conducting.

In 1978, the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research created The Belmont Report, an important and enduring document which provided ethical guidelines for research involving humans.

According to the Belmont Report, responsible research with human subjects must adhere to three key principles: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.   Answer the questions that follow.

1. Which, if any, of the three principles from the Belmont Report were violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? Explain your response.

2. Which, if any, of the three principles from the Belmont Report were violated in the Milgram Experiment? Explain your response.

3. Are there any instances in which unethical research on human subjects might be justified? Explain your response. If you provide an example from history, provide citations as appropriate.

When writing, it is very important that you focus not just on summary but also on analysis.

Links and Learning Resources 

• A Public Documentary on the History of Research Ethics (23 minute video – a little long, but excellent overview)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zfrpFwIwug
• Resnik, D.B. (2015, Dec 1). What is ethics in research and why is it important?
• https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/
• The Belmont Report
• https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/
• Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
• The Milgram Experiment
• https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html
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