A sociologist used a covert structured observation to investigate helping behavior in different social settings. They carried out the observation in three settings: a busy subway carriage, a university dining hall, and a queue inside a department store. Members of the public in these settings made up the sample. The sociologist staged a minor incident (a researcher spilling a bag of coins) and observed key behaviors, such as active assistance, averting gaze, stepping away, or verbal commenting.
Identify three ethical issues that would need to be considered when carrying out this observation.
276 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Debates, covering Nature/nurture, Freewill/determinism, Reductionism/holism, Individual/situational explanations, Usefulness of research, Ethical considerations, Conducting socially sensitive research, and Psychology as a science. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.