Ethical guidelines

Ethical guidelines in Human Science

First, let's define human science. So, what is human science? According to Wikipedia, human science is a term applied to the investigation of human life and activities by a rational, systematic and verifiable methodology that acknowledges the validity of data.

In this long definition, I want to highlight certain words that I think are significant in understanding the true meaning of human science. The words are, 'investigation', 'human activities', 'methodology', and 'data'. The reason why I chose these words is because human science is an investigation which looks at human activities using appropriate methodology and data. I think this definition links to the question of 'to what extent investigation of human science is considered ethical?'
In the field of human science, particularly psychology, requires many investigation because they specifically look at human behaviors in certain situations. However, is it right or just to look at human behaviors? or is it right to experiment on humans? If it is, is there any boundary psychologists shouldn't go over? To answer this, I want to look at some past cases where experiments were considered unethical.

The first example I want to see is the Robbers cave experiment, where a number of preteen kids were brought to a summer camp without being informed that they are subjects of a psychology experiment. To summarize the experiment, the boys were divided into 2 groups where they were only allowed to meet up only when competing in a game. As the game intensified and the boys became harsher on each other, the experiment had ended. The problem in this experiment was engraved in the root of it. The psychologists had not informed the boys and deceived them that it was a "normal" summer camp, thus this was the reason why hostility between the boys arose.

Another example is the Stanford prison experiment, an experiment which happened at the basement of Stanford University by a professor and his group of students who agreed to be experimenters. To summarize the experiment, half of the students were selected as prison guards and the other half were assigned as prisoners. Each of the group of different role had to be serious with the experiment and had to act or even impersonate as prisoners and guards. At last, although the experiment was planned to last 2 weeks, it ended early 2 students with the role of prisoners dropped out. So, what is the problem with this experiment? I think that the problem is also in the root and procedure of the experiment. The fact that non-prisoners are acting like prisoners do not make them behave like prisoners in anyway because they are undergoing different environments. Also, the experiment divided the group into 2 groups where one was at the upper-hand of the other;this right away creates a psychological difference, thus making the experiment unethical.

To conclude, nowadays, due to external factors such as the Internet, where information and news fly around the world rapidly, experiments like those above have reduced, but what is it us for to say Yes, and No? Without any boundary or bar defining the adequacy and ethicality of experiments, it is never possible to determine it.