A most human enterprise
Subtitle: controversies in the social sciences
By: Donald O. Granberg and John F. Galliher.
Contributors: Galliher, John F.
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Lanham, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 151
ISBN-13: 9780739127964; 9780739127971; 9780739147290
Subjects: Social sciences -- Research -- United States; Social sciences -- Methodology; Social sciences -- Research -- Moral and ethical aspects
Description: "A Most Human Enterprise looks at controversial social science research methods and their effects on subjects and researchers. In detailing case studies in which plagiarism was alleged, subjects were mislead or seriously abused, and research denigrated certain demographics, Donald O. Granberg and John F. Galliher demonstrate how social scientists have strayed from the ethical standards of scientific research.

Case studies include the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the well-known pseudo-prison work of Philip Zimbardo, the obedience research of Stanley Milgram, and the study of sex in public places by sociologist Laud Humphreys. Many of the studies that were most damaging to human subjects were funded by government, making the current concerns of university Institutional Review Boards seem ironic. A Most Human Enterprise also investigates consequences of plagiarism in the social sciences, the role that whistle blowers can play, and the consequences of their acts.

Humans are, of course, capable of lofty and amazing accomplishments. Yet they are, nevertheless, also subject to bias, prejudice, ego involvement, and poor judgment. This book demonstrates the inadequacy of Institutional Review Boards in limiting ethical lapses in the social sciences, and seeks to create a reader more sensitive to the problems and pitfalls that arise in the course of doing social research."--Pub. desc.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Granberg and Galliher find their way into ethical issues; title: Stanley Milgram's behavioral study of obedience; title: Philip Zimbardo's prison simulation study; title: David Rosenhan's pseudo-patient study of psychiatric hospitals; title: The short, tumultuous, and ignominious career of project Camelot; title: Laud Humphreys and tearoom trade : a pioneering study of male homosexuality; title: The strange career of Cyril Burt; title: Cyril Burt and Margaret Mead : the conflict between biological determinants and cultural determinants; title: Once a rising star : the rise and fall of Karen Ruggiero; title: Plagiarism by thin editing; title: Plagiarism and "punishment" Texas A&M style : victim blaming and golden parachutes; title: Controversy over five dimensions of religiosity; title: The Clark-Hatfield study of gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers; title: Allegations of homosexual arousal; title: An interference with breathing study; title: Simulated crash landing; title: Henry Murray directs verbal attacks on Harvard University undergraduates; title: Putney and Cadwaller's simulation of the beginning of a nuclear war; title: Recent adventures in crime fighting; title: Conclusions.