56:830:675

Ethics and Social Science

Spring 2008

btucker@camden.rutgers.edu

Instructor: Bill Tucker Office: 225-6545

Office: Armitage 345 Home: 354-0119

Office hours: Tues, Wed, 5:00-6:00 Dept: 225-6520

Course Description:

Within the very broad area of science and ethics, we will focus on three components in this course:

· Scientists behaving badly. In this unit we will look at famous frauds, past and present, as well as contemporary scientific scandals involving plagiarism, hoaxes, and other ethical transgressions.

· Subjects’ rights. First we will discuss the sort of horrific experiments conducted not only in the Third Reich but, less well known, also in the United States and then consider the more complex ethical question of whether and when regulatory protection is necessary in social science research.

· Social science and political controversies. Here we will examine three instances in which social science became the source of public controversy, involving, respectively, child sexual abuse, race, and violence.

Reading material for the course, consisting of articles and excerpts from books, will be distributed at the first class meeting.

Evaluation:

There are no exams in the course. At the end of our discussion of each of the three topics, you will be asked to write an 8-10 page paper; during our consideration of subjects’ rights, each student will also make a presentation in class. Each of the papers and the presentation will count for one sixth of your grade; the remaining one third will be determined by your contributions to the class discussion.

Schedule

I. Scientists Behaving Badly

DATE TOPIC READINGS

23 Jan

Introduction to course Distribution of readings

30 Jan

Why fraud is not supposed to occur in science Famous early frauds, either proven or strongly suspected Some sensational cases in the 70s and 80s that reawakened concern over fraud in the scientific community

Babbage, C. (1830). On the frauds of observers, pp. 67-70 from Reflections on the decline of science in England, and on some of its causes. Merton, R. K. (1973). The normative structure of science. In R.K. Merton, The sociology of science (267-278). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Weinstein, D. (1979). Fraud in science. Social science quarterly, 59, 639-653. Broad, W. & Wade, N. (1982). Betrayers of the truth (chapters 1, “The Flawed Ideal,” and 2 (“Deceit in History”). NY: Simon & Schuster. Culliton, B.J. (1974). The Sloan-Kettering affair: A story without a hero. Science, 184, 644-650. Culliton, B.J. (1974). The Sloan-Kettering affair (II): An uneasy resolution. Science, 184, 1154-1157. Broad, W.J. (1982). Harvard delays in reporting fraud. Science, 215, 478-482. Broad, W. J. (1982). Report absolves Harvard in case of fakery. Science, 215, 874-876. Culliton, B.J. (1983). Coping with fraud: The Darsee case. Science, 220, 31-35. Hunt, M. (1981, Nov 1). A fraud that shook the world of science. New York Times. Broad, W.J. (1981). Team research: Responsibility at the top. Science, 213, 114-115.

6 Feb

Fraud in psychology: The Burt case The Breuning case The risks of whistleblowing

Tucker, W.H. (1994). Fact and fiction in the discovery of Sir Cyril Burt’s flaws. Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences, 30, 335-347. Jensen, A.R. (1992). Scientific fraud or false accusation? The case of Cyril Burt. In D.J. Miller & M. Hersen (eds.), Research Fraud in the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences (pp. 97-124). NY: Wiley. Joynson, R. B. (1994). Fallible judgments. Society, 31, 45-52. Tucker, W.H. (1997). Re-reconsidering Burt: Beyond a reasonable doubt. Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences, 33, 145-162. Brand, D. (1987, Jun 1). “It was too good to be true.” Time. Sprague, R.L. (1993). Whistleblowing: A very unpleasant avocation. Ethics and Behavior, 3, 103-133.

13 Feb

Plagiarism: does everyone do it? Hoaxes with a purpose Distribution of instructions for the first paper

Posner, A. (1988, April 18). The culture of plagiarism. New Republic, 19-24. Rimer, S. (2004, Nov 24). When plagiarism’s shadow falls on admired scholars. New York Times. Culliton, B.J. (1988). Harvard psychiatrist resigns. Science, 242, 1239-1240; Frazier reinstated at McLean. Science, 243, 889; Frazier honored by psychiatrists, Science, 244, 649. Rosenhan, D.L. (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, 250-258. Set of readings from editors of Lingua Franca (2000). The Sokal hoax: The sham that shook the academy. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

20 Feb

First paper due Science and the LPU

Broad, W.J. (1981). The publishing game: Getting more for less. Science, 211, 1137-139.

II. Subjects’ Rights

DATE TOPIC READINGS

27 Feb

Atrocities committed on subjects In the concentration camps In the United States Data from Nazi research and the scientific canon

Lagnado, L.M. & Dekel, S.C. (1992). “Mengele and his children” and “Auschwitz movie” from Children of the flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the untold story of the twins of Auschwitz. London: Penguin. Mozes-Kor, E. (1992). The Mengele twins and human experimentation: a personal account. In G.J. Annas & M.A. Grodin (eds.), The Nazi doctors and the Nuremberg code: Human rights in human experimentation. NY: Oxford University Press. Bernadac, C. (1978). “Death which came in from the cold” from The devil’s doctors. Geneva: Ferni. Annas, G.J. & Grodin, M.A. (1992). “Opening statement of the prosecution” and Judgment and aftermath” from The Nazi doctors and the Nuremberg code: Human rights in human experimentation. NY: Oxford University Press. Minnesota scientist plans to publish Nazi experiment on freezing. (1988, May 12). New York Times. Martin, R.M. (1986). Using Nazi scientific data. Dialogue, 25, 403-411. Schafer, A. (1986). On using Nazi data: The case against. Dialogue, 25, 413-419. R.S. Pozos. (1992). Scientific inquiry and ethics: The Dachau data. In A.L. Caplan (ed.), When medicine went mad: Bioethics and the holocaust. Totowa, NJ: Humana. Articles from New York Times on US radiation experiments: Doctors of death, Jan 13, 1994; The worry: Germ warfare. The target: Us, Jan 25, 1994; Cold war radiation test on humans, Apr 11, 1994; Researchers are accused of forgeries, Apr 12, 1994; Thousands of human experiments, Oct 22, 1994; Count of subjects in radiation experiments is raised to 16,000, Aug 20, 1995.

5 Mar

Can subjects be wronged without being harmed? Subjects and social science research. Deceiving subjects in the name of science Three famous psychological experiments and subjects’ rights: Milgram’s obedience research Zimbardo’s prison study Bystander intervention

Shea S. (2000). Don’t talk to the humans: The crackdown on social science research. Lingua Franca, 10, 27-34. Brainard, J. (2001, Mar 9). The wrong rules for social science? Chronicle of Higher Education, A21. Roediger, R. (2004, April). What should they be called? APS Observer, 17, 46-48. Hunt, M. Research through deception. (1982, Sep 12). New York Times Dworkin, G. (1982). Must subjects be objects? In T.L. Beauchamp, R.R. Faden, R.J. Wallace, Jr., & L Walters (eds.), Ethical Issues in Social science Research (pp. 246-254). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Baumrind, D. (1964). Some thoughts on ethics of research: After reading Milgram’s “behavioral study of obedience.” American Psychologist, 19, 421-423. Milgram, S. (1964). Issues in the study of obedience. A reply to Baumrind. American Psychologist, 19, 848-852. Savin, H.B. (1973). Professors and psychological researchers: Conflicting values in conflicting roles. Cognition, 2, 147-149. Zimbardo, P.G. (1973). On the ethics of intervention in human psychological research: With special reference to the Stanford prison experiment. Cognition, 2, 243-256. Latane, B. & Darley, J.M. (1970). The unresponsive bystander: Why doesn’t he help (pp. 43-77, 93-112). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

12 Mar

Class presentations Distribution of instructions for second paper

One of the following: Festinger, L., Riecken, H.W., & Schacter, S. (1956). When Prophecy Fails Humphreys, L. (1975). Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places Jackall, R. (1988). Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers Ellis, C. (1986). Fisher Folk: Two Communities on Chesapeake Bay

19 March No class – Spring Break

26 Mar

Second paper due The subject’s “valued groups”

Tucker, W.H. (1994). The science and politics of racial research (pp. 281-291). Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press. Scarr, S. (1988). Race and gender as psychological variables. American Psychologist, 43, 56-59.

III. Social Science and Political Controversies

DATE TOPIC READINGS

2 Apr

Does science encourage child sexual abuse? APA vs. the United States Congress. Internal dissension within APA

Rind, B., Tromovitch, P., & Bauserman, R. (1998). A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 22-53 (only included here are pp. 22-23 & 44-47). Cole, S. (2000). Unpopular psychology. Lingua Franca, 10, 12-14. Garrison, E.G. & Kobor, P.C. (2002). Weathering a political storm: A contextual perspective on a psychological research controversy. American psychologist, 57, 165-175. Lilienfeld, S.O. (2002). When worlds collide: Social science, politics, and the Rind et al. (1998) child sexual abuse meta-analysis. American psychologist, 57, 176-188. Baird, B.N. (2002). Politics, operant conditioning, Galileo, and the American Psychological Association’s response to Rind et al (1998). American psychologist, 57, 189-192. Sternberg, R.S. (2002). Everything you need to know to understand the current controversies you learned from psychological research: A comment on the Rind and Lilienfeld controversies. American psychologist, 57, 193-197. McCarty, R. (2002). Science, politics, and peer review: An editor’s dilemma. American psychologist, 57, 198-201. Newcombe, N.S. (2002). Five commandments for APA. American psychologist, 57, 202-205. Sher, K.J. & Eisenberg, N. (2002). Publication of Rind et al (1998): The editors’ perspective. American psychologist, 57, 206-210. Bertenthal, B.I. (2002). Challenges and opportunities in the psychological sciences. American psychologist, 57, 215-218. Phillips, D. (2002). Collisions, logrolls, and psychological science. American psychologist, 57, 219-221. Comments by Levant & Seligman and by Lilienfeld. (2002). AP, 57, 222-227.

9 Apr

Social science and race: Accepting “tainted” money Oppressive politics and good science

Blits, J.H. (1991). The silenced partner: Linda Gottfredson and the University of Delaware. Academic Questions, 4, 41-47. Kors, A.C. & Silverglate, H.A. (1998). The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses (pp. 136-146). New York: Free Press. Hunt, M. (1999). The New Know-Nothings: The Political Foes of the Scientific Study of Human Nature (pp. xi-xii). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Tucker, W.H. (2001). Bankrolling racism: “science” and the Pioneer Fund. Race & Society, 4, 195-205. Dreger, R.M. & Berg, I. A. (2002). Psychology of the Scientist: LXXXIV: Raymond Bernard Cattell (1905-1998). Psychological Reports, 90, 841-848. Tucker, W.H. (2005). The racist past of the American psychology establishment. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 48, 108-112. Tucker, W.H. (in press). The Cattell Controversy: Science, Race, and Ideology (concluding chapter, “Science, awards, and ideology”). Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press.

16 Apr

The Federal Violence Initiative

Williams, J. (1994, Nov 1). Violence, genes, and prejudice. Discover, 15, 93-102. Hunt, M. (1999). The New Know-Nothings: The Political Foes of the Scientific Study of Human Nature (Chapter 5, “Unmapped country: Genetic influences on behavior”). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Breggin, P.R. (1996). Campaigns against racist federal programs by the center for the study of psychiatry and psychology. Journal of African American men, 1, 3-22. Wright, R. (1995, Mar 13). The biology of violence. New Yorker, 68-77.

23 Apr

Third paper due The APA and torture

Behnke, S. (2006, Jul/Aug). Ethics and interrorgations: Comparing and contrasting the American Psychological, American Medical and American Psychiatric Association positions. Monitor on Psychology, 37, 66-67. Moorehead-Slaughter, O. (2006, April). Ethics and national security. Monitor on Psychology, 37, 20. Levine, A. (2007, Jan/Feb). Collective unconscious. Washington Monthly. Soldz, S. (2006, Sep 7). Protecting the torturers: Bad faith and distortions from the American Psychological Association. Counterpunch.

30 Apr

Conclusion to the course