Article - Neuroethics: the practical and the philosophical By Martha J. Farah

Worksheet: Topic Selection and Introduction

Review the critical elements that must be addressed in the final project. Use this worksheet to develop Milestone One. You should build on the ideas from the Module One discussion to select your final topic.

1. Identify and briefly summarize the topic related to psychology that you will study. [An example would be cognitive psychology with the specific topic being memory in emotional situations.]

2. Summarize at least two articles that you might use in the literature review section of the introduction that are relevant to the topic you want to research. List the APA reference citation followed by the summary.

3. Discuss the bias and limitations present in the articles. Support your discussion with specific examples from the articles. [Bias and limitations might include things like a small sample size, research being funded by a private corporation, etc. You should use specific examples to illustrate instances of bias and limitations.]

4. Discuss other factors that might impact the credibility of those articles. You might look at how the research methods used influenced results, or you might look at the setting of the research. Anything in the article that might impact the outcome of the research could be discussed here.

a. Explain how the bias and limitations may inform or influence your research.
[Here you will discuss how the bias or limitations previously discussed would impact the results. For example, if research on a drug is sponsored by a drug company, this sponsorship might lead to a more favorable interpretation of the results or suppression of negative findings.]

b. Summarize the research design and methods described in these articles.
[Discuss the research methods used in each article. For example, was it a correlational design or a case study?]

c. Discuss the appropriateness of the research design and methods in these articles. Were they appropriate for the research questions and hypotheses? [Discuss whether or not the research method was appropriate. For example, was the correlational method the best way to answer the article's research question? Discuss why or why not based on application of different research methodologies.]

d. Discuss whether or not the research design and methods in these articles align to the expectations of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists. Support your discussion with specific examples from the articles.
[Here you should examine whether or not the research methods used were ethical based on APA standards. Use the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists to provide specific examples.]

e. Based on your evaluation of these articles, discuss which research design and methods you feel will be most appropriate for the research you want to conduct. [After reviewing the literature, this section should discuss which research method would be most appropriate for your research topic. Provide examples from your literature review to support your choice of research method.]

f. Explain the steps you will take to ensure your research aligns to the expectations of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists. [Here you should discuss different steps that need to be taken in your chosen research topic in order to adhere to APA ethical standards. For example, you might mention IRB approval or informed consent.]

Discussion post module 2

In looking at psychological research, one area that is expanding at a rapid rate is neuroscience. The discoveries made in this field have the potential to impact lives in many different ways. As these discoveries are being made, they have opened up a whole new field of neuroethics. This field is concerned with determining what may or may not be ethical for neuroscientists to examine.

Read Farah's (2005) discussion of neuroethics, Neuroethics: The Practical and the Philosophical. After reading the article, pick one issue in neuroethics (e.g., brain privacy, use of neuroscience in marketing, using cognitive enhancers) and examine how ethical the research in this area is based on what you have learned about ethics this week.

Be sure to summarize some research that has been done in this area to illustrate whether or not it is ethical, and also mention future ethical considerations that should be taken into account for this area. Your summaries should also include a discussion of the research methods that are being used. Your ideas should be supported with the module resources.

In your responses to your peers, compare and contrast different ethical views you may have. Additionally, mention potential solutions for ethical issues that they have identified.