Assignment : A Methodical Review

Using the Argosy University online library resources, locate a research study related to forensic psychology. Present an analysis of the article by addressing the following points:

• Provide a brief overview of the problem being studied, the research design, and the participants being used for the study and the general findings of the study.

• Identify the research question, independent variable, and dependent variable.

• If you were the researcher conducting this study and found that you were not familiar with the particular research population, what steps would you take to prepare yourself to conduct the research with this population?

• Was any deception used in this study? If so, why was this deception necessary? If not, do you think that the study would have benefited from any kind of deception?

• What steps did the researcher take to protect his or her participants?

• What are the limitations of the study's design and/or implementation?

• If you were the researcher, would you have conducted this study the same way in relation to ethics and protection of the participants? If not, what changes would you make?

Post your response in a minimum of 300 words.

All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.

A Methodical Review

The research study ethical issues in conducting forensic evaluations were done by Karen Kalmbach and Philip Lyons of Sam Houston State University. This study brings out the unique nature of forensic mental health practice. The problem that is being studied in this research is some of the ethical issues that arise in forensic psychology when it comes to carrying out forensic evaluations.

The content of any forensic interview is circumscribed as it mainly focuses in the information that pertains to a relevant psycholegal question that needs to be answered and hence there is the need of giving careful consideration when it comes to the influence if multicultural factors at all the different stages of the process of evaluation (Kalmbach, & Lyons 2006)The research design that was used in this study is qualitative method in that it entailed collection of information regarding the topic and analyzing it in order to come up with relevant conclusions.

One of the methods that was used collecting data is literature review which entailed looking at previous work that has been done on the topic. This helped in making the relevant conclusions that were useful in coming up with conclusions for this particular research. The participants that were used in the study were forensic mental health professionals.

The general findings in this study are the ethical issues that forensic mental health professionals are bound to encounter. It is also important to note that forensic mental health practice is quite a rigorous but rewarding undertaking which has extraordinary challenges that arise from the multiple ethical concerns that come up. The research question in this study is the ethical concerns that are bound to arise in the line of duty for forensic mental health professionals.

The independent variable in this study is the forensic mental health professionals. On the other hand the dependent variable in this study is the different ethical issues that might come up in the line of duty for forensic mental health professionals.

As a researcher who is not familiar with the research population that is being studied, I can make sure that I conduct adequate research on the population. Research will help me in understanding this population and thus know how to handle the participants. Deception in a psychological research can be termed as a necessary evil.

This is because it entails the use of values and beliefs that appeal to participants in order to get the required information for a study. This study would have benefited from deception if the participants were approached in a way that appeals to their beliefs and values and hence provide the information required easily.

One of the steps that were taken to protect participants is ensuring they remain anonymous and hence none of the participants was associated with the information they gave. If I was a researcher, I would still have conducted the study in the same way in relation to the ethics and protection of the participants.

This is because the participants' rights have to be protected and the study has to be conducted within stipulated ethical and legal frameworks.

References

Kalmbach, K. & Lyons, P. (2006). Ethical Issues in Conducting Forensic Evaluations.

Sam Houston State University. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice. 2(3)