Ethics and Case Study Worksheet
Select one of the following scenarios based on your particular field of interest in psychology. This case study will be used in all weekly assignments throughout this course.
Note: If you are considering pursuing a specific psychology track, it is recommended that you choose the appropriate case study.
• Case Study 1 (Industrial/Organizational Psychology): A few months ago, the upper management of a large corporation that employs 2,500 people decided to implement major changes in the method their company handles the development of projects.
This change was based on a well-known model used in the military that was familiar to the CEO. The reasoning for the change was not well-communicated to employees; it was simply mandated to be implemented without providing required, significant learning or training opportunities. Many employees do not feel the fit of this model is beneficial for their particular type of programs.
As a result, employee morale is low, and group dynamics and personal work performance are suffering because the work process as it relates to their job performance is not understood.
• Case Study 2 (General and Applied Psychology): The staff at a large mental health clinic has noticed that patients age 35 and older respond well to calls regarding follow-up appointments and medication reminders.
However, patients younger than 35 have a much lower response rate to phone call reminders. They do not answer calls and do not often respond to voice mail requesting they call the clinic back; they are more likely to respond to text messages or social media outreach. The result is that many follow-up appointments are missed and patients do not take their medication as directed.
Missed medication and appointments result in poor quality of mental health for patients, and missed appointments result in added costs for the clinic. The approximate number of patients on the telephone recall list is 1,500, and 60% are above 35 years of age.
Address the all following in 525 to 700 words. Please respond on the worksheet. The text area will expand as you type:
After selecting a case study, think about how you could research this scenario.
1. Compose at least one research question for the case study you selected.
2. Explain the goal of the research you are proposing to address for your chosen case study.
3. Define the steps of the research process you would follow.
4. Evaluate how ethical considerations in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (Standard 8) would affect your research. Then, based on the information you read from the “Standard 8: Research and Publication” section of the APA Code of Ethics, determine which ethical principles apply to your case study.
5. Explain how you will consider culture in the interpretation of your research findings.
