Of Life and Light

Psychological Experimentation continues to innovate and discover new ways of quantifying and measuring human behavior. The immense significant contribution of experimentation has greatly increased our understanding of ourselves as a specie. In conducting experiments, psychology practitioners must keep in mind that the results and findings of each experiment must be of use and significance to the sciences. In these experiments it is vital that psychology practitioners follow strict ethical standards.

The Ethical Code for psychologist was created and developed by the American Psychological Association. It is the world’s largest association of psychologists with an estimated 150,000 members which includes scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The code was created to regulate the practice of psychology as an ethically responsible profession.

Experimentation often requires human participants. In conducting the experiments several ethical considerations should be followed. Some of these are informed consent, freedom to decline, prevention of adverse effects from the experiments.. etc. The code of ethics cite several rule to effectively classify and organize the codes by which all psychologist should follow.

Under standard 8 of the code of ethics (Research and Publication) which include:

• Institutional Approval, Informed Consent to Research
• Informed Consent for Recording Voices and Images in Research
• Client/Patient
• Student and Subordinate Research Participants
• Dispensing with Informed Consent for Research
• Offering Inducements for Research Participation
• Deception in Research
• Debriefing
• Humane Care and Use of Animals in Research
• Reporting Research Results
• Plagiarism, Publication Credit
• Duplicate Publication of Data
• Sharing Research Data for Verification
• Reviewers

All these rules are created to protect and defend human dignity. In all experiments no amount of scientific data is equivalent to human dignity. It is the responsibility of all psychologist to promote the care and protection of human dignity. The central core of any ethical code is the human conscience. A psychologist as a human being is not only a scientist who tests and records psychological data but should always follow his conscience in his quest for scientific excellence.

Reference: APA.org

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else’s cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else’s cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk.

RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you.

DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

PURE ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to take the cows and kill you.

LIBERTARIAN/ANARCHO-CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

(Original source unknown … this version expanded and Illuminated by SJ.)