Hi On Mon, 26 Apr 2004, Rick Adams wrote: > We all know that our approach to a research project is as important as the > manner in which we conduct it. Financial considerations can play a part in > that approach--and thus in the overall results we obtain. I doubt there is > anyone on this list who regularly conducts research who has not been > influenced in his or her choice of projects or approaches by the political > climate of the institution where he or she teaches. In those cases, it is > the financial consideration of continuing to receive a salary check from > the institution that influences those choices. In the case of a > consultant, very similar motives exist as well. > > Don't believe it? Try telling the appropriate individuals in the > administration of your institution tomorrow that you intend to start a > research project aimed at determining if women/Jews/blacks/Hispanics (pick > your own form of suicide) are psychologically inferior to men/Caucasians > (and, before someone slams me, no I _don't_ believe any of the groups I > named are inferior to anyone else in this--or any other--way). Let us know > how you enjoy the sensation of unemployment! :-)
That there are some topics that are difficult to explore is not the same as saying that the topics we do choose to explore are determined by those constraints. And of course many university-affiliated psychologists have indeed documented differences across gender, ethnicities, and the like, albeit with much controversy. Although I would certainly agree that universities are excessively prone these days to pressure from political correctness (for want of a better term) and from private financial sponsors, such as drug companies (see below). Nor do such institutional examples equate to drug companies hiring researchers to have their names attached to ghost-written articles, to drug companies dictating that the negative effects of their products are somehow proprietary (as with Olivieri in Toronto, apparently abbetted by the university and the hospital), or to whatever processes lead to more positive outcomes for studies funded by the benefitting company than for studies otherwise funded. Nor do drug companies seem adverse to helping people (through advertising) to self-diagnose and then request company products from physicians. So although the issue is certainly not black and white, I do think there are considerable degrees of differences in shading between the pressures from privately funded research and the "normal" pressures of academia. Best wishes Jim ============================================================================ James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology (204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark ============================================================================ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
