During the 1970s, Laud Humphreys conducted a research in where he observed men having brief, impersonal sexual encounters with same-sex partners in public restrooms. Throughout that research he was able to learn about homosexuality and sexual behavior in public places. Even though he gained knowledge from conducting the research, it was the way in which he performed the research that is considered unethical.
Humphreys’s research violated many ethical standards. The first standard he violated was that he did not provide a consent form in which the subjects agreed to be studied. The second standard he violated was that he invaded privacy by collecting sensitive information such as license plate numbers, which granted him with home addresses of the subjects. In order words, he was basically stalking them. The third standard he violated was that he published his findings. By publishing his research, he violated the privacy of his participants. The findings could have humiliated the participants especially if they weren’t openly gay or also the person could’ve feel offended by the
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Just imagine how would you feel if you had been watched the whole time without you even knowing it or even worse, publishing the content without your consent. It is very important for Humphreys to give a written consent from its participants. The consent ensures that people know that they are being studied and allows them to leave the study without any harassment. It’s very important for a researcher to respect the rights of its participants, the participant has a voice over themselves; nobody has the right to violate their freedom. Debriefing is a crucial aspect of the research process. Debriefing informs the participants of the findings and methods used in the process of the research. The participants have the right to know what was found during the research and how that information would be