A Critique On An Unethical Research Study

A Critique on an Unethical Research Study on Thin Ideal and Body Satisfaction Valerie A. Hatcher Queens University of Charlotte

A Critique On An Unethical Research Study

Researchers, Sylvia Knobloch- Westerwick and Josselyn Crane, conducted a study on the effects of prolonged exposure of thin- ideal media messages on women. It is my opinion that their study was unethically conducted and they violated one of the four ethical principlesAutonomy, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, and Justice Wimmer and Dominick (2011). In this study they violated the Principle of Justice, by withholding information from their subjects. In order to gather information for their research, a group of college women between the ages of eighteen to thirty were selected by email, to do a ten day study which required answering questions about their feelings towards images of thin, idealized women. They were told the information was going to be used to evaluate magazine journalism and advertisement which was not true. The real purpose of their investigation was to prove their theory, that women become more body satisfied, after prolonged viewing of magazines featuring women with thin, idealized body types Westerwick & Crane (2012). Westerwick and Crane (2012) believed that although most of the populations of women were body dissatisfied, it was not entirely weight related as stated in other research. They also believed that women who were not far off from their ideal body weight also tend to be dissatisfied and therefore, it could not be related to advertisements or magazines. They felt that magazine exposure, actually helped women to become more body satisfied. In order to prove their theory they were able to gather past research by Amanda Holmstrom. Holmstrom states in her research that no relationship exists between media and body image Holmstrom (2004). In order to support her claims, she developed steps toward proving her theory by using a metaanalytic review. She felt a meta-analysis would offer a greater understanding on the impact of images, on women, with thin, idealized bodies in the media, as well as provide direction for further studies Holmstrom (2004).

A Critique On An Unethical Research Study

Westerwick and Crane were able to piggy back off of some the information provided by Holmstrom and came up with three of their own hypothesis along with three research questions, which are- (H1): Prolonged exposure to media messages featuring idealized, thin body images leads to an increase in delayed measurement of body satisfaction. Hypothesis 2 (H2): Greater salience of social comparison during exposure moderates the effects suggested in H1. Research question 1(RQ ): How do impacts of prolonged exposure to messages featuring idealized, thin body images on body satisfaction develop across several days? Research question 2(RQ2): Does prolonged exposure to media messages featuring idealized, thin body images affect body shaping behaviors such as dieting and exercising? Research question 3(RQ3): Does prolonged exposure to media messages featuring idealized thin body images affect body shaping behaviors such as dieting and exercising, which, in turn increases body satisfaction (Westerwick & Crane, 2012)? Procedures for the study were as follows, 157 participants were contacted through email by instructors at a large Midwestern university. The participants were then separated into three groups and were instructed to answer questions pertaining to the magazines they viewed. Two of the groups viewed fashion/fitness magazines and the third group viewed Newsweek magazines. The total participant time was about 3 to 4 hours, spread out into seven online sessions (Westerwick & Crane 2012). The participants conducted the study online by logging in with passwords they created. Once they logged on they were deceived by receiving a welcome back message thanking them for helping to conduct a study on magazine advertisement and magazine journalism. The study would begin by asking the participants personal questions about the satisfaction of their lives along with gathering weight and body mass information. The participants were told, These questions are included in the study because personal outlooks on ones own life have been shown to influence evaluations (Westerwick & Crane. p.88. 2012).

A Critique On An Unethical Research Study

The manner in which this information was collected is not all the same way Hollstrom conducted her study. Her research article addressed seven objectives: (a) it provides a cumulative measure of effect size across all studies, (b) it tested for consistent differences in effect size due to type of media measure, (c) it tested for differences in effect size due to outcome measure, (d) it tested for differences due to study type, (e) it tested for differences due to comparison stimulus, (f) it demonstrated relationships between effect size and age of subjects, and (g) it demonstrated relationships between effect size and treatment length but most importantly it demonstrated ethical standard procedures Holmstrom (2004). Her subjects were never mislead nor made to believe their answers were to be used for other purposes. In fact she made every effort to make sure all the information she gathered met all the standard procedures for conducting an ethical study. In my opinion Westerwick and Crane failed to practice proper research ethics and did not meet the ethical obligations of their respondents. I believe they violated their participants trust by lying to them. This also violates one of the four ethical principles, the principle of justice, this principle holds that people who are equal in related aspects should be treated equally Wimmer and Dominick (2011). Frey, Botan and Kreps as stated in Mass Media Research an Introduction, offer the following moral principles: Provide your participants with free choice, protect their privacy rights, benefit them, do not place them in harms way and treat them with respect. Deception is not a form of respect and therefore, I do not believe the information that Weterwick and Crane gathered should be used to support any of Holmstroms previous research, nor do I believe their information to be a reliable source of information for any further researches interested in this area of study.

A Critique On An Unethical Research Study

References

Knobloch-Westerwick, Sylvia and Crane, Josselyn, A Losing Battle: Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Thin-Ideal Images on Dieting and Satisfaction, Communication Research, 39(1), pp. 79-102, 2012. Holmstrm, Amanda, The Effects of the Media on Body Image:A Meta-Analysis,Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(2), pp. 196-217, 2004. Wimmer, R.D. & Dominick, J.R. (2011). Mass Media Research an Introduction 9th edition. Boston, MA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.