The direction of my research project for WAGSFP is still hanging in balance, but I am excited as to what possibilities are ahead. I am gearing up to apply for an honors thesis under Psychology in August and my WAGSFP project may serve as an introduction to what I will spend the next year dedicating my studies to.
Although it is not finalized, I will likely be exploring the relationship between impulsivity and sexual risk behaviors (eg. unprotected sex or sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol) and how sexual orientation (eg. gay, straight, bisexual, etc.) or gender moderate this relationship. I will be reading survey responses, combing through different scales relevant, and analyzing this data using R programming. This research could help to explain groups that seem to be more prone to sexual risk, especially college students. Perhaps this could also be used to target risky sexual behaviors by initially reducing impulsive cognitions in young adults.
Ethics is a central aspect of this project as it deals with very sensitive information such as sexual orientation and sexual history. All of my data is strongly de-identified, but it is still important to use secure platforms to analyze the results. Furthermore, in accordance with feminist research ethics it is crucial to remember these participants are human and not numbers. Our results and how we establish relationships between variables could have impacts on individuals and it is important to be knowledgeable about social norms and other factors that play a role in responses.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lauren, I am excited to hear more about your honors thesis. I would encourage you to continue to consider how ethics can play a role in each part of your research process, not just the de-identification of research participants. How can ethics play a role in representing the story your research is telling?
Take care,
Emily