• PAPER CANCELLED. Hidden Research Ethics in Family Scholarship
  Presented by: Yvette V. Perry

• Conceptualizing Social Norms: Do We Love Norms Too Much?
  Presented by: David C. Bell, Mary Cox

Hidden Research Ethics in Family Scholarship
Presented by: Yvette V. Perry

This working paper introduces the concept of “hidden research ethics” in family scholarship—empirical data and theoretical discussions “relevant to research ethics that are hidden from the view of…those interested in research ethics” (DuBois, 2008). The ethical conduct of family research is not merely an issue of compliance, professionalism, or methods. Research ethics are also at the core of theory. Hidden research ethics, then, threaten generativity in the field. Using examples from NCFR journals, I will develop family‐relevant analogues to “vulnerable populations” in the protection of human subjects to show how this issue is hidden in published research reports.

Conceptualizing Social Norms: Do We Love Norms Too Much?
Presented by: David C. Bell, Mary Cox

Social norms are often cited as the cause of many social phenomena, especially as an explanation for behaviors seen as prosocial.  And yet, maybe we love the idea of social norms too much to subject them to rigorous test.  Compared to the detail in social norms theoretical orientations, there is very little detail in tests of these theories.  In order to provide guidance to researchers who invoke social norms as explanations, we catalog normative orientations that have been proposed to account for consistent patterns of behavior.  We call on researchers to conduct tests of normative theories that test the processes these theories assert.