Project Proposal

J. Hunter Anderson
Legal Research & Writing
A. ABSTRACT
My paper and project will be named, Friend or Foe: The Ethical Codes of Conducting
Experimentation on Humans . The reasoning for choosing the topic of human experimentation
is to traverse the rich history of the darkest days of society and shed light onto the reality that
these experiments still continue even in this modern culture that see itself in a pure and humane
light. The significant points that will be targeted by the research will include, the reasoning for
rationalization of the human experiments, the growth (or lack thereof) of human experimentation
throughout history, and the knowledge society actually knows of these experiments. I plan on
conducting experiments on other students that will testing students psyche by using methods
used from past to present, focusing specifically on controversial experiments. My consultant is
The people participating in my project will be high schoolers, who will experimented on testing
their reactions to certain stimulus. The concepts being experimented on will include the
bystander effect, the halo effect, and cognitive dissonance. Each experiment will be conducted
up to the American Psychological Association standards of an ethical experiment. The students
will be observed to identify their preexisting biases and their ability to be manipulated. My
project will take place in First Colonial High School in classes with underclassmen around the
end of March or early April. The students being experimented on will be benefited by the project,
because it will allow for them to learn more about themselves as individuals and keep a watchful
eye on the world around them. The experiments will allow for the enlightenment of the mental
games that are played on us by unknown people, family, friends, and sometimes even ourselves.
The project is also going to be targeted to evaluate the effectiveness of ethical codes within
human experimentation, providing a substantiated case study to be used for possible precedent or

evidence when the law makers are writing the guidelines for the ethical codes. Materials that will
be a necessity include; items that will be used while experimenting of the students, as well as a
way to document the outcomes of the experiments. My audience is the American Psychology
Association who establishes ethical codes for experiments and those who conduct experiments
looking for the most realistic way to observe what is being tested.
B. Learning Skills
a.

Skills to Be Enhanced
i. Writing objectively to provide a clear presentation of research
ii. Networking with business professionals
iii. How to conduct myself in a professional setting
iv. Setting up and conducting a successful experiment

b.

Skills to be Learned
i. Knowledge of the human experimentations over the course of history
ii. Constructing a solid defense of research gathered

C. Project Step
Preliminary
Steps

Create the experiment guidelines,

establish the working hypotheses,
review the experiment guidelines with
Consultant

5 Hours

Midway Steps Revise the experiment guidelines,

confirm the location of the experiment,
gather materials needed for the
experiments, continue meeting with
consultant, etc.

5 Hours

Later Steps

6 Hours

Conduct the experiments multiple times

to counter possible fluke occurrences,
gather data, review data with the
Consultant

Follow Up

Write up the lab report of the

research gathered, present the work
to the test subjects

4 Hours

D. Project Documentation
Throughout the project process there will be visual records of each step, by use of pictures and
possibly video clips. The hypothesis of each psychological experiment along with the procedures
of each experiment will be published for the clear direction of the variables being tested. Each
trial of the experiments shall be recorded in a data table for easy interpretation. At the completion
there will be a survey given to the participants including questions about their thoughts on each
experiment conducted. The conclusion will be displayed in the final lab report of the experiment
as a whole. To tie in the information together, considerably larger studies that tests similar
hypotheses shall be compared and contrasted with the experiments I conducted.
E. Project Justification
Piloting scaled down psychological experiments, most of which are considered to be
controversial, creates an environment for the participants to learn about the importance of human
test subject protection. The participants will learn how the balancing act of performing an
unbiased experiment with the test subject being informed of certain procedures can be difficult
and in some cases impossible. The project will allow me to take witness to the outcomes of what
psychological factors do in fact effect the human mindset. The project will allow a plethora of
students to be enriched in mind games that psychological experiments play on people, by
immersing them in the experiments.
F. Project-Paper Connection
The experiments that are being tested will be variants of some famous experiments some of
which have become unfavorable by todays standards. The students, who will be the test subjects,

will learn about what is considered to be ethical for conducting experiments and what are
considered to be unethical practices during the social experiments. They will be learning this
while being simultaneously experimented on. This will provide a real world demonstration will
help articulate the necessity for morality while researching for the greater good.
G. Academic Honesty
I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in failure
of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School diploma.

H. Completion Dates
Preliminary
Steps

Create the experiment guidelines,

establish the working hypotheses,
review the experiment guidelines with
Consultant

February, 19th, 2016

Midway Steps Revise the experiment guidelines,

confirm the location of the experiment,
gather materials needed for the
experiments, continue meeting with
consultant, etc.

February, 29th, 2016

Later Steps

Conduct the experiments multiple times

to counter possible fluke occurrences,
gather data, review data with the
Consultant

March 19th, 2016

Follow up

Write up the lab report of the

research gathered, present the work
to the test subjects

April 8th,2016