Researching infants and children is a crucial area of research in lifespan development psychology. It provides important insights into the early stages of growth and development. As important as researching infants and children is there are many ethical implications that psychology researchers must consider when studying such a vulnerable population. Researching infants and children offers an opportunity to try and understand the complex processes that underlie early human development. Infancy and childhood are crucial periods of rapid growth for the brain. Understanding these processes helps psychologists grasp how children acquire language, develop their motor skills, and form emotional attachments. Researching this vulnerable population also can provide information on possible developmental delays, learning disabilities, and other emotional/physical challenges. Understanding these possible issues early allows professionals to implement support services and solutions for the family that can improve the long-term outcome for those children. If we understand the way the infants/children of our society grow and develop professionals can better shape educational policies and practices to improve the educational …show more content…
When researching infants and children, you must obtain informed consent from their guardians as they are minors. As minors they cannot provide consent themselves, so it must be obtained from the legal guardians. When getting informed consent, you must be sure that the parents are fully aware of the nature of the study and all the potential benefits and risks. Another possible ethical implication is the concept of privacy and confidentiality. There must be safety measures to protect the identities and personal information of the children and their families that the research is being conducted on. All data should be anonymized to prevent any breaches of