title: A Qualitative Analysis of Power Differentials in Ethical Situations in Academia.
abstract: Power and organizational hierarchies are ubiquitous to social institutions that form the foundation of modern society. Power differentials may act to constrain or enhance people's ability to make good ethical decisions. However, little scholarly work has examined perceptions of this important topic. The present effort seeks to address this issue by interviewing academics about hypothetical ethical problems that involve power differences among those involved. Academics discussed what they would do in these scenarios, often drawing on their own experiences. Using a think-aloud protocol, participants were prompted to discuss their reasoning and thinking behind their ethical decisions. These interview data were content analyzed using a semantic analysis program that identified a number of distinct ways that academics think about power differences and abuses in ethical situations. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Carter
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Kelsey E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giorgini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Jensen T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Mecca
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Lynn D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Devenport
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mumford
keywords: ethical decision making; ethics; power; power differentials