Which of the following is an important ethical concern within small groups in social psychology?

• A. Ensuring all group members have identical personality traits
• B. Maintaining confidentiality of group members' personal information
• C. Avoiding any form of group discussion
• D. Requiring group members to agree on every issue

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the context of the problem, which is about ethical concerns in small groups within social psychology. Ethical concerns refer to the principles that protect participants' rights and well-being during research or group activities.
2. Step 2: Identify the key ethical principles relevant to small groups, such as confidentiality, informed consent, respect for participants, and avoiding harm.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option in the problem: ensuring identical personality traits is not an ethical concern but rather an unrealistic expectation; avoiding group discussion is not ethical but impractical; requiring agreement on every issue is not ethical and can suppress individual opinions.
4. Step 4: Recognize that maintaining confidentiality of group members' personal information is a core ethical concern because it protects participants' privacy and trust within the group.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct ethical concern in small groups is maintaining confidentiality, as it aligns with established ethical guidelines in social psychology research and practice.