Describe the positive and negative effects of brain mapping could have on society. Imagine you are a researcher (of any topic, brain mapping or otherwise). How would you predict and minimize potential unethical abuses of your work?
Brain mapping has both a positive and negative effects on society. Brain mapping could lead to better understanding of mental conditions such as autism as well as mental disorders such as paranoid schizophrenia. Thus, brain mapping has a positive effect on the mental health of people. The application of brain mapping in the area of criminal investigation could also be a positive effect. Using brain mapping technology could aid the police in distinguishing whether a suspect is innocent or guilty. In addition, they can use this technology to apprehend criminals faster as details of the crime scene can be obtained easily from the suspect. Ethical issues are one of the negative effects of brain mapping. The error rate of brain mapping technology is very high. This is because brain mapping technologies is currently in the development stage. Thus, important people in society such as judges might make unjustified decisions if they solely rely on brain mapping technologies. Another ethical issue is the employment of employees through the mandatory use of brain mapping. If used, brain mapping could create a misconception among employers. They could become more dependent on brain mapping technology to employ people. The last ethical issue is the abusing of brain mapping technology for criminal purposes. Criminals might try to gain unauthorised access to other people’s data and commit criminal acts such as illegally withdrawing money from the bank accounts of other people.
There are a few ways to predict and minimize potential unethical abuses of my work if I were a researcher on brain mapping. First, I would ensure that the data of my clients are encrypted and password protected in the server database. This is to prevent other people from gaining unauthorised access to these data. Next, to prevent hackers from hacking into the database, I would hire information technology experts (IT) to ensure that our server has the most up to date antivirus software as well as a sophisticated security system. Finally, the research facility I am working in must have strict security measures in place such as armed security guards. This is to prevent any unauthorised entry into the research facility.
