Laud Humphreys Tearoom Trade Study Could Have Been Made More Ethical By

Without disclosing his role as a sociology researcher humphreys played the role of watchqueen that is he looked out for intruders while men performed.

Laud humphreys tearoom trade study could have been made more ethical by.

He influenced generations of scholars who research. In 1970 laud humphreys then a washington university phd student wrote his infamous thesis tearoom trade which was a study of homosexual behaviour between men in public toilets in a u s. Argues that humphrey s tearoom trade study misinforms readers as much as it informs regarding moral and ethical foundations for research with human subjects. Humphreys argued his deception was justified as the acts were so stigmatised he would not have got the information otherwise.

Perhaps not surprisingly given the topic the research was highly controversial however this was not just due to its sensitive subject matter. Robert allan laud humphreys october 16 1930 in chickasha oklahoma august 23 1988 was an american sociologist and author. He is noted for his research into sexual encounters between men in public bathrooms published as tearoom trade 1970 and for the questions that emerged from what many believe to be unethical research methods. He was a charter member of the tearkom academy of sex research.

The tearoom trade study from 1965 to 1968 laud humphreys an ordained episcopalian minister conducted dissertation research on men who have impersonal sex with men humphreys 1970. A study of homosexual encounters in public places the study is an analysis of male male sexual behavior in public toilets. Laud humphreys died in from lung cancer. By pretending to be a simple voyeur humphreys explains that he systematically observed these activities and even recorded the license plate numbers of a sample of tearoom.

The tearoom trade study by laud humphreys for example involved a researcher providing false information about the researcher s identity and purposes in order to find out about men having sex. In tearoom trade 1970 1975 laud humphreys writes about the homosexual relations that took place in various tearooms i e public bathrooms in an unidentified american city during the mid to late 1960s. Dissertation which was entitled tearoom trade. Also many of the criticisms relating to the possible harm to participants are what ifs.

States that humphrey s tearoom study made significant positive contributions to the population he studied. However in defence of his methodology it is important to consider that there were no formal guidelines and ethical codes relating to social research at the time humphreys conducted his study of the tearoom trade. An exchange in norman k. Laud humphreys and the tearoom sex study.