9.3.1 Ethical Issues In Research (animal and human)

Question 1

BPS Guidelines: What is Integrity?

Answer 1

Psychologists value honesty, probity, accuracy, clarity and fairness in their interactions with other people and seek to promote integrity in all facets of their scientific and professional endeavours.

Question 2

BPS Guidelines: What is Respect?

Answer 2

Psychologists value the dignity and worth of all persons, with sensitivity to the dynamics of perceived authority over people and with regard to people’s rights.

Question 3

BPS Guidelines: What is Responsibility?

Answer 3

Psychologists must accept appropriate responsibility for what is within their power, control of management. Psychologists value their responsibilities to people/ general public/ professional and science of psychology, including avoidance of harm and prevention of misuse/ abuse of their contribution to society.

Question 4

BPS Guidelines: What is Competence?

Answer 4

A psychologist should not provide professional services that are outside of their areas of knowledge, skill, training and experience. Psychologists value the continuing development and maintenance of high standards of competence in their professional work and the importance of working within the recognised limits of their knowledge, skill, training, education and experience.

Question 5

Why do we need ethical guidelines in psychology?

Answer 5

More accurate research.
Builds trust between psychologist and ppt - more comfortable participating; e.g protecting identity=credibility/validity.
Protects psychologist and ppt from psychological or physical harm.

Question 6

How could ethical guidelines restrict psychological research?

Answer 6

Cost vs benefit-no benefit if we can’t break some rules.

Can’t research sensitive subjects-that may have the biggest application to society; e.g. domestic abuse.

Question 7

Under what circumstances may we be justified in going against ethical guidelines?

Answer 7

If long-term benefits outweigh short-term costs.

Question 8

How do psychologists use animals in research?

Answer 8

To test for things that would be unethical to test on humans.
Insight into human behaviour.
Convenience and practicality.
interest.

Question 9

Evolutionary reasons FOR using animals

Answer 9

All animals have/ will evolve which means they can relate to humans. E.g. rats have the same nervous system as humans.

Question 10

Evolutionary reasons AGAINST using animals

Answer 10

There is an argument that not everything has/ will evolve, therefore there are no genetic similarities.

Question 11

Biological reasons FOR using animals

Answer 11

Animals have similar biology to humans, making animal testing an ethical solution.

Question 12

Biological reasons AGAINST using animals

Answer 12

Animals have some similarities to humans but they are still very different which means that research can’t be applied to humans.

Question 13

Artificial vs cause and effect FOR using animals

Answer 13

In animal testing it is very easy to establish cause and effect because it is scientific.

Question 14

Artificial vs cause and effect AGAINST using animals

Answer 14

It is very artificial because there is high control, which means there may have been confounding variables.

Question 15

Practicality vs animal suffering FOR using animals

Answer 15

The suffering of animals is justified if there is a high application to society and it is easy to complete.

Question 16

Practicality vs animal suffering AGAINST using animals

Answer 16

It may be difficult to find animals, and we do not know what the animals feel; if they are already conditioned to something, we may not know.

Question 17

What are the 3R’s

Answer 17

Refinement: Making animals’ lives better in labs,
Reduction: Using as few animals as possible,
Replacement: Using non-animal alternatives wherever possible.