Chapter 4: Ethical Guidelines for Psychology Research Flashcards
Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Three Major Ethics Violations
- The participants were not retreated respectfully
- Not informed with the study
- No consent form - The participants were harmed
- The participants were a targeted, disadvantaged social group
The Belmong Report Principle 1:
Respect for Pearsons
- Emphasizes that everyone should be treated as autonomous agents
— Free to make up their own minds about whether they wish to participate in a research study
— Entitled to the precaution of informed consent - Individuals with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection
— Entitled to special protection when it comes to informed consent
Informed Consent Process
- Voluntariness
- Information
- Comprehension
Informed Consent Process
Voluntariness
Coercion: An implicit or explicit suggestion that those who do not participate will suffer a negative consequence
Undue Influence: Make decisions with no influence
Informed Consent Process
Information
- All information should be provided to a research
- Inform any health concerns
- Details of the nature and purpose of the research
- The duration of the subjects participation
- Detailed description
Informed Consent Process
Comprehension
- Given in clear language that is understandable
- Form consent should be in simple language
- When involves children, it is important to have both consent one from the parent and the other one is for the children
— Emphasize that the children is free to say (emphasize the voluntariness)
The Belmong Report Principle 2:
Benefiecence
Maximize possible benefits and minimize risks
- Obligation to protect participants from harm (Maximizing the benefits)
- If there is no way to minimize the study, the study cannot be done or supported
Benefiecence
Example of Risks in Studies
- Emotional distress
- Psychological trauma
- Embarrassment
- Loss of Employment - financial loss
- Social stigmatization
- Shame or guilt
- Invasion of privacy
- Breach of Confidentiality
Benefience
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
- Confidentiality
- Privacy
- Anonymity
- Debriefing
- Emphaszing Voluntary
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
Confidentiality
- Concerns how identifiable information is kept safe (how you handle data)
- Make sure the data is collected the right way
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
Privacy
Protection from getting access to others (the people)
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
Anonymity
- Anonymity can be a way of privacy
- The condition of being anonymous
- Works better conducting the study on line
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
Debriefing
Emphasizing more about the purpose of the study
Ways to Mitigate Risks of the Study
Emphasizing Voluntary
Nature of participation and freedom to refuse to answer or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty
The Belmong Report Principle 3:
Justice
- Calls for a fair balance between the kinds of people who participate in research and the kinds of people who benefit from it
- Making sure participants are selected fairly
- Participants shouldnt be base on race or gender unless there’s a scientific reason to
- When the principle of justice is applied, it means that researchers consider the extend to which the participants involved in a study are representative of the kidneys of people who would also benefit from its result
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Committee responsible for ensuring that research using human participants is conducted ethically
- Reviews research study to make sure the study is ethical
- It can be rejected or approve
- Use the federal guidelines
- Set of guidelines that IRB follows
Debriefing
- The researcher describes the nature of the deception and explain why it was necessary
- The researcher describes the design of the study, thereby giving the participant some insight about the nature of psychological science
Deception
- Researchers withheld some details of the study from participants - deception through omission. In other cases, researcher actively lied to participants - deception through commission (It’s necessary to obtain meaningful results)
- Some psychologists believe that deception undermines peoples trust in the research process and should never be used in a study design
Form of Research Misconduct
Data falsification
Collect data but might delete some data point so it can fit your hypothesis
Form of Research Misconduct
Data Fabrication
Making up data without even collecting data so can fit in your hypothesis
Form of Research Misconduct
Plagiarism
- “The appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit”
- A violation of ethics because it is unfair for a research to take credit for another person’s intellectual property: it is a form of stealing
- Must cite the sources if all ideas that are not your own
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA)
- Federal law
- Regulates the treatments of animals, teaching testing
- Anytime animales are involved need to follow the guideline
- Outlines standards and guidelines for the treatment of animals
- Applies to many species of animals in research laboratories and other contexts, including zoos and pet stores
- Mandates that relevant research institutions have a local board the IACUC
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
- Constitutional level
- Needs to be approved by the act when trying to conduct a research
- Must approve any animal research project before it can begin
- Contain a veterinarian, practicing scientist who is familiar with the goal and procedures of animal research and a members of the local community who is unconnected with the institution
- Requires researcher to submit an extensive protocol specifying how animals would be treated and protected
- Included the scientific justification for the research
- They do not cover mice, rats and birds but such species are included in the oversight at IACUC boards
- Monitors the treatments of animals throughout the research process
Animal Care Guidelines and the Four R’s
- Replacement
- Refinement
- Reduction
- Rehabilitation
Replacement
- Need to find an alternatives when using animals in research when possible
Example: some studies can use computer simulation instead of animal subjects
Refinement
- Refining or altering research procedure in aspect of animal care
- Researchers must modify experimental procedures and other aspects of animal care to minimize or eliminate animal distress
Reduction
- Researchers should adopt experimental designs and procedures that require the fewest animal subjects possible
- Using the fewest number of animals in the study
Rehabilitation
Caring for the animals after the study ends
