Ethical Considerations

Question 1

Introduction # 1

Answer 1

• psych research driven by 3 requirements: VALID, SCIENTIFIC, & ETHICAL
• ethical considerations take precedence over everything else
• ethics = boundaries set in order to protect participants from psychology harm

Question 2

Introduction # 2

Answer 2

• professional organisation e.g. BPS, APA
• research must gain approval
• main GOAL: PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
• trust / power can be misused in name of science
• keep science focused on common good
• some argue ethical violation is needed but relevant considerations e.g. DEBRIEFING should be taken

Question 3

Informed Consent

Answer 3

• informed aims + objectives + consent statement
• applied to research that might involve INVOLUNTARY participant
• if participants KNOW they’re being studied, has impacts on validity
• possible to inform participants of the aims w/o revealing specific variables
• takes on heightened magnitude when participants are children / mentally ill

Question 4

What is an issue w/ informed consent?

Answer 4

• giving too much info can cause EXPECTANCY EFFECTS
• in true experiments that investigate biological effects, biological factors are often manipulated in some way so researchers can compare conditions
• to do this, researchers alter physiology of participants
• if participants NOT informed, may experience negative effects, stress, emotional harm –> informed consent must be obtained first

Question 5

Deception

Answer 5

• misleading participants
• misrepresenting their participation in some untrue way
• commonly used in the past
• major CHALLENGE TO INDIVIDUAL RESPECT –> UNJUSTIFIED DECEPTION not permitted
• allowed in certain limited cases –> but what is justified? Who decides?

Question 6

Debriefing

Answer 6

• return participants to original state
• may involve psychological counselling

Question 7

Right to Withdraw

Answer 7

• no pressure should be placed on participants to continue research if they want to withdraw –> respect
• agreed on during informed consent
• important as individual differences means researchers can never know if participants are experiencing stress or not

Question 8

Protection

Answer 8

• anxiety, stress, pain, discomfort, self-esteem issues, long-lasting change in participants
• respect for the individual & social responsibility
• STIGMATISATION –> socially marginalised / vulnerable populations may be stigmatised
• described in wats that marks them w/ disapproval
• interviews & case studies have potential to infringe upon protection of participants
• esp when the interview may lead to disclosures that later cause participant discomfort or anxiety
• should be aware of MENTAL state

Question 9

Confidentiality / Anonymity (both in conducting & publishing research)

Answer 9

• no participant should be identifiable by name or any other detail
• confidentiality –> info is kept private (researcher may know)
• anonymity –> even researcher doesn’t know
• may be difficult in cases were purposive sampling / snowball sampling involves participants knowing each other
• participants may be informed that they may be identifiable to others through their participation in study

Question 10

Confidentiality / Anonymity # 2

Answer 10

• In BLOA, behaviours investigated are often highly sensitive e.g. antisocial behaviour, agression, violence, depression, neglect
• anonymity is important because participants would probably not want others to know about their results in these studies
• SES variables
• don’t want sensitive details shared w/ others unless given anonymity
• HOWEVER, if severe cases of neglect / abuse are discovered during a study, researchers may break these agreements guaranteeing anonymity

Question 11

PROTECTION –> studies on genes / hormones e.g. Meyer-Lindenberg or Caspi et al

Answer 11

• genetics cannot be controlled (sensitive)
• psychological effects
• could be good to prevent onset of disorder
• may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy
• start to show signs of disorder just because we expect to get it
• sharing with doctor –> confirmation bias; false diagnosis
• drug treatment
• CAN BE AVOIDED BY DEBRIEFING & CLEARLY EXPLAINING MEANING OF RESULTS

oversimplifying complex behaviours like antisocial behaviours can lead to labelling, prejudice, & denial of an individual to choose his or her own path in life

Question 12

diathesis-stress theory

Answer 12

suggests that genes may lead to a predisposition to a behaviour or disorder, but there must be an environmental or psychological trigger for the genes to be expressed