Ethical Guidelines

Question 1

Informed consent

Answer 1

Needed from parent and child if the child is 12+ years old

If a child is under 12, informed consent is needed from the parent as well as voluntary assent from the child

Question 2

Right of withdrawal

Question 3

Deception

Question 4

Vulnerable participants

Answer 4

All children are vulnerable as well as those with learning difficulties, hospital patients, homeless people, refugees and those who have issues with mental health

Question 5

Minimising distress

Answer 5

A plan needs to be in place if a child was to get upset or frustrated during the experiment

Question 6

Atypically developing populations

Answer 6

Could be at a heightened risk of distress due to sensory processing difficulties, anxiety, etc

May not understand what is being asked of them

Question 7

Ethical approval

Answer 7

All experiments need to be approved ethically before they are conducted

Question 8

Little Albert

Answer 8

(1919-1920) Conducted by Watson and Raynor

Aim: To instil a fear in a child using Pavlovian classical conditioning

Procedure: A white rat was presented to Albert where he had no reaction, over time loud noises were present when the white rat was shown to Albert, this inflicted a fear of the white rat even when there was no loud scary noise

Findings: A child can be conditioned to fear a stimulus over time

Question 9

What was unethical about the Little Albert study?

Answer 9

• Instilled a fear in the child which wasn’t reversed by the experimenters, leaving Albert with a long-lasting fear

Question 10

Children from the Romanian Orphanages