Ethical Issues Flashcards
What are ethics
Moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity
When do ethical issues arise
When a conflict exists between the rights of pps in studies and researchers’ needs to gain valuable and meaningful findings
What is informed consent
Making participants aware of the aims of the research, procedures, rights(including their right to withdraw) and what their data will be used for
Ways consent can be gained to limit unnatural behaviour
-presumptive consent(ask group similar to pps if study acceptable)
-prior general consent( give consent to a number of different studies including to being deceived)
-retrospective consent(give consent after having taken part in the experiment)
What is deception
Deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the investigation
Ways to deal with deception and protecting from harm
Give pps full debrief at the end of the study in which they are made aware of the true aims of the investigation, told what their data will be used for and given the right to withhold any data, assured their anonymity and confidentiality will be maintained and offered counselling if appropriate
What is protection from harm
Pps should be protected from physical and psychological harm during the course of the study, should leave in the same state in which they entered
Confidentiality
Pps have the right to have any personal data protected
How to deal with confidentiality
Refer to pps using numbers when writing up the investigation to be published and during debriefing remind pps that their data will be protected throughout the process
What is the BPS code of ethics
Document produced by BPS that instructs UK psychologists about what behaviour is and is not acceptable when dealing with participants
