Ethical Issues

Question 1

Ethical issues

Answer 1

Informed consent • Right to withdraw • Confidentiality
• Deception
• Protection from harm

Question 2

Informed consent

Answer 2

Participants have the right to be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it, in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate

Question 3

Right to withdraw

Answer 3

Participants should have the right to withdraw from participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way and should also have the right to refuse permission for the researcher to use any data they produce

Question 4

Confidentiality

Answer 4

A participant’s right to have personal information protected. (This can include anonymity, in which a participant has a right to be nameless).

Question 5

Protection from harm

Answer 5

participants should not experience negative physical or psychological effects such as physical injury, lowered self-esteem or embarrassment.

Question 6

Deception

Answer 6

deliberately mislead or withhold information from participants at any stage in the study.

Question 7

Cost benefit analysis

Answer 7

It is the responsibility of an ethics committee to weight up the costs and benefits of research proposals to decide whether the research study should go ahead.
• Benefits may include the value or ground-breaking nature of the research.
• Possible costs may include the damaging effect on individual participants or to the reputation of psychology as a whole.