ethical issues Flashcards
BPS code of ethics
a quasi-legal document produced by the British Psychological society that instructs psychologists in the UK of ethical guidelines which if researchers dont follow, they can lose their jobs. The code is built on respect, competence, responsibility and integrity
ethics committees
- implement ethical guidelines
- use cost-benefit analysis to determine whether research is ethically acceptable
- weight up costs (ethical issues) against benefits (what we could learn from the research)
ethical issues
arise when conflict exists between the rights of participants and the goals of the research to produce authentic, valid data
informed consent
participants in studies should know the basics of what they are getting into before doing it. They are made aware of the aims, procedures, their rights, and what the data will be used for before making an informed judgement as to whether to take part or not
how is informed consent given to participants?
- a consent form is sent to them
- it details the aim, procedure, their rights, and what the data will be used for, before the study
- they should sign if they agree to participate
deception
deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the investigation. Participants who have not received adequate information when they agreed to take part cannot be said to give informed consent
how is deception overcome
- participants are given a debrief of the study at the end
- it includes the ways in which they were deceived (aims, procedures, anything that was hidden from them)
- remind them of their rights to withdraw their data
protection from harm
Participants should not be placed at any more risk than they would in their daily lives, and should be protected from physical and psychological harm.
Participants are reminded of their right to withdraw at any point.
how protection from harm is overcome if not upheld
- researchers can offer counselling to participants
- researchers can reassure them that their actions in the investigation were normal
- researchers give participants the option to withdraw their data
- make sure there is no greater harm than they would experience in every day life
confidentiality
the right to have any personal data protected
if privacy is invaded then confidentiality should be protected
how confidentiality is dealt with
- participants’ data is protected and their results can be submitted anonymously by assigning them a number or pseudonym
- remind them of this on the consent form/debrief sheet
privacy
participants have the right to control information about themselves
how privacy is dealt with
participants’ data is protected, and their results can be submitted anonymously
right to withdraw
participants have the right to leave the study at any time and remove their data from the investigation
how right to withdraw is dealt with
- repeatedly tell them
- on the consent form, before the study starts, during the study, debrief sheet
debriefing
at the end of the study, participants should be given a full debrief where they are made aware of the true aims of the investigation and any details they were not supplied with
presumptive consent
rather than getting consent from the participants themselves, a similar group of people are asked if the study is acceptable. If this group agrees, then the consent of the participants is ‘presumed’
prior general consent
participants give their permission to take part in a number of different studies, including one that will involve deception. By consenting, participants are consenting to be deceived
retrospective consent
participants are asked for their consent during debriefing, having already taken part in the study. They may not have been aware of their participation or may have been subject to deception
cost-benefit analysis
the ethics committees are responsible for weighing up the costs and benefits of research proposals to decide whether a research study should go ahead
