ethical issues Flashcards
ethical issues
correct rules of conduct necessary when carrying out research, we have a moral responsibility to protect participants from harm during research
informed consent - participant
pt should be made aware of the aims of the research, procedures and their rights and what data will be used for. this comprehensive info will help pts make an informed judgement on whether to take part.
informed consent - researcher
pts should be informed of anything in the study the researcher thinks they’d object to if they knew
asking for fully informed consent can make the data less valid&meaningless as pts may alter behaviour based on the knowledge of the research aims - demand characteristics.
deception - participant
researchers should not deceive without good cause - if pt agrees to take part without knowing the aims, may be distressed by the experience - failed to protect from harm
if info about the aims are withheld, pts are unable to give fully informed consent
deception - researcher
might be necessary to deceive pts when trying to balance informed consent as well as gathering valid data.
however, cannot deliberately provide false info. may be accepted to withhold some details of research aims
right to withdraw - participant
pts can stop participating if they’re uncomfortable in any way, especially important in cases where its not possible to give fully informed consent.
also have the right to refuse permission to use their data
right to withdraw - researcher
if pts do leave during the study can bias the results. - pts who stayed are likely to be diff than those who left - leads to bias sample as the types of pts that withdrew are no longer represented in the sample
protection from harm - participant
pts should not experience negative physical or psychological effects such as personal injury, lowered self esteem or embarrassment
protection from harm - researcher
should aim to design study that ensure pts come to no more harm than they do in everyday life.
potential harm must be communicated to pts so they can give informed consent
confidentiality - pt
concerns the communication of personal information from one person to another, and the trust that info will be protected
confidentiality - researcher
can be hard to protect confidentiality if researcher wants to publish the findings - but they can guarantee anonymity by using numbers or fake names
privacy - pt
one’s right to control the flow of info about themselves
privacy - researcher
some research requires pts to be unaware until after data is collected
researchers must be careful they do not invade the privacy of pts
how to deal with informed consent
pts agree by signing a document containing comprehensive info.
however, if pt given full info - may invalidate purpose of the study
how to deal with deception
need for deception needs to be approved by ethics committee
pts should be debriefed on the true nature of the study
however, debriefing cannot reverse effects e.g. a pt may still feel embarrassed
