Ethical Issues Flashcards
What are ethical issues?
They arise when there’s a conflict between participants’ rights and researchers’ need to gain valuable and meaningful findings
Outline the ethical issues
- Informed consent
- Deception
- Right to withdraw
- Protection from harm
- Confidentiality
- Privacy
Describe informed consent as an ethical issue
- Participants should know they study, procedure and their rights, so they can make an informed decision on if they want to participants, which is a basic rights
- However, the researcher may see this as revealing details about the study which may lead to demand characteristics
Describe deception as an ethical issue
- This prevents participants from giving informed consent which is unethical, and participants might then see psychologists as untrustworthy
- However, researchers use deception to reduce demand characteristics
Describe right to withdraw as an ethical issue
- If participants are uncomfortable, they may withdraw at any time
- This is inconvenient for the researchers as they then have to stop the study and those who do stay may have similar characteristics which could lead to a biased sample
Describe protection from harm as an ethical issue
- Nothing should cause physical and psychological harm to the participants
- But studying important questions in psychology may involve a degree of distress to participants. Also, it’s difficult to predict the outcome of certain produces and know that they will cause harm
Describe confidentiality as an ethical issue
- The Data Protection Act makes confidentiality a legal right for participants
- However researchers may publish findings, revealing specific information and participants may still be identified even if anonymised
Describe privacy as an ethical issue
- Participants have the right to control information about themselves.
- It may be difficult to avoid invasion of privacy for researchers when doing a study without participant consent (covert observation)
Describe how to deal with informed consent as an ethical issue
Although participants should ideally be asked to formally indicate their agreement but there are alternatives
- Presumptive consent: a group of people, similar to those in the study, are asked if they would agree to take part. If they would agree, it’s presumed that the real participants would too
- Prior general consent: participants agree to a number of research studies, including the one that will involve deception
- Retrospective decision: participants are asked after the study and consent to whether they wish for their data to be included in the study
Describe how to deal with deception as an ethical issue
- The need for deception should be approved by an ethics committee, weighing the benefits of the study to the cost to participants (cost-benefit analysis)
- Participants should be debriefed after the study, involves informing them of the true aims of the study and they should be offered the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have and to withdraw their data from the study
Describe how to deal with the right to withdraw as an ethical issue
Participants should be informed at the start of a study that they have a right to withdraw. During debriefing, they should also be reminded that they’re able to withdraw their data
Describe how to deal with protection from harm as an ethical issue
Researcher should make any risks less hard before and stop the study if harm is suspected and participants should provide informed consent if there is any risk of harm
Describe how to deal with confidentiality as an ethical issue
Researchers shouldn’t record names of participants and use numbers or false names to main anonymity, In a case study, researchers can use their initials when describing the individuals
Describe how to deal with privacy as an ethical issue
- Researchers shouldn’t study anyone without their informed consent, unless it’s in a public place and public behaviour
- Researchers should anonymise data and give them the right to withdraw their data if they’re being debriefed
