Ethical issues Flashcards
Using an example from psychological research, explain what is meant by the term “ethical issue”. (3 marks)
An ethical issue occurs when a conflict exists between the rights of a participant and the aims of the research . An example of when this occurs in psychological research is when Milgram deceived his participants to make them believe they were in a study about the effects of punishment on correct answers - which breaches the right of the participant but is necessary so that the participants do not discover Milgram’s true aims and therefore respond to demand characteristics.
Identify one ethical issue in psychological research. Outline one way in which this issue can be dealt with. (4 marks)
One ethical issue with psychological research is a participant’s right to informed consent. This means providing the participant with full details of the aims of the study allowing them to make an informed judgement about their participation - however too much information may affect participants’ behaviour (e.g. through responding to demand characteristics).
One way of dealing with this is instead of gaining informed consent, the researcher could acquire prior general consent whereby the participant consents to be deceived.
Outline the role of the BPS code of ethics in psychological research (4 marks)
The BPS code of ethics instructs psychologists in the UK about what behaviour is or isn’t acceptable when dealing with participants around four major principles: respect, competence, responsibility and integrity. Researchers have a professional duty to observe these guidelines when conducting research, otherwise they may loose their jobs. The code of ethics also ensures that all participants are treated with respect and consideration during each phase of research. Ethics committees often use a cost benefit analysis to determine if proposals are acceptable.
