ethical issues

Question 1

when do ethical issues arise in psychology

Answer 1

ethical issues arise in psychology when a conflict or dilemma exists between participants’ rights and researchers’ needs to gain valuable and meaningful findings

Question 2

what are the four major ethical issues that face participants and researchers in psychology

Answer 2

informed consent

deception

deception

protection from harm

Question 3

what is informed consent

Answer 3

at a basic level, prospective participants in studies should know what they are getting into before they get into it.

Informed consent involves making participants aware of the aims of the research, the procedures, their rights (including the right to withdraw partway through the investigation should they so wish) , and also what their data will be used for

participants can then make an informed judgement whether or not they what yo take part without without being coerced feeling obliged

Question 4

why is asking for informed consent bad from a researcher’s point of view

Answer 4

from the researcher’s point of view, asking for informed consent may make the study meaningless because participant’s will not be “natural” as they know the aims of the study

Question 5

what is deception

Answer 5

deception is misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the investigation

This links to informed consent as participants who have not received adequate info when they agrees to take part (or worse, have been deliberate lied to) cannot be said to have given informed consent

Question 6

when can deception be justified

Answer 6

when it does not cause the participant under distress

Question 7

what is protection form harm

Answer 7

as a result from their involvement participant should not be placed at any more risk than they would be in their daily lives

they should be protected from:

• physical
• psychological harm ( this includes feeling embarrassed, inadequate, being placed under undue stress or pressure)

Question 8

what is an important feature of protection from harm

Answer 8

an important feature of protection from harm is participants being reminded of the fact that they have the right to withdraw from the investigation at any point

Question 9

what is privacy and confidentiality

Answer 9

participants have the right to control information about themselves. This is the right of privacy

If this right is invaded then confidentiality should be protected.
Confidentiality refers to our right, enshrine in law under the Data Protection Act, to have any personal data protected

Question 10

how far does the right of privacy extend

Answer 10

The right to privacy extends to the area where the study took place such that institutions or geographical locations are not named

Question 11

what is the BPS code of conduct

Answer 11

Th British Psychological Society (BPS), like many other professional bodies, has its own BPS code of ethics and this includes a set of ethical guidelines when conducting research - they won’t be sent to prison if they don’t follow them but they may well lose their jobs

This ensures all participant are treated with respect and consideration during each phase of research

Question 12

who implements the ethical guidelines

Answer 12

guidelines are implemented by ethical committees in research institutions who often use a cost - benefit approach to determine whether particular research proposals are ethically acceptable

Question 13

how can we deal with inform consent

Answer 13

participants should be issued with a consent letter or form dealing all relevant info that might affect their decision to participate

• This is then signed ( when participants agreed)
• investigations involving children under 16, a signature of parental consent is required

Question 14

what are the different ways of getting consent

Answer 14

from a researcher point of view, the problem with informed consent is that it may spoil the researcher causing participants to potentially alter their behaviour accordingly

Psychologists have tried to address this problem by getting different forms of consent:

• presumptive consent
• prior general consent
• retrospective consent

Question 15

what is presumptive consent

Answer 15

rather than getting consent from the participants themselves , a similar group of people are asked if the study is acceptable.

If this group, then consent of the original participants is presumed

Question 16

what is prior general consent

Answer 16

participants gave their permission to take part in a number of different studies - including one that will include deception.
By consenting, participants are effectively consenting to be deceived

Question 17

what is retrospective consent

Answer 17

participants are asked for their consent (during debriefing) having already taking part in the study

The may not have been aware of their participation or they may have been subjected to deception

Question 18

how do we deal with deception and protection form harm

Answer 18

at the end of a study participants should be given a full debrief .

Within this, participants should be made aware of the true aims of the investigation and any details they were not supplied during the study e.g. the existence of other groups experimental conditions

Question 19

how do we deal with protection form harm

Answer 19

particpants should be told what their data will be used for and must be given the right to withhold data if they with

This is particularly important if retrospective consent is a feature of the study

Participants may have natural concerns related to their performance if this is the case they should

• be reassured that their behavior was typical their performance
• if participants have been subjected to stress or embarrassed they may require counselling, which the researcher should provide

Question 20

how do we deal with confidentiality

Answer 20

if personal details are held these must be protected. However it is more usual to record no personal details - maintain anonymity

researchers usually refer to participants using numbers or initials when writing up the investigation

In a case study, psychologists often use initials when describing the individuals or individual involved

during briefing and debriefing participants are reminded that their data will be protected throughout the process