ethical issues Flashcards
when do ethical issues arise in psychology
ethical issues arise in psychology when a conflict or dilemma exists between participants’ rights and researchers’ needs to gain valuable and meaningful findings
what are the four major ethical issues that face participants and researchers in psychology
informed consent
deception
deception
protection from harm
what is informed consent
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
why is asking for informed consent bad from a researcher’s point of view
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
what is deception
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
when can deception be justified
when it does not cause the participant under distress
what is protection form harm
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)
what is an important feature of protection from harm
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
what is privacy and confidentiality
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
how far does the right of privacy extend
The right to privacy extends to the area where the study took place such that institutions or geographical locations are not named
what is the BPS code of conduct
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
who implements the ethical guidelines
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
how can we deal with inform consent
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
what are the different ways of getting consent
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
what is 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, then consent of the original participants is presumed
what is prior general consent
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
what is retrospective consent
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
how do we deal with deception and protection form harm
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
how do we deal with protection form harm
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
how do we deal with confidentiality
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
