Ethical Issues And How To Deal With Them Flashcards
what is meant by the “double obligation dilemma”
- the conflict between what researchers need to do in order to carry out meaningful research and the rights of participants
What is the British Psychology Society (BPS) code of ethics
- a document that instructs psychologists on what is and what isn’t acceptable when dealing with human participants in research
- Based on 4 ethical principles
- Respect
- Competence
- Responsibility
- Integrity
Define: Valid consent
- Participants are given comprehensive info concerning the nature and purposes of the research, in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate
Define: Deception
- Participant isn’t told the true aims of a study (e.g. what participation will involve) and thus can’t give valid consent
Define: Risk of harm
- During a research study, participants shouldn’t experience negative physical/psychological effects, such as physical injury, lowered self esteem or embarrassment — beyond what would be normal for them to experience
Define: confidentiality
- concerns the communication of personal information from 1 person to another, and the trust that the info will be protected
Define: Privacy
- A person’s right to control the flow of information about themselves
What are the 3 ethical considerations that need to be addressed in various contexts
- risk to participant’s values, beliefs, relationships, status, or privacy
- Working with vulnerable individuals (including children)
- Working with animals
Why do researchers need to be aware of the: risks to the participant’s values, beliefs, relationships, status or privacy
- need to ensure participant doesn’t suffer any long-term effects from participating
- attitudes + opinions aren’t undermined, relationships with others isn’t affected, social position or job isn’t affected
- This is ensured by maintaining confidentiality of the info collected in the study
Why do researchers need to be aware of: working with vulnerable individuals (including children)
- if researchers want to investigate and perform studies on vulnerable groups who may not completely understand what’s going to happen to them = need consent from person legally responsible for them
- E.g. children under 16 need to have parent’s permission to take part in a study
- Adults with mental illnesses or learning difficulties likewise need to have consent from their guardians
Why do researchers need to be aware of: working with animals
- the legislation that governs medical research into animal testing also applies to psychological research.
- Animal used = no other options available
- Researcher needs to show suffering = at the minimum possible
- And that data collected will be justified by cost to animal
What do ethical committees do?
- approve studies before they begin
- They look at all possible ethical issues of the research against the possible cost to the participants
- They then weigh up the benefits of the research against the possible cost to the participants
What are the strategies used to deal with: Valid consent + Disadvantages
- participants must formally consent + understand the true nature of the research
- They’re given the right to withdraw
Disadvantage - giving them too much info can encourage demand characteristics, invalidating the aim
- Do participants really understand what they will be doing?
What are the strategies used to deal with: Deception + disadvantages
- gain approval from ethics committees
- Have a full debrief after
- Retrospective consent — withholding data from study
Disadvantages - is cost benefit analysis subjective?
- Debriefing can’t change what has already happened in the research
what are the strategies used to deal with: Risk of harm + disadvantages
- avoid risks
- stop study if harm is suspected
disadvantages - sometimes harm comes later (with hindsight)
