Ethical Issues And Ways Of Dealing With Them Flashcards
Ethical issues
Arise in psychology when a conflict or dilemma exists between participants rights and researchers needs to gain valuable and meaningful findings. This conflict has implications for the safety and well-being of participants. For instance researcher may not reveal purpose of study so participants show more natural behaviour.
Informed consent
Prospective participants in studies should know why they are getting into before they get into it. Informed consent involves making participants aware of the aims of the research, procedures and their rights (including right to withdraw), and also what their data will be used for.
Makes the participants behaviour unnatural as they know aims.
Deception
Deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the investigation. Participants who have not received adequate information when they agreed to take part cannot be said to have given informed consent. There are still occasions when deception is justified if it doesn’t cause the participant undue distress.
Protection from harm
Participants should not be placed at any more risk than they would be in their daily lives, and should be protected from physical or psychological harm. Should be reminded they can withdraw.
Privacy and confidentiality
Participants have the right to control information about themselves. This is the right of privacy. If this is encased then confidentiality should be protected. Confidentiality refers to our right, enshrined in law under the data protection act, to have any personal data protected.
Area where study took place such that institutions or geographical locations are not named.
Ways of dealing with ethical issues- BPS code of conduct
The British psychological society (BPS) has its own bps code of ethics and this includes ethical guidelines. Researchers have a professional duty to observe these guidelines when conducting research. Could lose job.
Guidelines are implemented by ethics committees in research institutions who often use a cost-benefit approach to determine whether particular research proposals are ethically acceptable.
Dealing with informed consent
Participants should be issued with a consent letter or form detailing all relevant information that might affect their decision to participate. This is signed if agree. Parental consent if under 16 signed.
Dealing with deception and protection from harm
Participants should be given full debrief. Participants should be made aware of the true aims of the investigation and any details they were not supplied with during the study.
Told what data will be used for, right to withdraw and right to withhold data if they wish.
Participants may have natural concerns related to their performance within the investigation, so should be reassured their behaviour is normal. May require counselling, which researcher should provide.
Dealing with confidentiality
If personal details are held these must be protected. However it is more usual to simply 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.
Standard practice that during briefing and debriefing, participants are reminded their data will be protected throughout the process and told that the data will not be shared with other researchers.
