Ethical issues and ways of dealing with them

Question 1

Ethical issues

Answer 1

-arise when a conflict exists between the rights of participants in research studies and the goals of the research to provide valid data

Question 2

Ethical issues

List

Answer 2

Informed consent
Deception
Protection from harm
Privacy and confidentiality

Question 3

Informed consent

Answer 3

• making sure participants are aware of the aims of the research, the procedures , their rights (e.g. to withdraw) and what the data will be used foe
• participants should then be able to make an informed judgement

Question 4

Deception

Answer 4

-deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants
└so can’t have given informed consent

Question 5

Protection from harm

Answer 5

-participants should be protected from physical and psychological harm
└e.g. feeling stressed or embarrassed
-have the right to withdraw

Question 6

Privacy and confidentiality

Answer 6

• privacy: the right to control information about themselves
• confidentiality: the right to have any personal data protected

Question 7

BPS code of conduct/ethics

Answer 7

• a set of ethical guidelines produced by the British psychological society (BPS) informing psychologists in the UK about acceptable behaviour regarding participants
• based on 4 principles: respect, responsibility, integrity, competence

Question 8

Dealing with Informed consent

Answer 8

-sign a consent letter

Question 9

Types of consent

Answer 9

• informed consent
• presumptive consent
• prior general consent
• retrospective consent

Question 10

Presumptive consent

Answer 10

-consent from a similar group of people to participants

Question 11

Prior general consent

Answer 11

• participants give consent to a number of different studies prior to the specific study
• consenting to be deceived

Question 12

Retrospective consent

Answer 12

-participants are asked for consent during debriefing after they have already taken part in study

Question 13

Dealing with Protection from harm

Answer 13

-full debrief at end of study
└containing aims and conditions of investigation
-right to withhold data
-counselling in extreme cases

Question 14

Dealing with Privacy and confidentiality

Answer 14

• personal details protected
• often use initials rather than complete anonymity
• stated in briefing and debriefing