Ethics

Question 1

Informed consent

Answer 1

Participation in a study must be voluntary, and participants must fully understand the nature of their involvement, including the aims of the study, what tasks they will be exposed to and how the data will be used.

Researchers should provide as much information as possible and in the clearest possible way, hence the name ‘informed’ consent. If the participant is a minor, consent should be obtained from parents or legal guardians.

Question 2

Protection from harm

Answer 2

At all times during the study participants must be protected from physical and mental harm. This includes possible negative long term consequences of participating in a research study.

Question 3

Anonymity and confidentiality

Answer 3

These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to slightly different things.

Participation in a research study is confidential if there is someone (for example, the researcher) who can connect the results of the study to the identity of a particular participant, but terms of the agreement prevent this person from sharing the data with anyone.

So, the participant provides personal data, but the data stays confidential under the research agreement.

Participation in a study is anonymous if no one can trace the results back to a participant’s identity because no personal details have been provided.

An example of anonymity would be filling out an online survey without providing your name.

Question 4

Withdrawal from participation

Answer 4

It must be made explicitly clear to participants that, since their participation is voluntary, they are free to withdraw from the study at any time they want.

Researchers must not prevent participants from withdrawing or try to convoke them to stay.

Question 5

Deception

Answer 5

In many cases the true aims of the study cannot be revealed to the participants because it would change their behaviour (for example, due to social desirability).

So a degree of deception needs to be used. In some research methods deception is part of the process(for example, covert observation).

Researchers must be careful and if deception is used, it must be kept to the necessary minimum.

Question 6

Debriefing

Answer 6

After the study participants must be fully informed about its nature, its true aims, how the data will be used and stored.

They must be given an opportunity to review their results and withdraw the data if they want to.

If deception was used, it must be revealed. Care must be taken to protect participants from any possible harm including long term effects such as recurring uncomfortable thoughts.

In some cases psychological help must be offered to monitor the psychological state of the participant for some time after the study (for example, in sleep deprivation studies).