Ethics Flashcards
What are ethics?
Concerned with that which is deemed acceptable in human behaviour, with what is good or bad, right or wrong with human conduct in pursuit of goals or aims
What are ethical issues?
When do the occur?
Ethical issues occur when there is conflict between what the researcher needs to do to conduct useful and meaningful research and the rights of participants.
For example – why might I as a researcher decide to not reveal the true purpose of my research to my participants?
But is it acceptable for me to keep participants in the dark about this?
What are 5 ethical issues?
Informed consent Deception Protection from harm Privacy Confidentiality
What is informed consent?
Ensuring that prospective participants in studies know what they are getting into before they get into it. It involves making participants aware of the aims of the research, the procedures, their rights (including the right to withdraw partway through the study should they wish to) and what their data will be used for.
What is informed consent from the researchers point of view?
From the researcher’s point of view, asking for this may make the study meaningless as participant’s behaviour will not be ‘natural’ as they know the aims of the study. For example, I may wish to investigate whether people obey a male teacher more than a female teacher. If the participants are told the aim of this study then it might change the way they behave.
What is informed consent from the participants point of view?
From a participant’s point of view, they should be able to make an informed judgement about whether or not to take part without being coerced or feeling obliged.
What is deception?
This involves deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the investigation.
What is deception from the researchers pov?
From the researcher’s point of view, there will be times that deliberately misleading or withholding information about the study from the participants is necessary. For example, in the field experiment that looked at helping behaviour in the subway, it was a necessary part of the research to have confederates ‘lie’ about collapsing.
What is deception from the participants pov?
From a participant’s point of view, lying is wrong! Not only does it prevent participants from giving full valid consent, it can also lead participants to see psychologists as untrustworthy, which might mean that a participant is less likely to take part in psychological research in the future.
What is protection from harm?
Participants should be protected psychologically (e.g. stress, humiliation or anxiety) and physically (pain). They must not be placed at more risk than they would be in everyday life.
What is protection from harm researchers pov?
From the researcher’s point of view, studying some of the more important questions in psychology may involve a degree of risk of harm (psychological or physical) to participants. It can be hard to predict what this harm might include, so it is difficult to guarantee protection from any risk of harm.
What is protection from harm from a participant’s point of view?
From a participant’s point of view, nothing should happen to them during a study that causes them harm and they should leave the study in the same state as they were beforehand.
What is privacy?
This refers to the right participants have to control information about themselves. It extends to the area where the study took place.
What is privacy from a researchers pov?
From the researcher’s point of view, it may be difficult to avoid invading this when studying participants without their awareness, e.g. in a field experiment, or when asking about personal thoughts and opinions.
What is privacy from the participants pov?
From a participant’s point of view, they do not expect to be observed by others in certain situations, e.g. in their own home, nor do they expect to be forced into revealing information about themselves that they do not wish to share.
