Ethics

Question 1

What are ethics?

Answer 1

• A branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of
  behaviour expected by a group or profession
• Guiding principles promoting fairness and expectations,
  which help us to decide what is good or evil.
• Standards which govern the life of a person.
• Ethics are generally uniform.

Question 2

Three basic principles of ethics of research?

Answer 2

• the principles of respect of persons,
• beneficence and
• justice.

Question 3

What are morals?

Answer 3

Morals
* Morals include the social, cultural and religious beliefs or
values of an individual or group which tells us what is
right or wrong.
* They are the rules and standards made by the society or
culture which is to be followed by us while deciding what
is right.
* Can differ from culture to culture.

Question 4

Who makes the ethical guidelines in Australia?

Answer 4

Australian Psychological Society (APS)

Question 5

APS code of ethics

Answer 5

A. Respect for the rights and dignity
of people and peoples
B. Propriety
C. Integrity

Question 6

Examples of higher risk research harms

Answer 6

• Physical harms: including injury, illness, pain
• Psychological harms: including feelings of worthlessness,
  distress, guilt, anger, or fear related, for example, to disclosure of
  sensitive or embarrassing information
• Devaluation of personal worth: including being humiliated,
  manipulated or in other ways treated disrespectfully or unjustly
• Social harms: including damage to social networks or
  relationships with others

Question 7

Ethic application pathways at UQ?

Answer 7

Low or negligible risk (LNR)
Higher risk

Question 8

Discomfort v Harm v Inconvenience

Answer 8

APS Code:
“Less serious than harm is discomfort, which can involve body
and/or mind. Discomforts include, for example, minor side-effects
of medication, the discomforts related to measuring blood pressure,
and anxiety induced by an interview.”
“Where a person’s reactions exceed discomfort and become
distress, they should be viewed as harms.”
“Less serious again is inconvenience. Examples of inconvenience
may include filling in a form, participating in a street survey, or
giving up time to participate in research.”

Question 9

Informed consent

Answer 9

• Voluntary choice
• Based on sufficient information
• Adequate understanding of both the
  proposed research and implications of
  participation in it
• Written, verbal or other means
• Consent and Assent (continuous and ongoing
  agreement) and withdrawal

Question 10

“When obtaining informed consent…psychologists inform participants about:

Answer 10

1. The purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures;
2. Their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once participation has
   begun;
3. The foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing;
4. Reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to
   participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects;
5. Any prospective research benefits;
6. Limits of confidentiality;
7. Incentives for participation;
8. Whom to contact for questions……”

Question 11

Limited disclosure

Answer 11

‘Limited disclosure’ to participants of the
aims and/or methods of research may
sometimes be justifiable. This is because
in some human research (for example, in
the study of behaviour), the aims of the
research cannot be achieved if those
aims and/or the research method are
fully disclosed to participants.

Question 12

If your experiment provokes significant levels of emotional arousal…

Answer 12

It is on the researcher to ensure that no psychological vulnerable person participates

Question 13

Can you cause severe distress?

Answer 13

No

Question 14

If you need to be deceptive…

Answer 14

The participants cannot suffer distress

Question 15

When should you make people aware of the nature and purpose of the study?

Answer 15

At the earliest appropriate stage

Question 16

Managing deception

Answer 16

• Ethics guidelines permit use of deception in exceptional circumstances, justified in cost-benefit (utilitarian) terms, and with appropriate debriefing.
• using deceptive techniques are justified by the study’s significant value (e.g. knowledge); and
• effective nondeceptive alternatives procedures are not feasible

Question 17

Managing Deception cont.

Answer 17

• There is no likely reason to assume that participants would not have consented if they would have known before the start of the study what the study involved
• Does not increase the risk of harms
• Participants will be debriefed
• Participants retain the right to discontinue at any time
• Debriefing must fully inform participants and ask for their permission to retain data

Question 18

How does humans beings being creatures of habit effect our decision making?

Answer 18

We can continue to make choices we have done so in the past, even though the situation may have changed.

Question 19

Three General Principles of Ethics

Answer 19

General Principle A: Respect for the rights and dignity of people and
peoples
General Principle B: Propriety
General Principle C: Integrity