Ethics Flashcards
How does ethics impact psychological research?
- Limits research
- Research can’t be carried out without ethical issues
- Ethical issues must be explained before hand
- Research must be agreed by some sort of ethical committee
How can issues regarding animal ethics be reduced?
- Reduction in the number of animals used
- Refinement so the procedure is less invasive or living conditions are better
- Replacement by using computer models or human volunteers
What must be done to see if the use of animals in research is justifiable?
Bateson’s cube = cost/benefit analysis is conducted to determine the certainty of medical benefit and quality of research to see if it outweighs suffering to the animal
What are the strengths of the animal ethical guidelines?
- Society more accepting of research
- Moral standards maintained
- Guidelines enable vulnerable participants to be protexted
What are the weaknesses of the animal ethical guidelines?
- They restrict research = findings limited
- Must use smallest number of animals possible which limits reliability of findings
How was Milgram’s experiment unethical?
- Psychological harm caused to participants as actually thought they were giving shocks
- Participants decieved as thought they were looking at punishment on learning
- 45V shock quite high - physical harm?
- Participants were unable to give informed consent
- 3 participants suffered from seizures
What are the benefits of Milgram’s experiments being unethical?
- It highlighted to bodies such as the APA and BPS that ethical guidelines needed to be more rigorous
- No direct replication of these studies has occurred demonstrating how those such as Burger are conscious of ethics
What ethical issues arise when studying obedience?
- Virtually impossible not remove the right to withdraw
- Hard to not decieve participants as if they know they don’t really have to obey then it would affect findings
What ethical issues arise when studying prejudice?
- Creates potential for psychological harm as groups are pitted against one another
- e.g Sherif’s study required boys to directly compete against one another
- Deception - Sherif’s boys unaware they took part
What suggests the ethical issues in social psychology are worth the research gains?
- Can help society prevent blind destructive obedience
- Can be used in court proceedings as it is beyond the indivdual’s control
- Society has a greater understanding of prejudice
- Superordinate goals reduce prejudice in school - Jigsaw
What ethical issues arise in cognitive psychology experiments?
- A degree of deception to avoid demand characteristics
- Field experiments with ‘people on the street’ may have issues around consent as they may feel they have to take part
What ethical issues arise in cognitive psychology case studies of brain damaged patients?
- Pseudonyms to hide identity
- Violating privacy rights
- Overtesting
- Intensive and rigorous experimentation after they have already suffered a traumatic experience
What evidence suggests that brain damaged patients don’t mind being part of research?
HM was reported to have enjoyed being tested and saw the work as important in helping others. Although, it is possible he had no recollection of prior testing.
What is an example of an animal experiment in biological psychology that is relatively invasive and may not have been possible to conduct on humans?
Olds and Milner attached electrodes to different areas of the brain of rats which they could stimulate with a lever. Found rats stimulated reward system.
What is an example of an animal experiment in biological psychology where an optic nerve was cut that they wouldn’t have been able to cut on humans?
Downer (1961) studied monkeys, they removed the amygdala and cut the optic nerve. Found that monkets with no amygdala were calmer and placid