Ethics

Question 1

What are APA ETHICS?

Answer 1

The ethical principles covering psychologists’ competence and ideas of assessment and therapy, advocating RCR

Question 2

What is RCR?

Answer 2

Responsible Conduct Research

Question 3

What are UNESCO Ethics?

Answer 3

Ethical principles for social scientists including care, responsibility and confidentiality

Question 4

What are Health care Worker’s ethics?

Answer 4

They have their own set of guidelines.

From July 2009, they’re governed by the HCPC.

Question 5

What is the code of Ethics and Conduct?

Answer 5

British Psychological Society (2009) made these covering research and conduct.
You have to follow these principles.

Question 6

What are the BPS’ four main principles?

Answer 6

Respect, Competence, Integrity and Responsibility

Question 7

Define the Ethical Principle of Respect (5)

Answer 7

Willingness to explain any study’s ethics
Respecting individual differences (avoiding unfair practises and prejudice and respecting opinions)
Includes privacy & confidentiality (data only allowed to be shared but not naming any ppts)
Getting Informed Consent or Presumptive if this isn’t possible
Giving the right to withdraw and understood by ppts

Question 8

Define the Ethical Principle of Competence (3)

Answer 8

Being aware of ethical issues around subjects
Watching out for impairments in performance
Keeping up-to-date with knowledge relevant to your field

Question 9

Define the Ethical Principle of Integrity (3)

Answer 9

Honesty and Accuracy in dealings with others
Clear Personal Boundaries between clients and psychologist
Looking for misconduct and acting on it (deception on researcher’s behalf may be necessary)

Question 10

Define the Ethical Principle of Responsibility (8)

Answer 10

Doing no harm
Avoiding the distress of participants
Responsible for the actions of other practitioners (ie. bad practises)
Aware of ppt's health throughout study
No Compensation
Right to Withdraw
With Animals, good treatment
Debriefs after completion of study

Question 11

Why should you try to get informed consent?

Answer 11

It gives people a choice and is useful when evaluating a study.

Question 12

How do you get informed consent?

Answer 12

Observations in public places don’t need consent unless involving individuals
Parents can give consent on behalf of children as they aren’t fully developed enough to make this decision themselves
Not as difficult in questionnaires and interviews as a participant

Question 13

Why couldn’t Milgram have got informed consent?

Answer 13

May have affected results - gained presumptive consent instead
May have guessed the study

Question 14

How could you have made it more ethical?

Answer 14

Debrief after the study was completed

Question 15

What is presumptive consent?

Answer 15

Giving a part choice and asking other psychologists their opinion on the possible consequences

Question 16

When shouldn’t a study be carried out?

Answer 16

If the participant will leave in a different state than they arrived.

Question 17

Why should you avoid deception?

Answer 17

Sometimes it’s unavoidable, especially if it may alter the results of a study but it makes it more ethical

Question 18

In what cases, is deception likely? (5)

Answer 18

When informed consent isn’t given
When not told ppts when results are expected/ how they’re used/ roles of other ppts
When you disguise the real question - often done in surveys

Question 19

Why should you give the right to withdraw and in which cases?

Answer 19

At any point in the study but it may affect results dependant on what you’re studying
Children and the vulnerable have to be reminded of this right - may not feel as if they can leave

Question 20

What should debriefing participants include?

Answer 20

Be at the start, asking for informed consent:
Include study and an explanation as well as expectant results
Unnecessary if not looking at individuals

Question 21

What are the qualities of a competent practitioner? (7)

Answer 21

Understanding study, implications, ethical guidelines, advice in unconfident areas of work, suitably qualified, adherence to Data Protection Act, knowledge of where/ how to study data

Question 22

Why is it hard to assess competence?

Answer 22

When you don’t have any results, it’s hard to assess competence.

Question 23

What is risk management in a study?

Answer 23

The decision to carry out a study, based on intangible risk (unknown consequences)

Question 24

How is risk management carried out?

Answer 24

Take the highest threat and subtract it from the lowest threat to figure out the probability of the risk happening within the study

Question 25

What is the process of risk management? (4)

Answer 25

Identify the situation and the risk
Follow the risk throughout the study’s procedure (how it may occur, how to manage if it did occur, and analyse the risk)
Seek further knowledge
Final assessment

Question 26

What are the possible solutions for managing risks? (3)

Answer 26

Complete avoidance
Reduction as far as possible
Acceptance and budgeting for it

Question 27

What are the ideal solutions for managing risks in psychology?

Answer 27

Mitigation or avoidance or if not possible, budgeting

Question 28

How do the BPS deal with risk with practising psychologists and their participants?

Answer 28

Obtain a supervisor to oversee any therapy necessary and referral if needed.

Question 29

What is a special case in risk between participants and psychologist?

Answer 29

Forensic scientists, as they deal with offender behaviour and balance a thin line towards risk to the public if individual behaviour becomes threatening.

Question 30

Why does child participation require special consideration?

Answer 30

In order to safeguard the child, therefore it must also be explained to the child that confidentiality only goes up to a certain extent.

Question 31

What are a child’s rights within psychological practises? (3)

Answer 31

The right to participate in a study
Right to discussion about themselves
Right to be protected

Question 32

What does the Latrine Code of Human Research state about risks within a study?

Answer 32

Risk of harm to a participant must be no greater than the risk they are exposed to in their normal, everyday life

Question 33

What are risks defined in the Latrine Code of Human Research?

Answer 33

Potential harm (physical or emotional) whilst a study is performed including discomfort or stress, beliefs, values, social status, privacy and relationships

Question 34

What may have more than the minimal amount of risk? (8)

Answer 34

Vulnerable Participants (Children under 18 as well as some adults lacking capacity or in an unequal relationship)
Sensitive topics (ie. sexuality, violent experiences, gender or ethnicity)
Deception (significant amount)
Records (when they’re accessed in order to gain information about genetic or private information)
Harm (More than the minimal amount of pain, causing harm or distress)
Experiences (hypnosis, or invasive techniques, physical education)
Labelling (anything that leads to the participants labelling themselves ie. bad memory)
Samples (collection of biological data ie. blood or saliva)

Question 35

Why does a psychologist have to go to a committee board?

Answer 35

In order to explain the protocols for risk management and its cost-benefit analysis

Question 36

What do the ethics regarding animals depend on? (6)

Answer 36

Number of animals within the study
Caging
Use of anaesthetics
Use of endangered species
Requirement of a Home Office Licence
Special Rules as they don't follow human ethical guidelines

Question 37

What are the ways of looking at ethical issues? (3)

Answer 37

As a practising psychologist : re-balancing all power in favour of the client
In favour of the ethics of ‘doing’ psychology ie. protecting and respecting other psychologists
Ethics of Results Usage or Application: good or bad as this can link into debates and issues of social control which can be related to sensitive social research

Question 38

What are the ethical issues within Social Psychology? (3)

Answer 38

Implications of findings in prejudice/obedience including psychology in society
Ethics of doing research: participants in Milgram’s 1963 study
BPS code of Ethics and Conduct (2009) and the four main ethical principles

Question 39

What are the ethical issues within Cognitive Psychology? (4)

Answer 39

Field experiments: ethical issues concerning public space usage
Lab Experiments: Participants are within a strange, artificial setting and may experience stress etc.
Case Studies of brain damage: confidentiality, privacy and stress of the participant
Consequences of findings: memory knowledge helps dementia patients

Question 40

What are the ethical issues within Biological Psychology? (4)

Answer 40

Special animal procedures ie. Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986
Aggression studies and findings involve moral issues (blame and punishment)
Raine et al (1977): non-murders and murderers brain scans
Ethical Treatment of Participants

Question 41

What are the ethical issues of Learning Psychology? (4)

Answer 41

Animals in lab experiments
Watson and Rayner’s 1920 Little Albert Study
Research ie. classical conditioning involving phobias etc.
Operant conditioning studies such as learned behaviour that can change someone or an animal