Ethics

Question 1

What is not ethical:

Answer 1

• Manipulation
• Product placement and subliminal ads
• Libertarian Parternalism
o “A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.
• Influencing System 1 & System 2
o “an effort to influence people’s choices counts as manipulative to the extent that it does not sufficiently engage or appeal to their capacity for reflection and deliberation.”

Question 2

What are the five cases?

Answer 2

	(1) Relative risk vs. absolute risk
	(2) Loss and gain framing
	(3) Social norm messaging
	(4) Default rules 
	(5) Appeal to emotions (affect heuristic)

Question 3

What do we need to consider in ethics?

Answer 3

• Transparency
• Welfarist approach
• Manipulation with consent

Question 4

What is transparency?

Answer 4

o Transparency is an essential aspect for the manipulative character for the behavioural intervention, particularly with regards to nudging:
o There are at least four transparency aspect to a nudge:
 The nudge itself
 The underlying psychological process (automated behaviour)
 The target behaviour
 The source of the nudge (who implemented it)

Question 5

What is the Welfarist approach?

Answer 5

o From purely welfarist approach there are no objections towards manipulation as long as it promotes individual welfare.
o The end justifies the means
o Classical libertarian argue that choosers always know better what is best for them
o Manipulation cannot be welfare enhancing as manipulators simply lack the knowledge to be better choosers than individuals themselves.
o „I think your favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla“

Question 6

What is Manipulation with consent?

Answer 6

o Accepting that people not always act in their own self interest, people might deliberatly consent to being manipulated/ or manipulate their future selves.
o Ulysses restricted his own ability to make choices to resist the syrens.
o „Don‘t offer me a cigarette, I try to stop smoking“
o „I don‘t want to hear what you have done last night! This would only upset me“

Question 7

What is Ethics in research?

Answer 7

Research on human individuals ALWAYS requires ethical considerations, particularly if:
• Research potentially affects meaningful outcomes (e.g. health)
• Researchers play an active role in the study (e.g. conducting an experiment)
Ethical considerations affect not only the potential outcomes, but also the methods

Question 8

Explain Selection of participants?

Answer 8

• Early medical trial are risky and therefore avoid including vulnerable groups
• Such groups might react differently to the treatment

Question 9

GDPR?

Answer 9

• Personal data is any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person.