Ethics and Animal Ethics Flashcards
Four Ethical Principles
- ) Respect
- ) Responsibility
- ) Integrity
- ) Competence
Codes of Conduct
- ) BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct
2. ) Code of Human Research Ethics
Ethical Principle: Respect
The researcher must be willing to explain the ethics of a study whilst carrying out research that maintains the dignity of others.
=Right to Withdraw/Avoiding Deception
Ethical Principle: Responsibility
A researcher should maintain professional boundaries and take care of others doing them no harm. They must also access harm in the debrief and take steps to put issues right.
=Privacy/Protecting People from Harm
Ethical Principle: Integrity
The honesty and accuracy of the researcher in dealing with others whereby professional boundaries much be maintained.
=Consent/Debrief
Ethical Principle: Competence
A researcher must not claim to be competent in studying something when they aren’t. All research should be carried out to the best of the researcher’s ability within the field of their study based on up-to-date information.
=Confidentaility/Minimising Harm/Safeguarding
Eight Ethical Guideline
- ) Informed Consent
- ) Right to Withdraw
- ) Debrief
- ) Protection from Harm
- ) Deception
- 6.) Confidentiality
- 7.) Privacy
Why do we Need Ethical Guidelines
- To avoid psychological harm to ppts as humans have feelings and can experience pain. Needs to be considered.
- Protect the rights of participants (Children/Institutionalized) and when in dot consult
- Pressured ppts may not produce valid data so putting them at ease and requiring confidentiality means they are fully co-operating
- If consent is given, psychologists protect themselves
- Competence means psychologists can be trusted, ppts can, therefore, be more trusting and more studies can be done
Ethical Guidelines Restricting
- Socially sensitive topics are often worthwhile researching due to their importance however ethical guidelines can restrict and sometimes prevent
- Following guidelines loses value and application of research as DCs can have an impact
Justification for Breaking Guidelines
- When the cost to the ppt is lower than the benefit to society after doing a cost-benefit analysis
- The cost of the ppt is characterised as greater especially when they experience long-term harm or death
Advantages of Following Ethical Guidelines
+Informed consent protects the researcher from consequences and complaints
+If ppts are pressured the valid data will not be gathered
+Competence increases the trust ppts place in researchers, allowing them to experiment more freely and with bigger samples
Disadvantages of Following Ethical Guidelines
- ) Demand Characteristics: Won’t be valid as they will be aware through gaining informed consent.
- ) The benefit to Society: Huge benefit but the cost is too great to ppts so won’t be signed off. Mannucci: Found that this (Deception) was only a small issue when asking people about ethics in psychology. Double obligation Dilemma: greater benefit more harm caused
- )Following guidelines results in invalid and useless data
- ) Risks of Research: Risk of No greater than what is experienced in real life. Risk assessment before about during and after risks. Normalising unhelpful behaviours
Issues with Informed Consent
- ) No deception means biased results as DCs more likely
- ) Limiting Research areas (Obedience and Prejudice)
- )Vulnerable groups may feel obligated or those unable to provide may be forced through presumptive consent (Prisoners as part of their sentence/Family of mental health patients)
Solutions to the Issues of Informed Consent
- )Presumptive Consent as an alternative n which others give consent on behalf of ppts
- ) Prior to general consent as an alternative which is telling that they be misinformed but not when
- ) Debriefing ppts at the end if they have not yet consented allowing them to withdraw if they want
Issues with Debrief
- )Reduce data if ppts withdraw
- )Can’t always carry out debrief (Watson and Raynor)
- )Not through enough
Solutions to Debrief Issues
- )Don’t conduct if they will cause more harm
- )Debriefs can be through (Milgram: Provided follow up health checks)
- ) Gathering ppts personal data means they be contacted at a later date
Issues with Protection from Harm
- ) Limit research opportunities into topics that may contribute to society
- ) Stops study of socially sensitive topics that may benefit more than not doing it
Solutions to Protection from Harm Issues
- ) Informed Consent
- ) Debriefs with follow up health checks
- ) Pilot study to access the cost to ppts and where they may be short or long term