Ethics in Psychological Research

Question 1

What incidents where the start of formalising ethics in Psychology? And what was the result of this?

Answer 1

• The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• This led to the Belmont report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research (1979)

Question 2

What are the three fundamental principles of ethics in research?

Answer 2

1. Beneficence: Maximise benefits and minimise risks.
2. Autonomy: People are treated as capable of making decisions about whether or not to participate in research. Adults give informed consent. Children give assent (verbal assent & and below, written assent 7 and above). Confidentiality is also important here
3. Justice: Fairness. (fairness about carrying the risks/burdens of the research; fairness about
   receiving the benefits). People should receive what is due to them. Participants should be
   treated with fairness at all stages of the research (includes fair selection and providing
   care/support  distress/harmed participants).

Question 3

How is deception used ethically in studies?

Answer 3

Deception may only be used when the study is not harmful, there are no other alternatives, and the
research is important. Participants must be debriefed afterwards.

Question 4

What are the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Ethics Codes?

Answer 4

• The American Psychological Association Ethics Code
• The Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association

Question 5

What three factors are involved in Informed Consent?

Answer 5

1. Knowledge (Understanding the nature of the experiment, the alternatives available, and the potential risks and benefits)
2. Volition (Participants must provide their consent free from constraint or duress, and may revoke their consent at any time)- Watch out for incentives
3. Competence (The individual’s ability to make a well-reasoned decision and to give consent meaningfully)

Question 6

What is another key consideration in giving informed consent?

Answer 6

Language.

Question 7

What ten things should be on a consent form?

Answer 7

1. Overview
2. Description of procedures
3. Risks and inconveniences
4. Benefits
5. Costs and economic considerations
6. Confidentiality
7. Alternative treatments
8. Voluntary participation
9. Questions and further information
10. Signature lines

Question 8

What are some other ethical issues in research?

Answer 8

1. Fraud (Do not make up data)
2. Allocation of credit (Do not plagiarise)
3. Sharing of materials and data (make sure data is understandable, and that participants are kept anonymous and the parts that are meant to be confidential remain so.)