L9 - British Psychological Society (BPS) Code Of Ethics And Ethical Issues

Question 1

High quality research

Answer 1

• involves good ethical practice and ethical issues must be fully considered before research is conducted
• In addition to formal ethical guidelines, most research institutions (such as universities) have ethical committees that consider the ethics of research studies before they commence.
  The British Psychological Society (BPS) publishes a code of ethics, which includes several rules that all investigators should follow when conducting their research

Question 2

Ethical guidelines

Answer 2

• introduction
• general
• fully informed consent
• deception
• debriefing
• right to withdraw
• confidentiality
• protection of participants from psychological harm
• observational research
• giving advice

Question 3

Introduction

Answer 3

Ethical guidelines are necessary to ensure psychological research is acceptable

Question 4

General

Answer 4

• The research must be considered from the viewpoint of all participants
• All potential threats to their well-being must be removed

Question 5

Fully informed consent

Answer 5

• Participants’ agreement to take part in research should be based on their full knowledge of the nature and purpose of the research
• A full briefing is required to ensure they are fully aware of all tasks they are required to do, and their rights as participants (right to withdraw and confidentiality)
• If they are under the age of 16, then adult consent must be gained

Question 6

Deception

Answer 6

• Deception should be avoided
• Information should not be deliberately withheld, and participants should not be misled without strong scientific or medical justification
• Participants should be fully informed at the earliest possible stage and should be consulted in advance as to how deception would be received by them

Question 7

Debriefing

Answer 7

• At the end of the study the researcher should provide detailed information about the research and answer any questions the participants might have
• The participants should be monitored for any negative effects and active intervention should be given if necessary

Question 8

Right to withdraw

Answer 8

• Participants’ right to withdraw from the study must be clearly communicated at the start of the research
• The participants have the right to withdraw their consent later in the study, and all their data must be destroyed

Question 9

Confidentiality

Answer 9

• In accordance with the Data Protection Act, information disclosed during the research process is confidential, and if the research is published the anonymity of the participants should be protected
• If this is likely to be compromised then participants’ consent should be asked in advance

Question 10

Protection of participants from psychological harm

Answer 10

• Participants should be protected from psychological harm such as distress, ridicule or loss of self-esteem
• The risk of harm during research should be no greater than that experienced in everyday life
• If there is the potential for harm then independent approval must be sought, and participants must be advised before consent is gained

Question 11

Observational research

Answer 11

• Observational studies must respect the privacy and psychological well-being of the individuals studied
• Unless consent has been given, observational research is acceptable in public situations only when one would expect to be observed by strangers

Question 12

Giving advice

Answer 12

• Research might reveal physical or psychological problems of which the participant is unaware
• It is the researcher’s responsibility to inform the participant if it is felt that to not do so would endanger the participants future well-being

Question 13

Ethics committee

Answer 13

• made of people from university and research departments
• made up of psychologists, staff, members of public and people from other disciplines & subject areas
• they approve research proposals in terms of examining whether there are any ethical issues and whether they have been properly resolved

Question 14

Informed consent

Answer 14

• whenever possible investigators should inform participants of objectives of investigations and gain their informed consent to take part
• Parental consent should be obtained in the case of children under 16 years of age. Additionally, consent should be obtained from children old enough to understand a research study.
• Informed consent might not be able to be gained in some situations, for instance people who have mental disorders might not be able to give consent; young children below the age of 16 (or very young children might not be able to give their consent, as well as participants who have severe learning difficulties/disabilities
• In these situations you would ask family or immediate kin to give consent on behalf of the individual.
• In some cases it is not possible to gain informed consent as it would cause participants to alter their behaviour.

Question 15

3 ways to deal with lack of informed consent

Answer 15

• Presumptive consent
• Prior general consent
• Retrospective consent

Question 16

Informed consent definition

Answer 16

• It is the right of the participants to provide voluntary informed consent
• They should be informed about what will be required of them, the purpose of the research, their rights e.g. right to withdraw
• Participants should understand what they are agreeing to take part in

Question 17

Presumptive consent

Answer 17

• This is consent gained from people of a similar background to participants in a study e.g. ask a similar group of students whether they would take part in a memory experiment
• If they agree and are willing to participate in the study (despite the deception) then it is assumed that the actual participants will also be willing to take part in the study (we presume that they would give their consent)

Question 18

Prior general consent

Answer 18

• This involves participants agreeing to be deceived without knowing how or when this will occur
• You can ask a group of participants for example, “Would you be willing to take part in a future study based on memory, whereby the true aim of the study might be withheld?”
• If the participants agree, then you can conduct the study knowing that you have gained their informed consent prior (or before) the actual study
• However, if participants know they will be deceived at some point in the future it can affect their behaviour

Question 19

Retrospective consent

Answer 19

• This involves asking participants for consent after they have already participated in the study
• However, they may not consent and yet they have already taken part
• This would often result in their data being destroyed

Question 20

Protection from harm

Answer 20

• Investigators have a responsibility to protect participants from physical and psychological harm during the study
• Risk of harm should be no greater than in ordinary life
• Psychologists must stop any study immediately if they suspect a participant may be harmed
• Participants should leave the research in the same condition they entered it

Question 21

Right to withdraw

Answer 21

• at the start of research all participants must be made aware that they can leave the study at any time regardless of whether payment or incentives has been offered
• This is difficult to implement during covert observations
• Participants should also be aware that they can withdraw their data any point in
  the future
• If participants appear distressed during a study they should be reminded of their right to withdraw
• participants must be free to leave the study without having to offer any explanations

Question 22

Confidentiality

Answer 22

• Participants data is confidential and should not be disclosed to anyone unless it has been approved in advance
• Numbers or letters should be used instead of names if the research is published to help
  protect participant’s identity
• Confidentiality means that the data can be traced back to a name (but it should not be shared with others) whereas anonymity means that data cannot be traced back to a name as the participants have not provided their name

Question 23

Deception

Answer 23

• the withholding of information or misleading participants in a research study is
  unacceptable, especially if participants are likely to object or show unease once they know they have been deceived
• Intentional deception of the participants over the purpose and general nature of investigations should be avoided whenever possible
• Participants should not be deliberately misled without scientific or medical justification
• Sometimes deception is unavoidable as it participants knew the true nature of the research they would change their behaviour (demand characteristics).
• An ethics committee must approve all research before it begins.
• They conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if the research should be carried out.
• This is when the potential harm of doing research is weighed against the potential gains.

Question 24

Overcoming the ethical issue of deception by debriefing

Answer 24

• if deception is used then the real purpose of the experiment, and what occurred in the other
  conditions needs to be explained to participants after the study
• Participants also need to be told why deception was necessary
• A conversation between the researcher and the participant takes place after the research
• During a debriefing session, participants should also be reminded of their right to withdraw and right to confidentiality, as well as the need to show respect to other participants (e.g. maintain their confidentiality)
• Debriefing does not provide justification for unethical aspects of research
• The debriefing also allows the participant to ask questions about the research