LECTURE 7

Question 1

What is the origin of the word “ethics”?

Answer 1

The Greek word ethos, meaning custom, habit, character, or dispositions.`

Question 1

What does ethics investigate?

Answer 1

Normative questions about what people ought to do, focusing on moral decisions, rights, and responsibilities.

Question 2

What are the two main paradigms in ethics?

Answer 2

Consequentialism and Deontology.

Question 3

What is Heinz’s dilemma?

Answer 3

A thought experiment where Heinz considers stealing an expensive drug to save his dying wife.

Question 4

What does selecting “Yes” in Heinz’s dilemma indicate about ethical stance?

Answer 4

Likely to be more consequentialist.

Question 5

What does selecting “No” in Heinz’s dilemma indicate about ethical stance?

Answer 5

Likely to be more deontologist.

Question 6

How do consequentialists judge actions?

Answer 6

Based on their consequences, considering the action with the best overall outcomes as morally right.

Question 7

What is Kant’s test for morally permissible actions?

Answer 7

A maxim is permissible only if it could be willed as a universal law.

Question 8

How would deontologists view stealing in Heinz’s dilemma?

Answer 8

Morally wrong, as stealing cannot be justified as a universal law.

Question 9

What are the strengths of consequentialism?

Answer 9

Practical, flexible, and clear by focusing on consequences.

Question 10

What are the weaknesses of consequentialism?

Answer 10

Consequences are often unpredictable, no act is inherently wrong, and intentions are not judged.

Question 11

What are the strengths of deontology?

Answer 11

Provides clarity through rules, and good intentions are considered important.

Question 12

What are the weaknesses of deontology?

Answer 12

Lack of flexibility, no definitive list of good/bad acts, and unclear justification for moral rules.

Question 13

What are the main ethical guidelines for research?

Answer 13

Nuremberg Code (1947), Declaration of Helsinki (1964), BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct (2021), and Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR implementation).

Question 14

What principles were included in the Nuremberg Code?

Answer 14

Informed consent, voluntary participation, beneficence, non-maleficence, and the right to withdraw.

Question 15

What is informed consent in research?

Answer 15

Participants must be informed about the purpose, duration, procedures, risks, discomforts, and benefits to make an informed decision.

Question 16

What are exceptions to informed consent?

Answer 16

Observational studies in public places and use of publicly available information.

Question 17

What is voluntary participation?

Answer 17

Prospective participants must decide freely to participate without pressure or coercion.

Question 18

What is the right to withdraw?

Answer 18

Participants can leave the study and withdraw their data at any time without negative consequences.

Question 19

What is beneficence and non-maleficence?

Answer 19

Researchers must maximize potential benefits, minimize risks, and protect participants from harm.

Question 20

What is deception in research?

Answer 20

Intentionally misleading participants about key aspects of the study, which is allowed only if justified, harmless, and disclosed as early as possible.

Question 21

What is confidentiality in research?

Answer 21

Participants’ data must be treated as confidential, and anonymity must be maintained unless explicitly informed otherwise.

Question 22

What is pseudonymous data?

Answer 22

Data that does not contain direct identifiers (e.g., name) but may still allow identification.

Question 23

What was the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?

Answer 23

A study (1932-1972) where treatment was withheld from African American men with syphilis despite penicillin being available, resulting in harm to participants and their families.

Question 24

What was Milgram’s experiment about?

Answer 24

Assessing obedience to authority by instructing participants to deliver (fake) electric shocks to a confederate.

Question 25

What were the ethical concerns in Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 25

Deception, lack of informed consent, participant harm, and issues with withdrawal rights.

Question 26

What was the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Answer 26

A study on the effects of role-playing as guards and prisoners, halted after six days due to physical and psychological abuse.

Question 27

What were the ethical concerns in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Answer 27

Informed consent, lack of withdrawal rights, participant harm, and no debriefing.

Question 28

What was the goal of the Little Albert experiment?

Answer 28

To investigate classical conditioning in children by pairing a rat with a loud sound to create a fear response.

Question 29

What were the ethical issues in the Little Albert experiment?

Answer 29

Lack of informed consent, participant harm, and inability to withdraw.

Question 30

What did the Bobo Doll experiments study?

Answer 30

Social learning in toddlers by observing behavior after watching an adult act aggressively toward a Bobo doll.

Question 31

What are common risks in psychology research?

Answer 31

Lack of informed consent, incidental diagnoses, emotional distress, and data privacy concerns.

Question 32

How are risks mitigated in developmental psychology?

Answer 32

Obtaining parental consent and monitoring signs of distress during the study.

Question 33

How are risks mitigated in clinical psychology research?

Answer 33

Mentioning incidental findings in informed consent and having a-priori action plans.

Question 34

What is the Cyberball game used for in research?

Answer 34

A paradigm to study social exclusion and ostracism by simulating virtual ball-tossing, where participants are later excluded.

Question 35

What are ethical risks in Cyberball studies?

Answer 35

Deception, difficulty in debriefing, informed consent issues, and harm to participants with past experiences of bullying or discrimination.

Question 36

What are arguments for animal research?

Answer 36

Helps find new drugs, improves human health, ensures drug safety, and uses animals with genetic similarity to humans.

Question 37

What are arguments against animal research?

Answer 37

Cruel, expensive, animals and humans differ, and drugs tested on animals are not always safe for humans.

Question 38

What are the ethical guidelines for animal research?

Answer 38

Housing, feeding, cleanliness, healthcare, no unnecessary pain, and mandatory ethical approval.