Lesson 9 British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Ethics and ethical issues

Question 1

The BPS code of ethics

Answer 1

Introduction, General, Fully informed consent, Deception, Debriefing, Right to Withdraw, Confidentiality, Protection of Participants from Psychological harm, observational research and giving advice

Question 2

Introduction

Answer 2

Ethical guidelines are necessary to ensure psychological research is acceptable.

Question 3

General

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Fully Informed Consent

Answer 4

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 5

Deception

Answer 5

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 6

Debriefing

Answer 6

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 7

Right to Withdraw

Answer 7

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 8

Confidentiality

Answer 8

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 9

Protection of Participants from Psychological Harm

Answer 9

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 10

Observational Research

Answer 10

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 11

Giving Advice

Answer 11

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 participant’s future well-being.

Question 12

Ethics Committee

Answer 12

University and research departments consist of people that make up an ethics committee. The committee is made up of psychologists, staff, members of the public and people from other disciplines and subject areas. Their task is to approve research proposals in terms of examining whether there are any ethical issues and whether they have been properly resolved (making sure the research is ethical).

Question 13

Informed Consent

Answer 13

Whenever possible investigators should inform participants of the 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.

This can be defined as, “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.”

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. There are a number of possible ways to deal with lack of informed consent.

Question 14

Presumptive Consent

Answer 14

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 15

Prior general consent

Answer 15

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 16

Retrospective Consent

Answer 16

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 17

Protection from harm

Answer 17

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 18

Right to Withdraw

Answer 18

At the start of the 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 at 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 19

Confidentiality

Answer 19

Participants’ data is confidential and should not be disclosed to anyone unless it has been agreed 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 20

Deception

Answer 20

· 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 21

Overcoming the ethical issues of deception by debriefing

Answer 21

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.