Research Methods: Ethical Issues in Psychological Research Flashcards

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1
Q

Why are ethics an important issue in psychology

A

Psychological research and practice should aim to improve our self-understanding, be beneficial to people and try to improve the quality of life for people
Psychologists are expected to do their work in an ethical manner

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2
Q

What is the BPS and what have they done

A

British Psychological Society
Developed formal principles for what is considered to be acceptable or unacceptable
Includes advice on deception, consent and psychological harm

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3
Q

What are the rules on informed consent

A

Ppts should always give informed consent
Should be told the aims and nature of the study before agreeing to it
Should also know they have the right to withdraw at any time

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4
Q

When can’t a ppt give consent by themselves

A

If the ppt is under 16 years of age they can’t legally give consent (parent can)

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5
Q

What are rules of informed in naturalistic observations

A

In naturalistic observation studies, consent is not obtained
In this case research is acceptable provided that it is done in a public location where people would expect to be observed by others

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6
Q

Why may issues be raised with informed consent

A

Menges reviewed about 1000 American studies and found that 97% had not given people all the information about the research

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7
Q

What are the rules with deception

A

If ppts have been deceived then they can’t have given informed consent
However, sometimes researcher must with withhold information about the study because the ppts wouldn’t behave naturally if they knew what the aim was

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8
Q

When is deception acceptable

A

Only acceptable is there is a strong scientific justification for the research and there’s no alternative procedure to obtain the data

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9
Q

How may the severity of deception differ

A

E.g. research on memory may involve unexpected memory tests.
This is less objectionable than the deception involved in Milgram’s study
Ppts could just be given general details - although if too little is said they may feel deceived (but if ppts know too much then they may not behave naturally)

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10
Q

What are the rules on protection from harm

A

The risk of harm to ppts should be no greater than they would face in their normal lives
Hard to accurately assess this

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11
Q

Comments on protection from harm

A

Procedures can involve physical and psychological discomfort e.g. Milgram
Some people face risks in their work (e.g. soldiers), but that doesn’t mean they can be exposed to risks in research
Researchers don’t always know in advance what might be distressing for ppts

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12
Q

What is debriefing

A

Supposed to return ppts to the state they were in before the research
Especially important if deception has been used

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13
Q

How is debriefing carried out

A

Researchers must fully explain what the research involved and what the results might show
Ppts are given right to withdraw their data

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14
Q

What is confidentiality

A

None of the ppts in a psychological study should be identifiable from any reports that are produced

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15
Q

How is confidentiality carried out in psychological studies

A

Researchers can’t use people’s names in reports
Ppts must be warned if their data is not going to be completely anonymous
However, ppts may be identifiable by their characteristics or if the report says where and when the study was carried out

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16
Q

Why might people argue against the use of animals for studies because of ethical beliefs

A

Some argue this ethically wrong to inflict harm and suffering on animals
Animals can’t give informed consent
Some argue it’s wrong to conduct studies on animals with similar intelligence to humans as they may suffer the same problems as we would, but research on less intelligent animals is okay

17
Q

Why don’t ethical guidelines work sometimes

A

Researcher may not follow the guidelines properly
Psychologists that do not conduct ethical research cannot be banned from research
When guidelines are followed, it can be difficult to assess things like psychological harm or justify the use of deception
Deciding whether the benefits outweigh the costs of a study is not very easy