Week 3

Question 1

What is the body that guides on ethical conduct for human research?

Answer 1

NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research

Question 2

What is the fact/value distinction

Answer 2

We commonly divide our discourse into two
domains:
1. Facts: ‘Is’ statements, which are descriptive or explanatory.
E.g. It is much cooler in Sydney today than it was yesterday.
2. Values: ‘Ought’ statements, which are normative, prescriptive and evaluative
E.g. right, wrong, just, unjust, evil, bad, good, fair,
unfair.

Ethics is concerned with these sorts of statements.

Question 3

What are the two main branches of ethical theories?

Answer 3

1. Meta-ethics: Determining the nature of ethical claims. What is the nature of ethics? Theorising about ethics
   – objective, subjective, emotive, etc.
2. Normative ethics: Providing systems of principles
   according to which we can make, explain and justify
   ethical decisions.

Question 4

What are the three main traditional western ethical theories

Answer 4

1- Consequentialism
2- Deontology
3- Virtue Ethics

Question 5

What is consequentialism

Answer 5

The right action is the one that produces the right
consequences. e.g. What happens if I do something
• Utilitarianism – the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Mill then expands is to avoid harm.
• Very prevalent in current economic and political
thought.

Question 6

What is deontology

Answer 6

Focuses on duty, moral obligation, rights, motives or
intentions.
Duties have different sources:
• Social roles
• Professional roles
• Reason itself (Kant’s
Categorical Imperative –
universalisability, principle
of humanity).

Question 7

What is universalibility?

Answer 7

Always act in such a way that you could will

that your action could become a universal law.

Question 8

What is the principle of humanity?

Answer 8

Always act in such a way that you treat people as ends in themselves, not merely as means to an
end

Question 9

What is virtue ethics?

Answer 9

The good action is the action that flows from a good
character.
• Focuses on developing a virtuous character. (What the virtues are varies.)
• Differs in being agentcentred, rather than act centred.
Develops practical knowledge.

Question 10

What are the four principles of ethical research conduct

Answer 10

• The National Statement sets out four principles for ethical research
conduct.
1. Research merit and integrity
2. Justice
3. Beneficence
4. Respect (pp. 11-13)

Question 11

What is research merit and integrity?

Answer 11

• Justifiable by its potential benefit (knowledge, social welfare, individual well-being, skill and expertise of researchers)
• Uses methods appropriate for achieving its aims
• Based on study of current literature and previous studies (except for entirely novel research) (p.12).
• Conducted by persons with expertise appropriate to the research

Become the types of people that:
• Searching for knowledge and understanding
• Following recognised principles of research conduct
• Disseminating both favourable and unfavourable results (ibid).
• Sometimes this doesn’t happen = research misconduct

Question 12

What is justice

Answer 12

• Scope and objectives of proposed research, fair
selection of participants, just reporting of results
• Fair recruitment
•No unfair burden on participants
• Fair distribution of benefits
•No exploitation of participants
• Fair access to benefits of research (ibid).

Question 13

What do we mean when we think about ethics?

Answer 13

Morals, building sets of guiding principles, values

Question 14

What does the NHMRC stand for?

Answer 14

National health medical research council

Question 15

What does the national statement say?

Answer 15

Ethical conduct more than doing the right thing. Involves acting in the right spirit, out of an abiding respect and concern for one’s fellow creatures.

Question 16

What is ethos/ethics?

Answer 16

Something more fundamental than a list of things to do and not to do.

Question 17

Why is ethics not the same as the law?

Answer 17

You make subjective judgements, law objective

Sometimes what we have to do isnt what we should be doing.

Question 18

How do you assess a theory?

Answer 18

Theories should ideally:
1. Be internally consistent
2. Be clear and (as far as possible) complete
3. Be as simple as possible whilst still accounting for the
phenomena in question (Occam’s Razor)
4. Have explanatory and predictive power

Question 19

How do you assess an ethical theory?

Answer 19

1. The theory’s implications should be reconcilable with our
   experience and our intuitions (though our everyday beliefs may
   be revised in the light of new theories)
2. The theory should provide is with guidance about what to do,
   and should help us deal with ethical dilemmas.

Question 20

What are issues of consequentialism?

Answer 20

Could justify doing horrible stuff, because even though it is horrible overall, more people may benefit.
We think that why we do stuff matters. Doesnt take into account why.

Question 21

What is the categorical imperative?

Answer 21

If you reason through any ethical dilemma, you will come up with a situation where you will find the cateogorical imperative, which is the command that trumps everything else.
Once you reason all the way through something, you will come to two situations. Either the principle of universability or the principle of humanity.

Question 22

What is the principle of universalisability?

Answer 22

If you reason through a dilemma that you have, whatever you come to must be something you could will any other person in the same situation to do. e.g. a promising.

Question 23

What is the principle of humanity?

Answer 23

When you act in such a way that you treat people not as just as means to an end, but as an end themselves. This means respect and dignity of people.

Question 24

What is human research?

Answer 24

Taking part in surveys, interviews, focus groups;
• Psychological, physiological, medical testing or treatment;
•Observation by researchers;
• Access to personal documents or other materials;
• Collection of body organs, tissues, exhaled breath;
• Access to personal information – either identifiable, re-identifiable, non-identifiable – as part of an existing published or unpublished source or
database.

Question 25

What does benefience mean?

Answer 25

• Benefit(s) of research must outweigh risks to participants
• The benefit may be to individual participants, the community or both (p.13)
• Researchers are responsible for:
• Designing the research to minimise risks to participants
• Clarifying potential benefits and risks
• The welfare of the participants (ibid).
• If participants will not benefit from research, the risks should
be lower than would be ethically acceptable if they were to
benefit from the research (ibid).
• Where the risks are no longer justified by the potential
benefits, the research must be suspended for time to consider
if it ought be discontinued (ibid).

Question 26

What is respect?

Answer 26

• Respect for the intrinsic value/dignity of humans
• Involves due regard for the welfare, beliefs, perceptions,
customs and cultural heritage of individuals and communities involved in research
• Respect privacy, confidentiality and cultural sensitivities of
participants
• Autonomy of participants or if not autonomous, respect involves
empowering them if possible and/or providing for their
protection (ibid).

Question 27

What is the aim of the APS code?

Answer 27

• The APS Code aims to promote good ethical practice, set
standards and guide both psychologists and the public in their
understanding of ‘professional ethical conduct’ (p. 6) on the
part of psychologists.

Question 28

What are the 3 founding principles of the APS?

Answer 28

It is founded on three principles:

1. Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples
2. Propriety
3. Integrity

Question 29

What is respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples?

Answer 29

• Respect for dignity

* Respect for rights

Question 30

What is justice?

Answer 30

Propriety, benefience, non-maleficence, responsibility

Question 31

What is integrity?

Answer 31

Good character, trust, impact of behaviour on the profession.