Ethics

Question 1

What is responsibility in terms of ethical principles?

Answer 1

• Taking care of participants, such as avoiding distress or harm.
• The researcher is held accountable for their work and studies.

Question 2

What is integrity in terms of ethical principles?

Answer 2

• Psychologists and researchers must maintain professional boundaries and look for misconduct in others.
• They must be honest, accurate, and clear about any conflicts of interest.

Question 3

What is respect in terms of ethical principles?

Answer 3

• Refers to ethical issues around treating individuals in a fair and unprejudiced way.

Question 4

What is competence in terms of ethical principles?

Answer 4

• Research and practice should be carried out within the ability of the researcher/psychologist.

Question 5

Name the six ethical guidelines.

Answer 5

• Privacy.
• Confidentiality.
• Protection from harm.
• Right to withdraw.
• Informed consent.
• Deception.

Question 6

Define and explain privacy.

Answer 6

• Participant’s right to control their personal information. (D)
• Invasion of privacy is psychological harm.
• Researchers must avoid publicizing someone’s data in a negative way.
• Although privacy can be hard to define as it can differ between cultures.

Question 7

Define and explain confidentiality.

Answer 7

• Protection of personal information. (D)
• Participants have a right to expect confidentiality.
• Published data must be non-identifiable.
• If it cannot be guaranteed, participants must be made aware.
• However, it can be overridden in exceptional circumstances.

Question 8

Define and explain protection from harm.

Answer 8

• Participants should not experience negative physical or psychological effects post-study. (D)
• No exposure to physical or psychological stress that’s more than daily life.
• So do not ask any distress questions or abnormal tasks.

Question 9

Define and explain right to withdraw.

Answer 9

• Participants may leave at any time. (D)
• At the start, end, and throughout they must be asked if they wish to continue.
• They must know they can leave at any time with no penalties and all of their data destroyed.

Question 10

Define and explain informed consent.

Answer 10

• All information about the purpose and nature of the study should be known. (D)
• Consent must be voluntary with zero coercion.
• Person must be physically and mentally stable.
• Exceptions may be made for parents to consent on behalf of minors.
• There are ways to over come informed consent - as mentioned in how to overcome ethical issues.

Question 11

Define and explain deception.

Answer 11

• Not knowing a study’s true aim or purpose. (D)
• When false info is given or intentionally misleading information.
• This includes hiding the true aim to prevent bias and using confederates.
• It can be used but only if: it’s essential with no alternative, the study would provide strong scientific merit, or if there’s appropriate risk management.

Question 12

How to overcome ethical issues: presumptive, prior general , and retrospective consent.

Answer 12

• Presumptive consent: The researcher gets consent from a similar group to the sample, then the sample group is said to have had “presumptive consent” until they can consent post study.
• Prior general consent: Participants give their consent to take part in multiple studies - including deception (often specified).
• Retrospective consent: Participants are asked for consent during the debriefing - having already taken part in the study.

Question 13

How to overcome ethical issues: deception.

Answer 13

• Post-study, participants should be given a full debrief, e.g; being made aware of all true aims and other details such as the existence of other groups and conditions, or use of confederates.

Question 14

How to overcome ethical issues: protection from harm, and confidentiality.

Answer 14

• Protection from harm: Participants should be reassured of their behavior and offered counseling services post-study.
• Confidentiality: Published findings must remain anonymous with pseudo names, numbers, initials, etc

Question 15

What’s the difference between risk assessment and risk management?

Answer 15

• Risk assessment: Identification of potential harm.
• Risk management: When long term gains are weighed against the short term risks.

Question 16

What’s an ethical committee and what do they do?

Answer 16

• It’s a group within a research institution that approve studies.
• They look at the ethical issues in order to create a plan of how to deal with it, as well as weighing up the gains of research versus the cost of the ethical issues.