Ethics Flashcards
(23 cards)
Ethical Issues
These arise when a conflict exists between the rights of participants in research studies and the goals of the researcher to produce authentic, valid and worthwhile data.
confidentiality
a participants right to have personal information protected
deception
when a participant is not told the true aims of the study e.g. what it will involve and therefore cannot give truly informed consent
informed consent
participants have the right to be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it, in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate.
protection from harm
during a research study, participants should not experience negative physical or psychological effects such as physical injury, lowered self-esteem or embarrassment
right to withdraw
participants should have the right to withdraw from participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way and should also have the right to refuse permission for the researcher to use any data they produced
anonymity
a participants right to remain nameless
competency
the capacity for the researcher to deal professionally with issues that arise during the course of the research programme
BPS code of ethics
a quasi-legal document produced by the british psychology society (BPS) that instructs psychologists in the U.K. about what behaviour is and is not acceptable when dealing with participants. it is built around four major principles: respect, competence, responsibility and integrity
ethics is all a matter of a balance between what and what?
participants rights and researchers need to gain valuable and meaningful findings
which body is responsible for ethical guidelines in Britain?
The British Psychology Society
who implements the BPS ethical guidelines?
by ethics committee in research institutions
what do they use to determine whether research proposals are ethically acceptable?
often use a cost-benefit approach to determine whether particular research proposals are ethically acceptable
how do you obtain informed consent?
a signed consent form. a parental consent is required for children under 16.
what is presumptive consent?
rather than getting consent from the participant themselves, a similar group of people are asked if the study is acceptable. if this group agrees, then consent of the original participant is ‘presumed’
what is prior general consent
participants give their permission to take part in a number of different studies - including one that will involve deception. by consenting, participants are effectively consenting to being deceived
what is retrospective consent?
participants are asked for their consent (during debriefing) having already taken part in the study. they may not have been aware of their participation or they may have been subject to deception
at the end of a study, participants should be given a full debrief, what details should participants be made aware of regarding the study during the debrief?
- made aware of the true aims of the investigation
- any details they were not supplied with during the study e.g existence of other groups/experimental conditions
why should participants be told what their data will be used for?
participants should be told what their data will be used for and must be given the right to withhold data if they wish
what is the right to withhold data? when is the right to withdraw data particularly important?
if participants wish to not give their data to the researcher. particularly important if retrospective consent is a feature
why should participants be reassured that their behaviour was typical or normal?
participants may have natural concerns related to their performance within the investigation and l be reassured
if participants have been subject to stress or embarrassment, or do not think that they are leaving in the same state as they arrived, what should they be offered?
they may require counselling which the researcher should provide
what are two ways that researchers can deal with confidentiality?
- anonimity (a persons right to remain nameless)
- psychologists could use initials and numbers when writing up their investigation
- participants are reminded that their data will be protectes in briefing and debriefing
