Research Methods: Ethical Issues in Psychological Research Flashcards
Why are ethics an important issue in psychology
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
What is the BPS and what have they done
British Psychological Society
Developed formal principles for what is considered to be acceptable or unacceptable
Includes advice on deception, consent and psychological harm
What are the rules on informed consent
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
When can’t a ppt give consent by themselves
If the ppt is under 16 years of age they can’t legally give consent (parent can)
What are rules of informed in naturalistic observations
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
Why may issues be raised with informed consent
Menges reviewed about 1000 American studies and found that 97% had not given people all the information about the research
What are the rules with deception
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
When is deception acceptable
Only acceptable is there is a strong scientific justification for the research and there’s no alternative procedure to obtain the data
How may the severity of deception differ
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)
What are the rules on protection from harm
The risk of harm to ppts should be no greater than they would face in their normal lives
Hard to accurately assess this
Comments on protection from harm
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
What is debriefing
Supposed to return ppts to the state they were in before the research
Especially important if deception has been used
How is debriefing carried out
Researchers must fully explain what the research involved and what the results might show
Ppts are given right to withdraw their data
What is confidentiality
None of the ppts in a psychological study should be identifiable from any reports that are produced
How is confidentiality carried out in psychological studies
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
