Ethical Issues

Question 1

What are the key ethical issues?

Answer 1

• confidentiality
• deception
• valid consent
• working with vulnerable individuals
• working with animals
• risk of stress, anxiety, humiliation or pain
• risk to participants’ values, beliefs, relationships, status or privacy

Question 2

What is deception?

Answer 2

deliberately misleading or falsely informing participants about the nature of research

Question 3

What is valid consent?

Answer 3

giving participants enough information so they can make an informed decision about if they wish to participate

Question 4

What is risk of stress, anxiety, humiliation or pain?

Answer 4

research that could induce more than minial pain through repetitive or prolonged testing, invasive testing such as the administration of drugs, vigorous physical exercise, which would not usually be encountered in every day life and are considered unethical

Question 5

What is risk to participants’ values, beliefs, relationships, status or privacy?

Answer 5

research that is likely to face this type of risk focuses on socially sensitive topics (eg sexuality) and includes potentially sensitive data (eg confidential documents)

Question 6

What is confidentiality?

Answer 6

third parties should not be able to trace information back to individual participants. this is usually achieved through provided anonymity (eg using participant numbers not names)

Question 7

What is working with vulnerable individuals?

Answer 7

children under 16, those lacking mental capacity, people in care, people in custody (prison) or on probation, and people engaged in illegal activities, such as drug use, would be categorised in this way. issues of consent are a particular concern.

they are all vulnerable to abuse of power or trust

Question 8

Why might you want to withhold valid consent?

Answer 8

participant may change their behaviour for better or worse if they are aware of the experiment

Question 9

Why might observing someone in public be invading their privacy?

Answer 9

• its their daily business
• they are just living their lives and aren’t expecting to be observed

Question 10

What is socially sensitive research?

Answer 10

• research that is difficult to get valid data from
• research that is difficult to get around ethical issues
  e.g interviewing 14-15 year olds about their views on underage sex

Question 11

How could you deal with ethical issues?

Answer 11

• follow ethical guidelines
• the use of ethics committees
• right to withdraw
• presumptive consent
• consent from a legal guardian
• debriefing
• anonymity
• valid consent forms

Question 12

What are the ethical guidelines?

Answer 12

• BPS
• “The Code of Ethics and Conduct”
• provides advice and information on behaviours that are acceptable and unacceptable
• helps professionals to act with honesty and integrity
• gives guidance on how to deal with ethical dilemmas

Question 13

What are ethics committees?

Answer 13

• group of people (not just psychologists) within a research institution (eg university) that much approve a study before it begins
• they examine research proposals and consider all issues that may arise and they suggest how they plan to deal with them
• they weigh up costs vs. benefits of the research and have the ultimate say on whether the study can go ahead
• suggestions will be made for any modifications deemed necessary to protect participants

Question 14

What is the right to withdraw?

Answer 14

• all participants are told before the research takes place that they can leave at any time
• helps deal with issues such as stress, anxiety, humiliation or pain
• also told they can have their data removed from the study if they wish

Question 15

What is presumptive consent?

Answer 15

• if unable to achieve valid consent or have deceived your participants, can be dealt with by obtaining presumptive consent
• ask a group of people similar to your participants if they would agree to take part
• if they agree to the procedures in the proposed study, it is presumed the real participants would have agreed

Question 16

What is consent from a legal guardian?

Answer 16

• used when working with vulnerable individuals
• person who is legally responsible for the individual must be told full details of the study and then give agreement to take part on the individuals behalf

Question 17

What is debriefing?

Answer 17

• after research carried out, participants must be told the full nature of the research
• includes the aim, the reason for the tasks they were asked to do, whether there were any other groups of people, whether their performance has been compared and why
• they’re reminded they can remove their results from the study, and that their data will be kept confidential
• all can ask further questions
• all are told where to receive aftercare if necessary
• manages the issue of deception and psychological harm, and risk to beliefs and invasion of privacy

Question 18

What is anonymity?

Answer 18

• participants must be confidents their data is kept private
• no ones results should be recognisable
• names are always withheld from the study’s write-up
• refer to participants as letters or numbers
• particularly important for socially sensitive research

Question 19

What are valid consent forms?

Answer 19

• all participants are required to sign a valid consent form to indicate they have been fully informed about the nature of the research and what they are expected to do
• shows they are fully consenting to take part

Question 20

What are examples of unethical psychological research?

Answer 20

• Zimbardo (1973)
• Little Albert (1920)
• Milgram (1963)