What is the role of the BPS?
- To guide all members of the society in their day to day professional conduct
What are the four primary ethical principles that the BPS focus on?
- Respect
- Competence
- Responsibility
- Integrity
What is cost-benefit analysis?
- A systematic approach to estimating the negatives and positives of any research
What is informed consent?
- Whenever its possible investigators should inform the participants of the objectives of the study and get their consent to take part
- Parental consent should be obtained for children under the age of 16, as well as consent from the participant (if old enough to understand)
What are some ways of handling the issue of informed consent?
- Tell participants what they are getting involved with
What is presumptive consent?
- Getting consent from people of a similar background to participants
- If these people would be willing to participate then the actual participants also will be
What are some weaknesses for presumptive consent?
- Not consent from the actual participants
- Individual differences
What is prior general consent?
- Participants agreeing to be deceived without knowing how or when this will occur
What are some weaknesses about prior general consent?
- Participants know they will be deceived at some point in the future, therefore their behaviour may be affected
- Demand characteristics
What is retrospective consent?
- Asking participants to consent after they have already participated in the study
What are some weaknesses of retroactive consent?
- They might not consent
- Already completed the study
What is the right to withdraw?
- Participants must be aware that they can withdraw from the study at any point, regardless of payment or inducement they have been offered
- Must be aware they have the right to withdraw their data at any point in the future
What is a way of handling the right to withdraw?
- If they ask to leave or withdraw their data, let them
What is deception?
- Misleading participants should be avoided
- However, in some cases deception is unavoidable
What is a way of handling the issue of deception?
- Retrospective consent
- Debrief
What is protection from harm?
- Investigators have a responsibility to protect their participants from physical and psychological harm during the study
What is a way of making sure participants have protection from harm?
- Procedures in place to prevent harm
What is debriefing?
- All relevant details of the study should be explained to the participants
- If deception has been used or informed consent has not been gained, debriefing is important
Why is debriefing important?
- Participants must leave the study in the same state they entered
How to handle debriefing?
- All participants should leave the study fully aware of what they participated in
- Participants questions answered
What is confidientality?
- Participants data is confidential and should not be disclosed to anyone unless discussed in advance
- Anonymity is when participants never provide their name to the researcher
What is a way of handling the issue of confidentality?
- Numbers/letters used when published
What is competency of researchers and colleagues?
- Investigators share responsibility for the ethical treatment of participants
- If a researcher thinks that a colleague may be conducting unethical research they must tell them
- Researchers should be qualified and competent
What is a way of handling the issue of competency?
- Following guidelines
- Checking qualifications
