research methods - ethical issues.

Question 1

What is meant by “BPS code of ethics”?

Answer 1

Document which instructs psychologists what is and is not acceptable when dealing with human participants in research.

Question 2

What is meant by “informed consent”?

Answer 2

Where participants are given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it allowing them to make a decision on whether they would like to take part.

Question 3

What is meant by “deception”?

Answer 3

Deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the study.

Question 4

What is meant by “protection from harm”?

Answer 4

Participants should not be placed at any risk and should be protected from physical and psychological harm.

Question 5

What is meant by “privacy and confidentiality”?

Answer 5

Participants have the right to control information about themselves as it is their right of privacy.

Question 6

What is meant by “ethical issues”?

Answer 6

Conflict between the rights of the participant and the goal to produce authentic results.

Question 7

Why is informed consent important in psychology?

Answer 7

• must be aware of their rights such as the right to withdraw if they wish to do and what their data will be used for.
• able to make an informed judgement on whether they would like to take part.

Question 8

What is a weakness of informed consent?

Answer 8

• researcher POV
  ↳ participant’s behaviour would not be natural as they will be aware of the aims of the study.

Question 9

How should informed consent be conducted within research?

Answer 9

• required to sign a consent form which details all relevant information about the study.
• parental consent for studies involving children under 16.
• presumptive consent
  ↳ ask similar group of people if they would agree to take part and if they agree it would be presumed the real participants would also have agreed.
• prior general consent
  ↳ give consent for a number of studies.
• retrospective consent
  ↳ participants asked for consent after study has been conducted.

Question 10

What needs to be considered when writing a consent form?

Answer 10

• procedural details.
• ethical issues.
• deception.
• protection from harm.
• privacy and confidentiality.
• cost-benefit analysis.

Question 11

Why is informed consent important in psychology?

Answer 11

Participants who have not received adequate information when they agreed to take part cannot be said to have given informed consent.

Question 12

How should deception be conducted within research?

Answer 12

• deception must be approved by ethics committee weighing up benefits of the study against the costs.
• participants should be fully debriefed after the study
  ↳ informing them of the true nature of the study.
  ➝ informing them of what their data will be used for.
  ➝ informing them of the opportunity to withdraw results (retrospective informed consent).

Question 13

Why is protection from harm important in psychology?

Answer 13

• should not be made to feel embarrassed, inadequate or placed under undue stress/pressure.
• should be in the same physical/psychological state after a study has been conducted as they were before.

Question 14

How should protection from harm be conducted within research?

Answer 14

• reassure participants that their behaviour was normal.
• provide counselling if effects of the study were extreme.

Question 15

Why is privacy and confidentiality important in psychology?

Answer 15

• confidentiality should be protected if their results were to be used.
• should be maintained under the Data Protection Act to have all personal data protected.
• right of privacy extends to the area the study took place such as institutions or geographical locations.

Question 16

How should privacy and confidentiality be conducted within research?

Answer 16

• protect participant details by keeping them anonymous.
• refer to participants using number or initials in write up.
• remind participants in briefing and debriefing that their data will be protected throughout the process.
• do not study without informed consent.

Question 17

Why is cost-benefit analysis important in psychology?

Answer 17

• guidelines are implemented by the ethics committee in research institutions and use a cost-benefit analysis to help them identify whether research proposals are ethically acceptable.
• allows ethics committee to judge the costs such as participant harm of the research against the benefits such as value of research in improving lives.