ethics

• what is meant by ethics

  to be concerned with what is deemed acceptable in human behaviour
• what are the ethical issues

  informed consent

  deception

  the right to withdraw

  protection from harm

  confidentiality/anonymity

  privacy
• what is informed consent

  when researchers should tell the Ps what the study is investigating and what the Ps are required to do- this will allow them to make a judgement if they want to take part
• what are the alternatives to informed consent

  presumptive consent

  prior general consent

  retrospective consent
• what is presumptive consent

  it is gained from people with a similar background to the Ps being investigated- the researchers presume that if this group would consent then the actual Ps would
• what is prior general consent

  before the Ps are recruited, they are asked if they would like to take part in the study, knowing they would be deceived
• what is retrospective consent

  where the Ps are asked for consent after the study- meaning they may not consent but have already taken part
• what are some key point of consent

  parental consent must be obtained for under-16s and informed consent cannot be obtained from those under the influence of alcohol and drugs and those who are mentally unfit to give consent
• what is deception

  when the Ps are not told the true aim of a study so cannot truly give informed consent
• what is a strength of deception

  it may be necessary to increase validity as Ps won't show demand characteristics
• what is a drawback of deception

  it is a problem for Ps as they may be distressed and it is a problem for the field as it may give the perception that psychologists are untrustworthy
• what is the right to withdraw

  Ps can stop participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way
• what is a drawback to right to withdraw

  it is problematic because if Ps do leave it is likely to leave a biased sample which is no longer representative of the whole population
• what is protection from harm

  during a study , Ps must not experience negative physical or psychological effects
• what is confidentiality/anonymity

  when personal information is communicated, there is the trust that the information will be protected- anonymity can be offered ( where no Ps is identified)
• what is privacy

  a person's right to control the flow of information about themselves
• where can a Ps have privacy

  in their own home but public behaviour can be monitored in a public setting
• what is the role of BPS code of ethics

  this tells psychologists which behaviours are not acceptable and will ne punished - the BPS may bar psychologists who don't comply
• when were ethical guidelines first published in America

  1953 by APA ( American psychological association)
• when were ethical guidelines first published in the UK

  1985 by BPS (british psychological society)
• when were ethical guidelines for animals first published in the Uk

  1995 by the BPS
• what are the 4 principles of ethical guidelines

  respect

  competence

  responsibility

  integrity
• what are ways of dealing with ethical issues

  ethics committee

  cost- benefit analysis
• what is an ethics committee

  a group of people who must approve studies before they take place- they look at proposed ethical issues and how the researcher plans to address them
• what is a cost-benefit analysis

  where good and bad aspects are considered to see whether the benefits outweigh the cost of having done the research
• how do you specifically deal with informed consent

  Ps are asked to formally indicate their agreement to participate by signing a document

  they must be reminded of their right to withdraw
• how do you specifically deal with deception

  Ps must be debriefed fully after the study and they should be able to discuss any concerns they might have
• how do you specifically deal with the right to withdraw

  Ps should be informed at the beginning that they have the right to withdraw and be reminded throughout the study
• how do you specifically deal with protection from harm

  the researcher must avoid any risks greater than the risks faced in daily life and the study must be stopped if there is harm

  researcher must also use debrief to check in with the Ps
• how do you specifically deal with confidentiality

  researchers must not record any names of Ps
• how do you specifically deal with privacy

  do not study anyone without informed consent unless it is in a public setting and public behaviour is being monitored