Ethical considerations

• Good psychological research is only possible if there is mutual respect & confidence between investigators & participants.
• Ethical guidelines are necessary to clarify the conditions under which psychological research is acceptable.
• For psychologists, we must adhere to the British Psychological Society's (BPS) code of ethics, and ethics committees (usually a team of experts in the field) must approve a study before it begins & they undertake a cost-benefit analysis.
• Fundamental ethical question in psychological research: 'does the end justify the means?'- a balance must be struck between the interests of the PP and the value of research.
• Deception:

  • Researchers must avoid deceiving PPs about the nature of their research, eg through:
  • -not lying to them about the aims of the study.
  • -not using fake tasks.
• Confidentiality:

  • All personal information about PPs should be kept secret- names, addresses etc.
  • Confidentiality can be ensured by anonymising responses (referring to PPs by initials) in the written report of the study.
• Debriefing:

  • PPs should be fully debriefed- PP's experience should be discussed at the end, to assess any negative effects.
  • All PPs should be returned to the same physical & psychological state that they were in prior to the start of the research.
• Right to withdraw:

  • Subjects should be aware of the right to withdraw at any time, ie they can stop the study at any time.
  • This may be done retrospectively by refusing for their data to be used after the study has been completed- contact data must be provided in case of withdrawal afterwards.
• Protection from harm:

  • Subjects should not be subjected to harm- either physical or psychological.
  • PPs should leave the study in the same physical, emotional & psychological state in which they began the study- so tasks must be done carefully as harm can be subjective.
• Ethical guidelines= a list of rules & expectations for how PPs in psychological research should be treated- laid about by BPS.
• Ethical issues occur when guidelines cannot be followed, so safeguards need to be put in place to rectify the issue as much as possible.
• Dealing with informed consent:

  • Prior general consent- assure PPs they'll be fully informed and consent gained afterwards, as some info is being withheld.
  • Retrospective informed consent- once completed, all information is given & PPs sign to say if they are happy to have been included in the study.
• Dealing with deception:

  • It's sometimes necessary to deceive PPs, but there must be strong medical or scientific justification.
  • Prior general consent- PPs agree to being involved in studies that involve deception.
  • Debriefing- revealing the true aim afterwards & PPs are restored to the same state.
  • Retrospective informed consent- following debriefing, the PP is asked if they would have agreed to consent to taking part, then they have the right to withdraw their data.
• Dealing with protection from harm:

  • Sometimes psychological research does involve a level of stress- either intentionally or because it's part of the research aim.
  • There should be the opportunity to contact the investigator at a later date if distress does occur.
• Dealing with protection from harm:

  1. Right to withdraw
  2. The study should be stopped if harm is suspected
  3. Debriefing should return the PP to the physical & mental state they entered the study in.
• Observational research:

  • Observations should only be carried out in places where people could expect to be observed by strangers (ie public places), unless permission is obtained beforehand.
  • Care should be taken about the invasion of privacy.