Ethics

• What are ethical issues?

  A conflict between participant rights and researcher's needs to gain valuable and meaningful findings
• What is the BPS code of ethics?

  A legal document produced by the British Psychological Society (BPS) that instructs psychologists in the UK about what behaviour is and isn't acceptable when dealing with participants
• What are the 4 founding principles of the BPS code of ethics?

  Respect, competence, responsibility, integrity
• What are the 4 major ethical issues?

  1. Informed consent

  2. Deception

  3. Protection from harm

  4. Privacy and Confidentiality
• Define ''informed consent"

  Participants must be given comprehensive information concerning the purpose of the research and their role in it so they can make an informed decision about whether to participate.
• Define "deception"

  A participants is not told the true aims of a study and so cannot give truly informed consent.
• Define ''protection from harm''

  Participants must not be exposed to any negative physical or psychological effects than they would in their normal day.
• Define ''privacy''

  The right to control information about yourself.
• Define ''confidentiality''

  Concerns the communication of personal information from one person to another and the trust that the information will be protected.
• Describe a way to overcome issues with informed consent

  - Participants issued with consent letter detailing relevant info that might affect their decision to participate.

  - Should be made aware of their right to withdraw
• Describe a way to overcome issues with deception

  - Debrief at the end of the study and participants made aware of the true aims
• Describe a way to overcome issues with protection from harm

  - Debrief at the end of the study and participants made aware of the true aims

  - Should be reassured that their behaviour was typical/normal and in extreme cases counselling offered.
• Describe a way to overcome issues with privacy and confidentiality

  - Maintain anonymity of participants e.g. referring to participants using numbers or initials

  - Reminder during debrief that participants' data will be protected