ethics in psychology

• Informed Consent

  Participants must be fully informed of the study’s aims and procedures before agreeing to take part to ensure their consent is voluntary and valid.

  • Presumptive consent: Consent is assumed if a similar sample agrees after being informed of the study.
  • Prior general consent: Participants agree in advance to be involved in future studies, including ones involving deception.
  • Retrospective consent: Participants give consent after taking part in a study, particularly if deception was involved.
  • Children as participants: Parental written consent is required for any participant under 16.
• Deception

  Deception involves withholding information or misleading participants, which prevents fully informed consent, and must be addressed by a full debrief and the option to withdraw data afterward.
• Right to Withdraw

  Participants must be told they can withdraw themselves or their data at any time to protect their well-being and autonomy.
• Protection from Harm

  Researchers must ensure that participants are not subjected to harm greater than they would encounter in daily life, and must offer support or end the study if harm occurs.
• Privacy

  Participants have the right to control how personal information is shared, and researchers must avoid collecting more than is willingly offered.
• Confidentiality

  Researchers must protect participants' identities and personal data using pseudonyms or anonymisation in compliance with the Data Protection Act.