Six of the main ethical guidelines include: Deception, Right to withdraw, Informed consent, Privacy and confidentiality, Protection from harm.
Deception in research is when information is deliberatelywithheld from participants or they are knowinglymisled.
Informed consent in research means that participants have been fully informed about the aims of the research before agreeing to participate.
Privacy and confidentiality in research are important as it protects participants' personal information.
Protection from harm in research means that participants are not exposed to any unnecessary or undue stress.
How to remember six of the main ethical guidelines - use the acronym DRIPP.
Deception prevents participants from giving fully informed consent, which means they might be taking part in research that goes against their views or beliefs.
To solve deception issues, at the end of the study, participants should be fully debriefed and told the true aim and nature of the research.
At this point, the participant should be given the right to withdraw the publication of their results.
The contact details of the experimenter should be given if participants have any further questions or queries.
Participants have the right to withdraw from a study at any stage, even after the research has been conducted, in which case the researcher must destroy any data or information collected.
Participants who are not given the right to withdraw may feel unnecessary or undue stress and are therefore not protected from harm.
At the end of the study, participants should be fully debriefed and told the true aim and nature of the research.
At the end of the study, participants should be given the right to withdraw the publication of their results.
The contact details of the experimenter should be given if participants have any further questions or queries.
When someone consents to participate in research, their consent must be fully informed which means the aims of the research should be made clear before they agree to participate.
Lack of informed consent may mean that the participant is taking part in research that goes against their wishes or beliefs.
It is possible that the participant may have felt obliged to take part or even coerced into it, especially if they are not fully informed.
Presumptive consent involves taking a random sample of the population and introducing them to the research, including any deception which may result.
If they agree to take part in the research, it can be presumed that other future participants would do the same, so the consent is generalised.
Lack of informed consent may mean that the participant is taking part in research that goes against their wishes or beliefs.
It is possible that the participant may have felt obliged to take part or even coerced into it, especially if they are not fully informed.
Presumptive consent involves taking a random sample of the population and introducing them to the research, including any deception which may result.
If they agree to take part in the research, it can be presumed that other future participants would do the same, so the consent is generalised.
Prior general consent: involves participants agreeing to take part beforehand in numerous psychological investigations, which may or may not involve deception.
Retrospective consent: involves participants giving consent for their participation after already taking part, for instance, if they were not aware that they were the subject of an investigation.
Children as participants: involves gaining the consent of the parents) in writing for children under the age of 16 to participate in any psychological research.
Privacy is the right of individuals to decide how information about them will be communicated to others.
what is Privacy
the right of individuals to decide how information about them will be communicated to others.
A skilled researcher may obtain more information from a participant than they wish to give which could be an invasion of privacy and the participant may later feel ashamed or embarrassed.
The participant should be provided with fully informed consent and the right to withdraw at any stage.
The researcher should explain to participants the way(s) in which their information will be protected and kept confidential, e.g no names will be published in the final report and any written information or video information will be destroyed.
Confidentiality is where a participant's personal information is protected by law under the Data Protection Act both during and after the experiment.
A person's details or data may be used by other parties against the participant's wishes.
Participants are provide with a fake name, number or initials to protect their identity and assure anonymity.
Participants should not be identifiable by any person, institution or organisation.
Psychologists have the responsibility to protect their participants from physical or psychological harm, including stress.
The risk of harm must be no greater than that which they are exposed to in everyday life.
Participants should leave the research in the same state as they entered it.
If they are harmed, they may suffer from long-term effects that could impact their lives in future.