Ethical issues and ways of dealing with them

• What is a conflict?

  A conflict exists between the rights of participants and the aims of the research.
• What is informed consent?

  • Involves making participants aware of the aims of the research, the procedure, their rights (including the right to withdraw), and what their data will be used for.
  • Participants should them make an informed decision whether or not to take part without feeling obliged to.
  • For the researcher, this may make the study meaningless as participants’ behaviour will not be as ‘natural’ as they now know the aims of the study.
• What is deception?

  • Deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants at any stage of the study.
  • Participants who haven’t received adequate information can‘t have said to be given informed consent.
  • There are times when deception can be justified if it doesn‘t cause the participant undue distress.
• What is protection from harm?

  • Participants shouldn’t be placed at any more risk than they would be in their daily lives, and should be protected from physical and psychological harm.
  • Participants should be reminded that they have the right to withdraw from the study at any point.
• What is privacy and confidentiality?

  • Participants have the right to control information about themselves.
  • If this is invaded then confidentiality should be protected.
• BPS code of conduct

  • The British Psychological Society has its own BPS code of ethics which includes a set of ethical guidelines.
  • If researchers don’t follow those guidelines they may lose their job as they have a professional duty to follow them.
• Dealing with informed consent

  • Participants should be issues with a consent letter detailing all relevant information that might affect decision to participate.
  • If participants agree, they should sign the letter.
  • For participants under the age of 16, a signature of parental consent is needed.
• Dealing with deception and protection from harm

  • At the end of the study, participants should be given a full debrief.
  • During this, participants should be made aware of the true aims of the study and any details they were not aware of during the study.
  • Participants should be told what their data will be used for and must be given the right to withdraw during the study and the right to withhold data if they wish.
  • If participants have been subject to stress etc, the researcher should provide counselling.
• Dealing with confidentiality

  • If personal details are held these must be protected.
  • Usually no personal details are recorded.
  • During briefing and debriefing, participants are reminded that their data will be protected throughout the process and won‘t be shared with other researchers.