ethics

• Ethical guidelines


  Advice for researchers on how to ethically conduct studies
• Ethical guidelines


  • Researchers can and do bend and even break these rules
  • Serious mistreatment of participants would likely result in being expelled as a member of the BPS
• Participant rights


  • Informed consent
  • Right to withdraw
  • Protection from harm
  • Confidentiality
  • Debriefing
• Informed consent


  Participants should be made aware of the aims, purpose and consequences of taking part in research and provide their consent before the study begins
• Right to withdraw


  Participants should be told they have the ability to end their participation in the study at any stage
• Protection from harm


  The researcher needs to consider the study from the perspective of the participant and consider any risk of the participant's psychological well-being, physical health, personal values and dignity
• Confidentiality


  Personal records should be kept securely and when it comes to publishing results, not give away personally identifiable information
• Debriefing


  After the participant has completed their role in the study, the researchers should give them a debriefing to explain the reasons for the research, any outcomes, and check for any harm caused
• Ethical issues can arise when researchers want to gain valid data but this conflicts with participant rights
• Milgram's study breached many ethical guidelines but was influential and helped us understand human behaviour
• Cost-benefit analysis


  Considering and comparing all potential costs to participants with the potential benefits to wider society of the research
• Ethics committee


  A group of people who consider if research should be carried out based on ethical principles, they may use a cost-benefit analysis
• The debriefing can be a time to deal with any ethical issues such as revealing deception, reminding participants of their rights, and checking for and offering support for any harm caused