Ethics

• British Psychological Society (BPS) guidelines


  The ethical guidelines produced by the British Psychological Society in its Code of Ethics and Conduct (2006) and Code of Human Research Ethics (2014), which govern the work of all practising and research psychologists
• Respect


  • Psychologists should respect people as individuals and avoid unfair or prejudiced practices
  • The data collected should be confidential and anonymised so that people cannot be identified in the research
  • This can be especially important in cases studies where individuals might be identified more easily because of the amount of information given about them
• Informed consent


  Participants should know fully what they are consenting to and they must be told what the study is about before they agree to take part
• Psychologists should avoid deception, which means people should not be misled about the research
• Participants have the right to withdraw from the research at any time and can withdraw their data too. They must be made aware of this right
• Competence


  Psychologists should only give advice if they are qualified to do so
• Responsibility


  • Researchers must protect the participants from harm
  • The risk of harm from participation in psychology research should be no greater than the risk from everyday life
  • The psychological and physical health of participants should not be at risk
• Debriefing participants


  1. Ensure they understand fully the true aim of the research

  2. Only then can they make an informed decision about withdrawing their results
• Integrity


  • Psychologists should behave with honesty and fairness in all their interactions, with all people
  • It is essential that psychologists consider whether the benefits of the research can be said to outweigh the possible costs to participants in that research