Ethical considerations

• Respect


  Valuing the dignity and worth of all individuals. This includes awareness of how psychologists may influence people and appear to have authority, and of people's rights to privacy and self determination.
• Informed consent


  Having sufficient knowledge about a study to know whether you want to agree to participate.
• Right to withdraw


  A participant should be aware that they can remove themselves, and their data, from the study at any time.
• Confidentiality


  Individuals' results and personal information should be kept safely and not released to anyone outside the study.
• Competence


  Valuing continuing development as a psychologist and the maintenance of high standards of work. This includes functioning optimally and within the limits of one's own knowledge, skill, training, education and experience.
• Responsibility


  Valuing the responsibilities of being a psychologist - to clients, the public, and the profession and science of psychology. This includes the avoidance of harm and the prevention of misuse or abuse of one's contributions to society.
• Protection of participants


  Participants should not be put at any greater physical or psychological risk than they would expect in their day-to-day lives.
• Debrief


  Full explanation of aims and potential consequences of a study given to participants after participation to ensure that they leave in at least as positive a condition as they arrived.
• Integrity


  Valuing honesty, accuracy, clarity, and fairness in interactions and seeking to promote these in scientific and professional work as a psychologist.
• Deception


  Participants should not be deliberately misinformed (led to) about the aim or procedure of the study. Where this is unavoidable, steps should be taken beforehand to ensure that they are unlikely to be distressed, and afterwards to ensure that they are not.