Ethical issues

• Ethical issues

  When a conflict exists between the rights of participants and the aims of the research. BPS code of conduct is a quasi-legal document to protect participants based on four principles : respect, competence, responsibility, and integrity. Ethics committees weigh up costs and benefits before deciding whether to study should go ahead.
• Informed consent

  Getting permission

  Issue : informed judgement about whether to take part but this may reveal aims.

  Solution : sign consent form, where appropriate seek parental consent, alternative forms of consent are presumptive (ask a similar group), prior general (agree to be deceived), and retrospective (get consent after the study).
• Deception

  Misleading

  Issue : deliberately misleading or withholding information so consent is not informed. But mild deception is ok.

  Solution : At the end of the study, participants should be debriefed where they are advised of : true aims, details not given, what the data will be used for and their right to withhold data.
• Protection from harm

  risk

  Issue : participants should be at no more risk than they would be in everyday life.

  Solution : they should be given the right to withdraw, should be reassured their behaviour is normal, and researcher should provide counselling if needed.
• privacy and confidentiality

  Right to control

  Issue : we have the right to control information about ourselves. If this is invaded, confidentiality should be respected.

  Solution : personal details should be protected, researchers should refer to participants as numbers/letters and participants data cannot be shared with other researchers.