Ethical Considerations PDF

Research Methods What does success look like? Know what ethical issues are Worksheet for Ethical Considerations - easier version.docx (sharepoin t.com) Questions to consider 1. What experimental design involves matching people up according to age,...

Research Methods What does success look like? Know what ethical issues are Worksheet for Ethical Considerations - easier version.docx (sharepoin t.com) Questions to consider 1. What experimental design involves matching people up according to age, gender, ability? 2. What is a weakness of this design? 3. Which experimental design involves one group of participants taking part in both conditions of the experiment? 4. What is an advantage of this design? 5. What term do we use to describe participants realising the aim of a study and then behaving in a way that they think the researcher wants them to? 6. What is a hypothesis?ll Would you take part? The effect of alcohol on a student’s ability to learn information. The effect of driving quickly on how hungry you become. The effect of increasing the fear of failure on student motivation. The effect of standing too close to someone in a urinal, on their ability to pee. When planning a research study, psychologists must…. Decide how they will deal with any ethical issues Present their plans to an ethics committee  Definition of ‘ethical issue’ The conflict between valuable data being gathered and the rights/ wellbeing of the participant. OR: Points of concern about what is morally right. 5 Ethical Issues to consider 1. Informed Consent 2. Protection from Harm 3. Deception 4. Privacy 5. Confidentiality 1. Informed consent Participants need to give their permission (consent) to take part. Should be in writing. How researchers deal with informed consent Participants must be told they can leave the investigation at any point. If participants are not informed of the aims at the start, they MUST be informed at the end. 2. Protection from harm Participants should not be placed at risk. Their physical and psychological safety must be protected at all time. They should not be made to feel embarrassed or stressed.  3. Deception Participants should not be lied to or misled Mild deception can be justified – e.g. researchers might withhold information rather than lie. Dealing with deception/ protection from harm At the end of the study, participants must be given a full debrief. Participants should be reassured and offered counselling. 4. Privacy People have the right to control all information about themselves. It is generally acceptable to make observations on people in a public place, e.g. watching people’s behaviour on a bus. But listening to conversations and using it as research is not seen as ethically acceptable. 5. Confidentiality Data about participants must remain anonymous. If a person’s privacy has been invaded, their identity should be protected. Any data collected belongs to that person. Dealing with privacy/ confidentiality They should be referred to as participant 1, participant 2, participant 3 etc. Their data should not be shared with other researchers unless it has been made clear to the participants in advance. How to deal with ethical issues BPS Guidelines o Lays out guidelines that must be followed by all professional psychologists in the UK. o Failure to follow = lose your job!! o Research idea must be presented to a panel (ethics committee) and they assess the risks of the study. o Decide whether the proposed investigation meets the ethical guidelines or not. Informed consent Provide a letter with information about the study... BEFORE signing up. Sign a consent form No consent... must justify why! Consent after the study = retrospective consent Deception & Protection from Harm - Participants given a full debrief AFTER the study. - Informs them of anything they were not told about during the study e.g., true aims, existence of other groups etc. - Informs participants they have the right to withdraw their data. - Must provide counselling/resources if the participants need it. Privacy and Confidentiality Anonymous participants!! Do not share data from the study with other researchers – unless participants have agreed to do so. Participants should be reminded that their data will be protected, anonymous and confidential.  Every British The BPS psychologist has to follow the code of conduct – the BPS guidelines If they don’t they risk losing their job THE BPS – 4 main principles Respect Responsibility - Covers several areas including - Protecting participants from confidentiality, informed harm. consent, avoiding deception, - Safety, legality, minimal/no the right to withdraw, culture risk and informed. and age. Competence Integrity - Refers to the fact that - Psychologists should give psychologists should be honest and accurate advice to properly qualified and participants. professional at all times, adhering to codes of conduct. Discuss ! Come up with an unethical idea for a study (i.e. they do not follow the code of conduct). Keep it clean – no sexual references/ studies. Identify how the study does not follow the 5 codes of ethics.