Ethical Issues in Research

Ethical Issues in Research

1. Ethics

   • Social: BPS code of ethics and conduct (2009)
   • Learning: Animals (scientific procedures) Act 1986
   • Clinical: HCPC guidelines for psychologists
   • Child: UNCRC (1989) and protection/participation rights

2. Human Research

   • Milgram's (1963): issues of not giving the right to withdraw, not getting informed consent, not preventing harm and distress, but giving a full and careful debrief.
   • Bastian et al (2011): asked students to play either a violent or a non-violent video game and then to rate themselves with regard to their own humanity. The students had to take part in the studies as part of their course, which meant they did not give informed consent and did not have the right to withdraw.

3. Animal Ethics

   • The BPS has produced a document called 'Guidelines for Psychologists Working with Animals'.
   • The American Psychological Association (APA) provides the list of guidelines for psychologists researching with animals using the experimental method.
   • The APA and the BPS have similar standards.

4. Animal Research

   • Pavlov's (1927) work with dogs. Pavlov and his colleagues used apparatus to catch the dog's saliva, which was invasive. Pavlov used evolution ideas to say that findings from animals could be generalised to humans and were justifiable using a cost-benefit analysis.
   • Skinner's 'superstitious pigeons' (1948), he used eight pigeons, which is a low number and might therefore be seen to adhere to the requirement of not using a lot of animals in a study. However, he starved the pigeons to an extent, which could be against the guidelines.