Flashcards
7. Ethical Considerations
Cards in this deck (21)
- 1How decisions are made in Psychological studiesDecision-making in Psychological studies are based on the code of conduct. Within this, variable factors are involved such as the particular circumstances, the prevailing law, the cultural context, the likely consequences and the feelings clouding the judgment.
- 2Name four ethical principles, according to the BPS code of conductRespect
Competence
Responsibility
Integrity - 3BPS: Respect1. Respect: Psychologists value the dignity and worth of all persons, with sensitivity to the dynamics of perceived authority or influence over clients, and with particular regard to people’s rights including those of privacy and self determination.
• Respect the individual, the cultural and role differences
• The knowledge, the insight, and expertise of clients
• Abide with professionalism to record, and letter keeping
• Confidentiality and when there is a need to breach it
• Consent - 4BPS: Competence1. Competence: Psychologists value the continuing development and maintenance of high standards of competence in their professional work, and the importance of preserving their ability to function optimally within the recognized limits of their knowledge, skill, training, education and experience.
• Maintain comprehensive awareness of professional issues (including the Code)
• Ethical decision making (peers, supervision, legal matters)
• Recognize the limits of competence
• Reflection (recognizing own impairment) - 5BPS: Responsibility1. Responsibility: Psychologists value their responsibilities to clients, to the general public, and to the profession and science of Psychology including the avoidance of harm and the prevention of misuse or abuse of their contributions to society.
• Avoid harm (clients and selves)
• Avoid misconduct (BPS standards)
• Protect research participants through informed consent, informing participants of any issues arising and offering referral, and the standard of debriefing - 6BPS: Integrity1. Integrity: Psychologists value honesty, accuracy, clarity, and fairness in their interactions with all persons, and seek to promote integrity in all facets of their scientific and professional endeavors.
• Honest and accurate qualifications, representing professional affiliations and skills (to avoid unrealistic expectations)
• Avoid conflicts of interest (relationships, power, awareness of multiple relationships)
• Maintaining personal boundaries
• Standard of addressing ethical misconduct - 7Points from The Code of Human Research Ethics (2014)1. Respect for the autonomy, privacy and dignity of individuals and communities
2. Scientific integrity
3. Social responsibility
4. Maximizing benefit and minimizing harm - 8Name the seven principles from the APA Ethical GuidelinesCompetence
Integrity
Professional and scientific responsibility
Respect for people's rights and dignity
Concern for other's welfare
Social responsibility
Planning of research - 9APA: Competence, integrity, professional and scientific responsibility1. Competence: Recognizing boundaries of competencies, limits of expertise and ongoing education.
2. Integrity: Remaining honest in the science, teaching and practice of psychology while remaining honest, fair and respectful of others.
3. Professional and scientific responsibility: Upholding professional standards of conduct and accepting appropriate responsibility for one’s behavior. - 10APA: Respect for people's rights and dignity, concern for others' welfare1. Respect for people’s rights and dignity: Avoiding treating people in a biased manner and respecting their basic human rights to privacy, self-determination and autonomy.
2. Concern for other’s welfare: Psychologists are expected to contribute to the welfare of those with whom they interact professionally and to not exploit or mislead other people during professional relationships. - 11APA: Social responsibility, planning of research1. Social responsibility: Applying and making public one’s knowledge of psychology in order to contribute to human welfare.
2. Planning of research: Ethical considerations are central to the planning of the study. The basic problem is to weight the scientific value and the degree of intrusion on participants. It is important to consult ethical committees and receive their approval. - 12Example study with poor ethical conduct- Milgram (1963) examined justifications for acts of genocide offered by those accused in World War II. Their defense was often based on ‘obedience’ – that they were just following orders from their superiors.
- In this experiment, participants believed that they were shocking an innocent and terribly suffering victim. When the learner did not learn much he appeared to experience great pain and wanted to end the learning session (screaming, hitting against the wall). The purpose of this study was to find out whether teachers would still continue to deliver shocks of increasing voltage.
- In Milgram’s study participants were completely deceived. There was sharp criticism towards this study, since participants were exposed to extreme stress, possible long-term adverse effects of self-esteem and a high degree of deception.
- The study could potentially have adverse effects not only on the participant but also on the reputation of psychology. - 13Another example study with poor ethical conduct- Syphilis is an STD caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and spreads through direct contact with sores or is passed from mother to infant. The first couple of stages involve sores and skin rashes. Then syphilis remains in the body and begins to damage the internal organs. The consequences of this include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, dementia and even death.
- From 1932 to 1972 a longitudinal study was conducted in Macon county, Alabama.
- 399 men with syphilis were compared to 201 uninfected men. All participants were African American.
- Participants were promised free treatments for “bad blood”. They were not told they had syphilis. This was even though by 1947, Penicillin was the treatment choice of syphilis. - 14Explain the concept of 'deception'- Deception: Leading participants to believe that something other than the true independent variable is involved or withholding information such that the reality of the investigative situation is masked or distorted; it contradicts the principle of informed consent.
- 15Explain the concept of 'debriefing'- Debriefing: Informing participants about the full nature and rationale of the study they have experienced and attempting to reverse any negative influence.
This depends on the degree of deception…
… and may involve some more deception (“you did very well…”) - 16Stress and discomfort, and how to deal with it- Guarantee the safety of participants
- Protect them from harm or discomfort
- Not all stress arises from deception, for example…
… exposure to violent or pornographic film sequences
… sensory deprivation studies (hallucinations, delusions) - 17Pain and discomfort, and how to deal with it- Pain, hunger, thirst etc. with aversive conditioning as a treatment
- The procedure should be terminated when discomfort levels are higher than expected or the participant is disturbed to an unacceptable level - 18The nature of VOLUNTEERING as participantsParticipants are volunteers
- Informed consent of research participants should be communicated in a language that is understandable to participants
- Full information about the expected level of discomfort (if any) should be communicated. The voluntary nature of participation should be emphasized
- Participants should be reminded of their right to withdraw at any point in the procedure
- This includes a right of non-participation - 19Potential issues with informed consent- Being able to think clearly and be in control of and responsible for actions. But how does it work for:
Children?
Detained individuals?
Medical records?
Internet / forums?
- Sometimes there is a need to deceive (e.g. obedience, social roles…)
- Be aware of the power of the investigator
- Involuntary participation, e.g. in a field study in which one takes part without agreement or knowledge of the study
- Confidentiality and privacy: Guaranteeing anonymity as long as there are no dangers to human life - 20What does scientific fraud imply?1. Falsifying data
2. Plagiarism: Taking the ideas of someone else and claiming them as one’s own. Always acknowledge the ideas of others!
3. Being skeptical: If it sounds too good to be true… - 21List animal research guidelines1. Knowledge to be gained must justify the procedure
2. Use the smallest possible number of animals
3. Ensure species-specific care for animals (caging, procedures causing discomfort)
4. Use no members of endangered species if possible. If so, conduct a naturalistic study
5. Researchers must be familiar with the technical aspect of anesthesia, pharmacological compounds, etc.
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- Psychology 2A (Research Planning and Design) Flashcards on 7. Ethical Considerations, created by Nina Olsson on 24/07/2018.
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