ETHICS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Ethics refers to the correct rules of conduct necessary when carrying out research.
Psychology researchers and psychologists have a moral responsibility to protect research
participants from harm.
Informed Consent

• Before the study begins, the researcher must outline to the participants what the
research is about and then ask for their consent, i.e., permission, to participate.
• An adult (18 years +) capable of being permitted to participate in a study can provide
consent. Parents/legal guardians of minors can also provide consent to allow their
children to participate in a study.
• Whenever possible, investigators should obtain the consent of participants. In
practice, this means it is not sufficient to get potential participants to say “Yes.”
• The psychologist should explain what is involved in advance and obtain the informed
consent of participants.
• Informed consent must be informed, voluntary, and rational. Participants must be
given relevant details to make an informed decision, including the purpose,
procedures, risks, and benefits. Consent must be given voluntarily without any
forcing.
• In order for consent to be ‘informed,’ consent forms may need to be accompanied by
an information sheet for participants’ setting out information about the proposed study
(in lay terms), along with details about the investigators and how they can be
contacted.
Debrief

• After the research is over, the participant should be able to discuss the procedure and
the findings with the psychologist. They must be given a general idea of what the
researcher was investigating and why, and their part in the research should be
explained.
• Participants must be told if they have been deceived and given reasons why. They
must be asked if they have any questions, which should be answered honestly and as
fully as possible.
• The purpose of debriefing is to remove any misconceptions and anxieties that the
participants have about the research and to leave them with a sense of dignity,
knowledge, and a perception of time not wasted.
Deception

• Deception research involves purposely misleading participants or withholding

information that could influence their participation decision. This method is
controversial because it limits informed consent and autonomy, but can provide
otherwise unobtainable valuable knowledge.
 • The researcher should avoid deceiving participants about the nature of the research
unless there is no alternative – and even then, this would need to be judged acceptable
by an independent expert. However, some types of research cannot be carried out
without at least some element of deception.
• According to ethics codes, deception must have strong scientific justification, and
non-deceptive alternatives should not be feasible. Deception that causes significant
harm is prohibited.
• Participants should immediately be informed of the deception without compromising
the study’s integrity. Debriefing should explain the scientific rationale and social
benefits to minimize negative reactions.
• Types of deception include (i) deliberate misleading, e.g. using confederates, staged
manipulations in field settings, deceptive instructions; (ii) deception by omission, e.g.,
failure to disclose full information about the study, or creating ambiguity.
Confidentiality

• Participants and the data gained from them must be kept anonymous unless they give
their full consent. No names must be used in a lab report.
• Researchers must clearly describe to participants the limits of confidentiality and
methods to protect privacy. With internet research, threats exist like third-party data
access; security measures like encryption should be explained. For non-internet
research, other protections should be noted too, like coding systems and restricted
data access.
• Generally, reducing personal details collected and limiting accessibility safeguards
participants. Following strong confidentiality protections demonstrates respect for
persons in human subjects’ research.
No lasting harm

• Researchers must ensure that those participating in research will not be caused
distress. They must be protected from physical and mental harm. This means you
must not embarrass, frighten, offend or harm participants.
• Normally, the risk of harm must be no greater than in ordinary life, i.e., participants
should not be exposed to risks greater than or additional to those encountered in their
normal lifestyles.
• The researcher must also ensure that if vulnerable groups are to be used (elderly,
disabled, children, etc.), they must receive special care.
Competence of psychologists

• An incompetent psychologist can cause tremendous harm to the person who is

receiving their services. Psychologists are trained to handle various mental health
issues, and some even specialize in certain areas (substance abuse or family therapy).
• If a psychologist is not equipped to handle a particular case, they must refer the
patient out to another psychologist or clinician. Psychologists are also required to
demonstrate their competence by remaining licensed.
 • Licensing requirements included a certain amount of documented professional
development hours - failure to remain licensed means that a psychologist is operating
outside of the ethical grounds of the APA.
Humane care and use of animals in research

• Psychologists also study animals to find out about behaviour, often drawing
comparisons between what the animals do and what people might do under similar
conditions.
• Animals live shorter lives, so looking at long-term effects becomes much easier.
Animals are also easier to control-the scientist can control diet, living arrangements,
and even genetic relatedness.
• Animals also engage in much simpler behaviour than humans do, making it easier to
see the effects of manipulations. But the biggest reason that researchers use animals in
some research is that animals can be used in ways that researchers could never use
people.
• The value of the research and its benefits to humankind far outweigh the hazards to
which the research animals are exposed.
• There are also ethical considerations when dealing with animals in research, just as
there are with humans. With animals, though, the focus is on avoiding exposing them
to any unnecessary pain or suffering.
• If surgery is part of the study, it is done under anaesthesia.
• If the research animal must die for the effects of some drug or other treatment to be
examined in a necropsy (autopsy performed on an animal), the death must be
accomplished humanely.
• Animals are used in only about 7 percent of all psychological studies (Committee on
Animal Research and Ethics, 2004).
Plagiarism

• Plagiarism in research involves using another person’s ideas, data, words, or work
without proper attribution, leading to ethical and often legal violations.
• It can undermine the integrity of the research process, damage the credibility of the
researcher, and distort scientific progress. Here are some common types of plagiarism
in research:
1. Direct Plagiarism: Copying text verbatim without attribution or quotes.
2. Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one’s own previously published work without citation or
disclosure.
3. Mosaic Plagiarism: Paraphrasing or mixing phrases from multiple sources without
adequate acknowledgment.
4. Accidental Plagiarism: Unintentionally failing to cite sources properly, often due to
oversight or misunderstanding.
• Research institutions and journals usually require strict checks for originality. To
maintain ethical standards, researchers should use plagiarism detection tools, carefully
cite all sources, and follow ethical guidelines for authorship and contribution.