2.5 - Ethics in Psychological Research

National Research Act (1974)

created the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

Set Common Rule, which requires federally funded investigators to obtain and document the informed consent of research subjects, and describes requirements for institutional review boards at unversities and hospitals to review research before it is conducted.

What does the Belmont Report (1979) identify? (3)

the rights of participants in research, including …

1) Respect for persons - Respect means that subjects enter into the research voluntarily and are given adequate information. If someone has a diminished ability to give consent (children, prisoners, mentally ill), take extra steps to protect that individual’s rights.

2) Beneficence - Treat people ethically by not only respecting their decisions and protecting them from harm but also making efforts to secure their well-being. First, do no harm, and second, maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harms.

3) Justice - important to distribute both the burdens and the benefits of research.

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Created to examine planned experiments to ensure the rights of the participant are preserved.

IRBs determine the risk– benefit analysis for the research.

confidentiality in studies

each researcher commits to offering every participant privacy and confidentiality so that their participation and the data they contribute to the research are not revealed to others outside of the research team, including their mere participation in the study.

informed consent

The process through which an experimenter describes the nature of study participation to the potential volunteer, including his or her right to withdraw at any time.

The participants can ask questions of the researcher, and the process concludes with signatures from the participants who decide to volunteer for that study.

When is consent not always needed for a study?

• Studies involving surveys alone

  • your willingness to answer a question indicates your consent to participate. But the researcher is obligated to remind you that you may choose not to answer any question at any time.

• Observational studies based on “public behavior” don’t require consent and can be used anonymously in any report.

Deception

To actively provide information to the participant that is untrue.

Level of deception allowed in studies

a standard has emerged: Is the experience one you may encounter within everyday life? It is possible you may hear swear words directed at you or have a palm reader tell you negative things about your future in the course of day-to-day living. These are types of events that may occur, most people are able to withstand the short-term stress caused by such studies.

With a study using deception, the Belmont regulations require …

provide a full debriefing following the study, through which the untrue information is revealed and the participants can ask any questions.

Debriefing

The process by which any deception used by researchers is fully disclosed to participants at the end of a study.

Controversy abt the strict nature of the Common Rule (3)

• the process is costly and time consuming.

• In most psychology studies, little or no risk is involved anyway.

• may mean that some studies of great benefit to society may never be conducted because they invoke ethically questionable procedures.

deception

To actively provide information to the participant that is untrue.

debriefing

To actively provide information to the participant that is untrue.

Stan is in a study in the subject pool in which the

experimenter seems to rush him through the tasks. As a

result, Stan started feeling uncomfortable. Stan should

know he has a right to:

A. demand more time.

B. stop the experiment.

C. take a break for as long as he needs.

D. complain to the experimenter.

B. Rationale: Stop the experiment; the participant can

decide to stop at any time.

Mackenzie agreed to take part in an experiment in which

she was asked to drink two glasses of beer over 30 minutes,

was given a blood test, and then was given a questionnaire.

When finished, she was not told the purpose of the

study, nor that the drinks had no alcohol. In this case, the

researchers:

A. failed to obtain informed consent.

B. violated Mackenzie’s right to privacy.

C. did not use an adequate debriefing procedure.

D. did not provide adequate protection from harm.

C

The process at the start of a study in which the

experimenter and participant discuss what will occur in

the session is called the:

A. introduction to the study.

B. formulation of hypothesis.

C. informed consent process.

D. warm-up session.

C