Ethical Issues

What is the purpose of Ethics

• conflict between participant rights and researcher needs

• implications for safety and wellbeing of participant

What are the Ethics

• confidential

• deception

• informed consent

• protection from harm

• debrief

• right to withdraw

Confidentiality

• participants should control information about themselves

• if not possible, confidentiality should be maintained

How to deal with Confidentiality

• use pseudonyms, numbers or initials

• only be observed in public areas

Deception

• deliberately misleading or withholding information at any stage

• prevents demand characteristics and informed consent

How to deal with Deception

• at the end of the study participants receive a full debrief

• made aware of the true aims of the study and right to withdraw

Informed Consent

• making participants aware of the true aims of the research, procedures, their rights and what their data will be used for

• happens at the start of the study

How to deal with Informed Consent

• participants sign a consent form before taking part

• details all relevant information

• if under 16, parental consent is required

Protection from Harm

• participants should leave in the same they entered in

• not subjected to physical or psychological harm

• includes embarrassment, stress or being under pressure

How to deal with Protection from Harm

• leave in the same state they entered in

• if distressed or uncomfortable offer right to withdraw

• debriefed after the study and offered counselling if necessary

Debrief

• post-research interview

• designed to inform participants of the true nature of the study

• restore them to their pre-study state

Right to Withdraw

• participants can stop participating in a study if they are uncomfortable

• refuse usage of their data

• especially important if informed consent wasn’t given

• informed of this right before the study

3 Types of Consent

• prior general consent

• retroactive consent

• presumptive consent

Prior General Consent

• participants give general consent to take part in a number of studies

• includes one that involves deception

• given consent to be deceived

• BUT they might feel different in the actual study

Retroactive Consent

• participants are asked for consent during the debrief after the study

• sometimes they may not know they participated in a study

• BUT still being deceived

Presumptive Consent

• a similar group of people are asked if the study is acceptable

• if they agree then consent from actual participants is presumed

• BUT they are not the same to the participants