Ethical Issues in the Conduct of Psychological Research – Key Vocabulary

A vocabulary set covering major ethical concepts, committees, protections, and guidelines relevant to conducting psychological research responsibly.

APA Ethics Code

The set of ethical guidelines that applies to all psychologists (including students) and governs research, therapy, teaching, and administration, helping them solve ethical dilemmas.

Ethical Standards

Specific rules within the APA Ethics Code that outline acceptable professional conduct in areas such as research, therapy, teaching, and administration.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee that evaluates research proposals involving human participants to protect their rights and welfare before the study begins.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A committee that reviews research involving animals to safeguard their welfare, housing, and care.

Risk/Benefit Ratio

A subjective evaluation weighing the potential costs (risks) of a study against its anticipated benefits to participants, society, researchers, and institutions.

Minimal Risk

The level of harm or discomfort in a study that is no greater than what individuals ordinarily encounter in daily life or routine tests.

At Risk

A status describing research participants exposed to harm greater than minimal risk, requiring heightened protections and possibly alternative methods.

Physical Injury

Bodily harm that may occur to participants during a study (e.g., pain, illness, or physical side effects).

Psychological Injury

Mental or emotional stress or trauma that participants might experience during research.

Social Injury

Negative social consequences such as embarrassment or damaged reputation that may result from participation in a study.

Confidentiality

An ethical obligation to protect participants’ identifying information and report findings only in aggregate, without revealing individual data.

Anonymity

A condition in which no identifying information is collected, making it impossible to link data to specific participants (different from confidentiality).

Informed Consent

A written or verbal agreement in which participants are fully informed about a study’s nature, procedures, risks, and their right to withdraw without penalty.

Assent

The agreement of individuals (e.g., children or mentally impaired persons) who cannot legally provide consent but express willingness to participate, obtained alongside guardian consent.

Privacy

The right of individuals to decide how personal information about them is collected, used, and communicated to others.

Deception

The intentional withholding of information or presentation of misinformation to participants; ethically permissible only when justified, unavoidable, and followed by debriefing.

Debriefing

A post-study explanation in which researchers reveal the true purpose of the research, clarify any deception, and address participants’ questions or concerns.

Research with Animals

Scientific investigations that use non-human subjects, requiring justification of any pain or discomfort and adherence to APA and IACUC standards.

Publication Credit

Ethical practice of fairly acknowledging all who contributed significantly to a research project, with authorship based on scholarly importance.

Plagiarism

Presenting another person’s ideas, words, or work as one’s own; includes copying, inadequate paraphrasing, or failing to cite sources.

Ethical Compliance

The ongoing process of ensuring that all phases of research adhere to ethical guidelines; required for work submitted to APA journals.

Steps for Ethical Decision Making

A structured approach: find the facts, identify ethical issues, consider what is at stake, explore alternatives, weigh implications, and decide on an action.

Alternative Methods

Lower-risk procedures or designs that can answer the research question without exposing participants to unnecessary harm.

Gatekeeper

An individual or authority at a research site who grants researchers access while helping protect participants’ interests.

Conflict of Interest

A situation in which personal, financial, or professional considerations may compromise or appear to compromise a researcher’s objectivity.

Reciprocity

The ethical practice of giving something back to participants or communities (e.g., feedback, resources) instead of merely extracting data.

Composite Profiles

Fictitious or combined descriptions used in qualitative reports to protect participant identities while conveying rich detail.

Institutional Approval

Formal permission from colleges, universities, or other organizations to conduct research within their jurisdiction.

Authorship Order

The sequence of authors listed on a publication, reflecting the relative scholarly contributions of each researcher.

Data Security

The safeguarding of raw data and materials—often for at least five years—through secure storage methods to protect confidentiality and integrity.