Ethical guidelines and practices for psychological research

Protection from Harm

Protects participants from psychological and physical harm. If unexpected distress occurs, researchers must provide support and ensure participants' well-being.

Informed Consent

Must obtain written consent from each participant. If participants are under the age of 18 years old or unable to leagally give consent a parent or guardian should complete consent forms

Withdrawal Rights

Participants' right to withdraw from a study at any time without facing consequences.

Deception

Avoid deceiving participants about the nature of research. Is only permissable where giving participants information about an experiment might influence their behaviour

Confidentiality

Information collected during the research is protected and remains private

Privacy

Only collecting personal information relevant to the study

Voluntary Participation

Participants must be willing to take part in the experiment. Must not experience pressure or coercion to participate

Debriefing

Participants must always be debriefed. Must correct any mistaken attitudes and beliefs and explain any deception. Must provide additional support

Replacement

Achieve without the use of animals or with non - scientific animals

Reduction

The use of fewer animals in scientific procedure

Refinement

Minimise potential pain and distress, and enhance animal wellbeing

Approval of research proposal

In terms of approving the research proposal the committee may approve it outright or approve it with modification or reject it.

Monitoring the process

Monitoring the conditions of approval to protect the rights, welfare and safety of participants. Conduct random inspections of data, researchers and research sites

Monitoring the data management

How are we storing personal information and consent forms? Ensuring information is protected. After research is finished data is stored on a memory stick (with password)

Investigating complaints

Unethical practices coming from researchers