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Ethics in Psychological Research

Ethical Foundation

Why this matters

Ethics in psychological research ensures the dignity, rights, and welfare of participants are protected. Ethical guidelines help prevent harm and guide researchers in responsible conduct.

Core Ethical Principles

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Respect for Persons

Participants should be treated as autonomous agents capable of making informed decisions.
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Beneficence

Research should maximise benefits and minimise harm.
⚖️

Justice

Fairness in participant selection, avoiding exploitation.

Key Ethical Issues Checklist

1

INFORMED CONSENT

Participants should be given comprehensive information about the study’s aims, procedures, risks, and their rights before agreeing to participate.
2

PROTECTION FROM HARM

Physical and psychological harm must be avoided. If risks exist, they must be disclosed in advance and minimised.
3

CONFIDENTIALITY

Participants’ data should be kept confidential and stored securely. Anonymity means participant identities are not linked to data.
4

DEBRIEFING

After participation, fully explain the study’s purpose, procedures, and any deception used.

Managing Deception

✅
Justification Sometimes used to prevent demand characteristics or maintain experimental validity. Must be justified by significant scientific value.
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Mandatory Rules Should not cause harm. Participants must be fully debriefed afterwards.

Right to Withdraw

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If I leave the study before it is finished, is my data automatically destroyed?
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Data collected before withdrawal may still be used with permission.

Ethical Review Process

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Institutional Oversight: Most institutions have research ethics committees (RECs) or institutional review boards (IRBs) that review proposals to ensure ethical standards are met.

Challenges Specific to Research Methods

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Experiments

Use of deception and manipulation of variables can pose ethical dilemmas.
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Observational Research

Issues of covert observation and informed consent.
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Qualitative Research

Managing personal data and researcher-participant relationships.

Researcher Compliance

✓

Guidelines and Codes

Professional bodies like the British Psychological Society (BPS) publish ethical codes guiding conduct. Researchers must stay up-to-date with evolving standards.
✓

Competence of Researchers

Researchers must have adequate training and awareness of ethical issues.
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Ethics in Psychological Research
Question
Primary Purpose of Ethics

What is the primary purpose of ethics in psychological research?

Answer
Purpose

To protect the dignity, rights, and welfare of research participants.

Question
Core Ethical Principles

Name the three core ethical principles in psychological research.

Answer
Principles

Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice.

Question
Informed Consent

What does informed consent involve?

Answer
Definition

Providing participants with full information about the study and obtaining their voluntary agreement.

Question
Deception

Why might deception be used in psychological research?

Answer
Reason

To prevent demand characteristics or maintain experimental validity.

Question
Use of Deception

What must researchers do if deception is used?

Answer
Requirement

Justify it scientifically and fully debrief participants afterwards.

Question
Right to Withdraw

What is the right to withdraw?

Answer
Definition

Participants can leave the study at any time without penalty.

Question
Confidentiality vs Anonymity

What is the difference between confidentiality and anonymity?

Answer
Difference

Confidentiality means data is kept private; anonymity means participant identities are not linked to data.

Question
Research Ethics Committees (RECs)/IRBs

What role do research ethics committees (RECs) or IRBs play?

Answer
Role

They review and approve research proposals to ensure ethical standards are met.

Question
Beneficence

What is beneficence in research ethics?

Answer
Definition

Maximizing benefits and minimizing harm to participants.

Question
Handling Vulnerable Populations

How should researchers handle vulnerable populations?

Answer
Approach

By applying additional protections and considerations, such as extra consent procedures.

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🧠 Psychology Ethics Quiz

1. What is the main reason for obtaining informed consent in psychological research?

Informed consent ensures participants understand the study and agree voluntarily, protecting their autonomy.

2. Participants can be forced to stay in a study once it has begun.
(True or False)

Participants have the right to withdraw at any time without penalty.

3. Which of the following is NOT a core ethical principle in psychological research?

Confidentiality is an important ethical issue but not one of the core principles; the core principles are Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice.

4. Why is deception sometimes justified in experiments?

Deception is used only when necessary to avoid bias and maintain validity, and must be ethically justified and followed by debriefing.

5. What must researchers do after conducting a study involving deception?
(Short Answer)

Researchers must fully debrief participants, explaining the purpose and nature of the deception used.

📊 Results

  • Notes and Quiz
  • Psychology
  • A Level
  • Mental Health
  • OCR