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examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Ethical Issues in Research
Ethics are the moral principles that guide our behaviour. In psychology research, ethics are super important because we're studying real people with real feelings. Researchers need to make sure they don't harm participants physically or psychologically while still gathering useful data.
Key Definitions:
Ethics protect participants from harm, maintain the reputation of psychology as a science and ensure research findings are trustworthy. Without ethical guidelines, researchers might be tempted to do whatever it takes to get results!
The British Psychological Society (BPS) provides ethical guidelines that all UK psychologists should follow. These guidelines help researchers design studies that balance scientific value with participant welfare.
Before taking part in research, participants need to understand what they're getting into. Informed consent means researchers must explain:
Participants then sign a consent form to show they understand and agree to take part.
Some groups can't give fully informed consent, like children or people with certain disabilities. In these cases, researchers need permission from parents/guardians or may need to adapt their approach. This is called "assent" rather than consent.
Sometimes telling participants the true purpose of a study would change how they behave, ruining the results. In these cases, researchers might use deception – not telling the whole truth or even misleading participants.
Deception can make participants feel tricked or embarrassed. It can damage trust in psychology and researchers. It also takes away participants' right to give truly informed consent.
Deception might be acceptable if:
• The research is important
• There's no other way to get valid results
• The deception won't cause distress
• Participants are fully debriefed afterwards
After the study, researchers should fully explain the research to participants, including any deception used. This is called debriefing. Good debriefing:
Researchers must ensure participants don't experience physical or psychological harm. This includes:
Avoiding any procedures that could cause pain, injury or discomfort. Making sure the research environment is safe.
Avoiding causing stress, anxiety, embarrassment or other negative emotions. Being sensitive to potentially upsetting topics.
Considering any possible long-term effects of participation and taking steps to prevent lasting negative impacts.
Participants must be told they can leave the study at any time without penalty. They should also be able to ask for their data to be removed after participating. This right protects participants who find the research uncomfortable or distressing.
Researchers must protect participants' personal information. This means:
In 1963, Stanley Milgram studied how far people would go in obeying an authority figure who instructed them to harm another person. Participants were told to give electric shocks to a "learner" (actually an actor) when they made mistakes. Many participants continued to the highest voltage despite hearing cries of pain.
Ethical issues: Participants experienced extreme stress and weren't told the true purpose. They couldn't truly withdraw once the study began. However, Milgram did debrief participants afterwards and followed up with them.
Today, this study would not be approved under current ethical guidelines, showing how ethical standards have evolved.
Sometimes there's tension between doing good research and being completely ethical. Researchers have to balance:
Research should contribute meaningful knowledge to psychology. Sometimes the most valuable studies involve some ethical compromises, like minor deception.
The welfare of participants must always be a priority. No research finding is worth causing serious harm or distress to participants.
Researchers and ethics committees weigh up the potential benefits of research against possible risks to participants. They consider:
Before conducting research, psychologists must get approval from an ethics committee (sometimes called an Institutional Review Board or IRB). These committees review research proposals to ensure they meet ethical standards.
New technologies create new ethical issues. For example, online research raises questions about data security and truly informed consent. Social media research may use publicly available data, but users might not expect their posts to be studied. Psychologists continue to develop guidelines for these new situations.
When evaluating psychological research, you should consider these questions:
Remember that ethical standards change over time. Studies that were acceptable in the past might not be approved today. This doesn't necessarily make the research worthless, but we should view it with an understanding of how ethical thinking has evolved.
In exams, you might be asked to evaluate studies based on their ethics. Always consider both sides – what ethical issues exist AND whether they were justified given the importance of the research. Use specific terminology like "informed consent," "deception," and "right to withdraw."
Ethics aren't just rules to follow – they're about respecting participants as people with rights and feelings. Good research balances scientific goals with ethical treatment. As psychology evolves, so do our ethical standards, reflecting our growing understanding of how research affects participants.
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