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Ethics - Coggle Diagram
Ethics
Informed Consent
Definition
Participants must be given comprehensive information about the nature and purpose of the research and their role so they can make an informed decision.
Researcher
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May cause participants to guess the aims and change their behaviours so researchers might not want to do this.
Participants
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This is a basic human right established during the Nuremberg War Trial (Nasi doctors). It needs to be in a way that participants understand and shows the benefits and risks of the study to them.
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Privacy
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Researcher
It may be difficult to avoid invasion of privacy when studying participants without awareness such as in a field experiment.
Participants
They don't expect to be observed by others in certain situations such as at home but they may expect it in other situations like at a park.
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Right to withdraw
Definition
Participants can leave the study if they are not comfortable in any way. This is especially important where it is not possible to give fully informed consent.
Researcher
If participants leave, this will bias the results as the ones who stayed are likely to be more obedient etc.
Participants
It is important because if they start to feel uncomfortable or distressed they should be able to leave especially if they have been deceived about the aims.
Even if they gave informed consent, the actual experience may be different so they should be able to withdraw.
Sometimes the right to withdraw is compromised with payment or rewards (psychology students are often given university credits) but this may make them feel less able to withdraw.
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Deception
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Researcher
It can be necessary to deceive participants about the true aims of the study in order to prevent them changing their behaviour which effects the legitimacy of the study.
There is a difference between withholding some details which is reasonably acceptable and deliberately providing false information which is less acceptable.
Participants
It is unethical - the researcher should not deceive anyone without good cause and prevents them giving informed consent so they may participate without understanding and could become distressed by the situation.
It can lead people to see psychologists as untrustworthy. Some participants might not want to take part in future studies.
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Confidentiality
Definition
Concerns the communication of personal information from one person to another, and the trust that the information will be protected.
Researcher
It may be difficult to protect confidentiality if they wish to publish their findings. The research may guarantee anonymity but it could still be obvious who was involved in the study.
Participants
Data Protection Act makes confidentiality a legal right. It means data can only be shared in a form that does not identify the participant.