Ethical Guidelines in Psychology
Ethical guidelines in psychology are a set of principles and standards that psychologists are expected to follow in their professional practice. These guidelines are designed to protect the well-being and rights of research participants, clients, and the public, and to ensure that psychologists conduct their work with integrity and respect for diversity. Adhering to ethical guidelines is essential for maintaining the trust and credibility of the field of psychology.
7 Key excerpts on "Ethical Guidelines in Psychology"
eBook - ePubLaboratory Psychology
A Beginner's Guide
- Julia Nunn, Julia Nunn(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Psychology Press(Publisher)
...Washington, DC. Copyright © 1973 and 1982, APA. Reprinted with permission. (The APA cautions that the 1990 Ethical principles of psychologists are no longer current and that the guidelines and information provided in the 1973 and 1982 Ethical principles in the conduct of research with human participants are not enforceable as such by the APA Ethics code of 1992, but may be of educative value to psychologists, courts, and professional bodies.) A separate set of guidelines for animal research exists; however, as this book is primarily concerned with practices relevant to cognitive psychology, they have been omitted. As Kimmel (1996) has noted, few of the statements contained within the guidelines consist of absolute prohibitions. In most cases, the APA has clearly adopted a policy that emphasises the weighing of considerations that maximise benefits relative to costs (cost-benefit assessment). As a consequence, considerable thought and consideration on the part of the investigator is still required before ethical solutions may be reached. Although it is probably fair to say that the guidelines for psychological research provide a reasonable framework within which researchers can analyse ethical issues, ethical dilemmas are not solved simply by reading such guidelines! The next section provides a commentary on some methodological issues provoked by the core components of ethical guidelines. Translating ethical principles into valid research methods Informed consent and deception Informed consent means that the participants must be forewarned about those aspects of the research that may have detrimental effects. It is considered by many as the central norm governing the relationship between the investigator and the research participant. Although participants are not usually misled as to the nature of the experiences they will have during the experiment, they are however frequently misled as to the true purpose of the experiment...
eBook - ePub- Thomas M Heffernan(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Psychology Press(Publisher)
...5 Ethics in research DOI: 10.4324/9781315849430-5 This chapter highlights the major ethical considerations in research. Before carrying out a piece of research in psychology, there are a number of ethical considerations that a researcher must bear in mind when designing a study. Some brief notes on the subject are provided here, but for a full consideration of formal criteria on ethics in research the reader is referred to the British Psychological Society (BPS) (2009), Code of ethics and conduct on the BPS website or the American Psychological Association (APA) (2010), Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct on the APA website. Ethical issues in research are to do with the way you conduct your research – the rights and wrongs, as well as how you conduct yourself with regards to carrying out your research. Psychologists are expected to conduct themselves in line with ethical guidelines that are set by bodies like the BPS and the US equivalent the APA. Not only do you have a duty to protect the rights of the participants in your study, but also to protect the reputation of the discipline under which name you are studying, psychology. In most cases, given the types of research conducted by the majority of psychology students, the only ethical considerations you need to ensure are that your subjects have consented to their participation in the study and that they are fully debriefed. However, in some cases where there is a risk of harming or causing psychological distress, then the researcher needs to adhere to the guidelines. Here are some of the major ethical considerations for a researcher. Ethical considerations when testing humans Considering the welfare of your participants As a researcher you must ensure that the participants in your study are protected from physical harm or from suffering psychological harm as a result of your manipulation(s)...
eBook - ePub- Thomas G. Plante(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...They strive to help the public in developing informed judgments and choices concerning human behavior. In doing so, they perform many roles, such as researcher, educator, diagnostician, therapist, supervisor, consultant, administrator, social interventionist, and expert witness. This Ethics Code provides a common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build their professional and scientific work. This Ethics Code is intended to provide specific standards to cover most situations encountered by psychologists. It has as its goals the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom psychologists work and the education of members, students, and the public regarding ethical standards of the discipline. The development of a dynamic set of ethical standards for psychologists' work-related conduct requires a personal commitment and lifelong effort to act ethically; to encourage ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees, and colleagues; and to consult with others concerning ethical problems. General Principles This section consists of General Principles. General Principles, as opposed to Ethical Standards, are aspirational in nature. Their intent is to guide and inspire psychologists toward the very highest ethical ideals of the profession. General Principles, in contrast to Ethical Standards, do not represent obligations and should not form the basis for imposing sanctions. Relying upon General Principles for either of these reasons distorts both their meaning and purpose. Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence Psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm. In their professional actions, psychologists seek to safeguard the welfare and rights of those with whom they interact professionally and other affected persons, and the welfare of animal subjects of research...
- Glenn Hymel(Author)
- 2005(Publication Date)
- Mosby(Publisher)
...In the behavioral science realm, the American Psychological Association (APA, 2002) updated its Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct to include ethical standards in 10 areas. This most recent document is available at www.apa.org/ethics. Standard 8 in the APA ethical guidelines relates to the conduct of research with human participants and is excerpted in Box B-1. BOX B-1 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION’S ETHICAL STANDARD 8 FOR THE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH WITH HUMAN PARTICIPANTS From American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060–1073. 8.01 Institutional Approval When institutional approval is required, psychologists provide accurate information about their research proposals and obtain approval prior to conducting the research. They conduct the research in accordance with the approved research protocol. 8.02 Informed Consent to Research (a) When obtaining informed consent as required in Standard 3.10, Informed Consent, psychologists inform participants about (1) the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures; (2) their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once participation has begun; (3) the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing; (4) reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects; (5) any prospective research benefits; (6) limits of confidentiality; (7) incentives for participation; and (8) whom to contact for questions about the research and research participants’ rights. They provide opportunity for the prospective participants to ask questions and receive answers...
eBook - ePub- Philip Banyard, Cara Flanagan(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Ethical principles and guidelines 3 What this chapter will teach you The code of conduct developed by the British Psychological Society Limitations of using ethical principles to resolve complex issues To recognize some moral issues not covered in ethical principles and guidelines Milgram was a good guy This chapter is about how psychology deals with ethical issues by trying to develop principles and guidelines for psychologists to follow. A lot of time is put into ethics and, on the surface at least, psychologists take ethics very seriously. The problem comes with the interpretation of the principles and the clash of interests that can occur. In this chapter we will look at these problems and try to unpick some of the complexities in the discussion. The first thing we must do is to examine a code of practice. We will then go on to consider what other principles could or should have been included, and what happens when psychologists break these principles. What are ethical principles and guidelines? Ethical principles are intended to be a guide for individuals on how to behave in situations that raise ethical issues. One of the minor problems to clear up is the use of terms such as guidelines and principles. We have already written about this in Chapter 1 and tried to suggest a distinction between all the terms. Unfortunately, as we pointed out, the different organizations use the terms in different ways. Try not to get too confused or worried about the distinctions between ‘principles’ and ‘guidelines’; the important thing is the argument rather than the definitions. The British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct The British Psychological Society (BPS), like many psychological societies, has published a set of ethical principles with guidance on how psychologists should interpret these. The most recent revision of the principles was published by the BPS in 2009 and you can read them in full on their website (see end of chapter)...
eBook - ePubSuccessful Research Projects
A Step-by-Step Guide
- Bernard C. Beins(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
...Chapter 3 Acting Ethically in Your Research In this chapter you will learn about… Ethical Principles and Standards of the American Psychological Association Federal Regulations in the United States Important Ethical Issues in Psychological Research Preparing for Evaluation by Your Institutional Review Board Commonly Requested Information for IRB Proposals M ost people, researchers included, act responsibly and ethically most of the time. Nonetheless, there have been enough instances of questionable research in the past century that governments have found it necessary to establish formal guidelines and to pass laws regulating research. Most of the famous instances of ethically troublesome research have not involved psychology. The two psychological cases frequently cited are Stanley Milgram’s obedience studies (Milgram, 1974) and Philip Zimbardo’s prison studies (Zimbardo, 1973). The American Psychological Association (APA) actually investigated Milgram regarding the ethics of his research when he applied to become a member. APA concluded that Milgram had not committed ethical breaches. Both of these famous cases occurred about four decades ago. It is hard to believe that there have been no serious cases hidden within the psychological literature since then, but if you look in psychology journals, you will see that most research is fairly benign with respect to potential harm to participants or subjects. Ethical Principles and Standards of the American Psychological Association APA first developed ethical principles for its members over half a century ago (American Psychological Association, 1953). The ethics code has undergone periodic revision several times since then, with a revision in 2002 (American Psychological Association, 2002) and an update in 2010 (2010 Amendments, 2010)...
eBook - ePub- Ian Fairholm(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Bloomsbury Academic(Publisher)
...The use of the Internet, for example, as both a research object and a medium for data collection, has developed significantly since the 1990s, and in a relatively short space of time the range of methodologies used and topics addressed by Internet-based research has increased greatly (Bell & Kennedy, 1999). Internet-based research is just one example of how psychological research can change dramatically over time and can throw up new ethical issues and challenges that might not even have been contemplated in earlier times. Definition of ethics Of course ethical issues are not unique to psychology. The term ‘ethics’ refers to a very broad range of topics and areas but can basically be considered to refer to a series of rules and guidelines that are useful and important when carrying out interactions with people and animals. As with most issues and debates within psychology, the origins of the consideration of ethical issues can be found within philosophy. Philosophers have considered, over the course of many centuries, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, equality and justice, and they have also sought answers to questions such as ‘What does it mean to live a good life?’ Many of these concepts and questions are not really directly appropriate to the field of psychology, but ethical issues are not just a series of philosophical quandaries – applied ethics is a discipline within philosophy that is specifically interested in how theoretical ethical issues apply to real-life situations. Psychology is involved with a number of real-life situations that raise ethical issues, and these mainly relate to the duty of care that psychologists have, whether to patients or clients in the case of clinical psychologists or psychotherapists, or to participants or subjects in the case of psychological research...
