2.3 Ethical Issues in Research Design PDF

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Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding, 4e book notes...

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2.3 Ethical Issues in Research Design Tuesday, February 9, 2021

11:51 PM

Ethical Guidelines for Human Research • Every major American research college and university has at least one institutional review board ○ Institutional review board (IRBs): evaluates all research carefully with an eye toward protecting participants against abuses • Informed Consent ○ Informed consent: researchers must tell the subjects what they're getting into before asking them to participate ○ IRBs may occasionally allow researchers to forgo certain elements of informed consent § Some psychological research entails deception □ Milgram study: effects of punishment on learning □ Influence of authority figures on obedience □ Deception is only justified when: 1. Researchers couldn't have performed the study without the deception 2. The scientific knowledge to be gained from the study outweighs its costs ○ Research participants should be fully informed of the purpose of the research, its expected duration, and any potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects associated with it ○ Participants should enter the study voluntarily and be informed of their right to withdraw from it at any time ○ A contact who can answer questions about the research and the participant's right should be provided • Protection from harm and discomfort ○ Psychologists must take reasonable steps to avoid harm to research participants • Deception and Debriefing ○ When deceptive techniques are used in research, the

participants should be informed of the deception as soon as possible after the deception takes place ○ Participants should not be deceived about research procedures that may cause them physical pain or emotional distress ○ Once the research study has concluded, participants should not only be informed of the deception but fully debriefed about the true nature of the research • Debriefing: Educating Participants ○ Debriefing: the process whereby researchers inform participants what the study was about ○ By administering debriefing, the study becomes a learning experience for not only the investigator, but also the subject Ethical Issues in Animal Research • Invasive research: investigators cause physical harm to animals • Goal of this research is to generate ideas about how the brain relates to behavior in animals -- and how these findings generalize to humans -- without having to inflict harm on people • Ethical issues aren't easily resolved ○ Many question how well animal models of psychological and medical disorders translate to human conditions • Some animal research has contributed direct benefits to humans as well as useful knowledge in its own right • Without animal research we'd know relatively little about the psychology of the brain or how brain abnormalities are associated with risk for mental disorders • There are also few or no good alternatives to using animals • Animal researchers must weigh carefully on the potential scientific gain of their inquiries against the costs in death and suffering they produce...