PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS

1. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Ethical Guidelines The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

2. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Consent from participants should always be sought. For persons under the age of 16, parental consent should be sought. If this is not possible, the ethics committee should be consulted. Participants should be made fully aware of what the experiment involves. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

3. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Deception is unacceptable if it is likely that participants would be uneasy about the deception when they are debriefed. Unintentional deception should always be avoided. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

4. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Debriefing should enlighten the participants, after the experiment, as to their complete understanding of the experiment. Full debriefing should be achieved before the participants leave the research setting. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

5. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Participants should be made aware that they can withdraw from an experiment at any time. They should also be allowed to withdraw retrospectively, their data being removed from the sample. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

6. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Experimental data should be confidential subject to the constraints of the data protection act and other legislation. If confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, participants should be warned in advance. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

7. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Investigators have a responsibility to protect participants from physical and mental harm. Investigators should enquire about any pre-existing medical conditions that participants might have. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

8. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Investigators should respect the privacy and well-being of participants. Participants should only be observed when they are in a place where they might expect to observed by strangers. Local cultural differences should be taken into account. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Another culture might find something that seems quite normal to us, unacceptable Giving advice Colleagues

9. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent If, during an investigation, the investigator finds evidence that a participant has a psychological problem, the investigator should recommend an appropriate source of professional advice. He should do the same if advice is solicited from the participant. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues

10. PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent Any psychologist, aware that a collaborator, assistant, student or employee is not following the guidelines, should encourage that person to re-evaluate their research. Deception Debriefing Withdrawal Confidentiality Protection Observation Giving advice Colleagues