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Ethical issues in psychology

Ethical issues in psychology. www.psychlotron.org.uk. Focus on the important questions: Why are ethics important? What are the issues? What is and isn’t acceptable? How should we make ethical judgements? Avoid writing essays about how naughty Milgram & Zimbardo were

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Ethical issues in psychology

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  1. Ethical issues in psychology www.psychlotron.org.uk • Focus on the important questions: • Why are ethics important? • What are the issues? • What is and isn’t acceptable? • How should we make ethical judgements? • Avoid writing essays about how naughty Milgram & Zimbardo were • Use the studies to illustrate your discussion of the issues

  2. Why are ethics important? www.psychlotron.org.uk • A number of reasons including: • Moral obligation to society • Professional values (‘amelioration of the human condition’) • Image of the discipline and profession • Practical reasons e.g. getting participants

  3. What are the issues? www.psychlotron.org.uk • Research practices that threaten (directly or indirectly) the well-being of the participants e.g.: • Informed consent (lack of) • Deception • Risk of harm (physical/psychological) • Confidentiality & privacy (threats to)

  4. Ethical perspectives www.psychlotron.org.uk • Deontological • The correctness of an action lies in itself, not its consequences • E.g. lying is always wrong, even if it produces a good outcome • Teleological • The correctness of an action is determined by its intended consequences • E.g. lying is good if it is done for the ‘right’ reasons (like protecting a person from harm)

  5. Ethical Perspectives www.psychlotron.org.uk • Utilitarian • A form of teleological ethics • The moral correctness of an action is determined by its consequences for society as a whole • “The greatest good for the greatest number” • Psychological researchers usually take a utilitarian view, but with certain absolute prohibitions

  6. Making ethical decisions www.psychlotron.org.uk • Where ethical problems arise, a cost-benefit analysis is often applied, where: • Costs are the (potentially) negative consequences of the research – usually for the PPs involved (NB: SSR) • Benefits are the (potentially) positive consequences of the research for the PPs or (more usually) for society

  7. Cost-benefit analysis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Provides a framework for making ethical decisions • Involves subjective judgements about costs and benefits • Consequences cannot always be anticipated e.g. Zimbardo, Milgram

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