Ethics 101 In the main culled from Rosenthal and Rosnow (1991, 2 nd Ed.). Essentials of behavioral research: Methods and data analysis (Chapt. 11)

The rights and wrongs of it Two views of morality 1)Consequentialist view “an action is right or wrong depending on its consequences” 2)Deontological view “certain actions are categorically wrong no matter what the consequences”

Active Deception Deception by commission 1)Misrepresentation of the purpose of the investigation 2)Untrue statements about the identity of the researcher 3)False promises 4)Violation of the promise of anonymity 5)Incorrect explanations of equipment and procedures 6)Use of confederates 7)Use of placebos and secret application of medications and drugs

Passive Deception Deception by omission 1)Concealed observation 2)Provocation and secret recording of negatively evaluated behaviour 3)Unrecognised participant observation 4)Use of projective techniques and other personality test 5)Unrecognised conditioning of subjects’ behaviours

Deception May be both kinds of deception can be faulted but may be best approached in terms of the consequentialist approach ethics. Not deception so much but whether or not it is harmful deception. It is possible harm to subjects that we are trying to avoid. Is it okay to mask a schizotypy scale as measuring personal reactions? Is it okay to inform subjects that they are abnormal on a test even though they are within the normal range? Must gauge whether the deception is worth the pay off of increased knowledge

Deception The importance of debriefing “A good rule is that the subject ought not to leave the laboratory with greater anxiety or lower self-esteem than he(/she) came in with” Three steps seem necessary:- 1)A careful debriefing immediately after the subject’s participation 2)A clear explanation of why deception was necessary 3)An expression of regret for the necessary use of deception

Nuremberg Code 1)Voluntary consent of the human subject is required 2)The subject must be fully informed of the nature and risks of experimentation 3)Any such risks should be avoided whenever possible in the design of the experiment 4)The subject should be protected against even remote hazards 5)The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons 6)The subject must be at liberty to terminate the experiment at any time 7)The scientist must be prepared to terminate the experiment if at any time he or she has probable cause to believe that a continuation is likely to result in injury, disability, or death to the subject.

Three over-arching principles 1)Avoid physical harm 2)Avoid psychological harm 3)Keep the data confidential

Decision spaces A B A’ B’ C’D’ C D Doing research Not doing research Don’t do Do Cost High Low High Low Diagonal of indecision Benefit