Ethics in Psychology

Ethics - moral principles that govern a

person's or group's behavior, with
respect to the rightness and wrongness
of certain actions and to the goodness
and badness of the motives and ends of
such actions.
 Research & Testing
Ethical principles:
• 1. Get permission of participants.
• 2. Protect them from harm and discomfort.
• 3. Keep information confidential.
• 4. Explain the research afterwards.

• These principles apply to scientific research.

Other places may not have ethics. (retail stores,
companies…)
 1961 Milgram Experiment
• Stanley Milgram measured the willingness of
study participants to obey an authority figure
who told them to do things against their
personal conscience.
• Wanted to know if Nazi guards were just
following orders.
• Experiments were considered unethical and
psychologically abusive.
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• The American Psychological Association
(APA) then strengthened their ethical
guidelines regarding research design,
implementation, and practice.
• They prevent unnecessary deception and pain
to humans and other animals, and protect
confidentiality.
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• All public and private institutions have
Institutional Review Boards (IRB) that must
approve of all research conducted within their
institutions.
• They protect participants by requiring
researchers to obtain signed informed consent
agreements from all participants.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• These statements describe procedures, risks,
benefits, and the right of the participant not to
participate, or to withdraw from the research
study without penalty at any their willingness
to participate.
• Participants cannot be deceived about
significant aspects that would affect their
willingness to participate.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• After they finish participating, they are
debriefed about the research (i.e. the nature,
results, and conclusions of the research are
revealed).
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• Psychologists who conduct research involving
other animals must treat them humanely.
• Acquire, care for, use, and dispose of animals
properly.
• Make efforts to minimize their discomfort,
infection, illness, and pain.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• Please read the following scenarios carefully.
Within each scenario is an ethical problem or
dilemma. Identify and discuss the ethical
problems with each scenario.
• Once you have identified the ethical problem
within the scenario, explain how you would
change or revise the design to make it
ethically acceptable.
• Please think carefully about each scenario and
if possible, provide a solution.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
• An experiment was conducted to test a new
drug for depression. For the experimental
group, Dr. Ali wrote a new prescription for
depression without discussing it with the
patients. For the control group, Dr. Ali
prescribed their normal prescription. What is
wrong with this scenario?
• Dr. Ali didn’t get permission from her
patients.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
Dr. Foggs conducted a study entitled “Emotion
in the Media” to test the effects of anger. The
participants were shown a video containing
infuriating materials. The participants were then
given a questionnaire to complete. Participants
were told they could leave upon completion of
the questionnaire. What is wrong with this
scenario?
Dr. Foggs didn’t explain the research afterwards.
 ETHICAL GUIDELINES
Dr. Hugs conducted a study on extramarital
affairs. Through the study, she found out her
friend’s husband has been unfaithful. She
immediately told her about his cheating ways.
What is wrong with this scenario?
Dr. Hugs did not keep the study confidential.
 Unit 2:
Research and Statistics

AP Psychology
Mr. Ng
Module #2
Research
 Research & Testing
• Hindsight Bias – the tendency to believe, after
learning an outcome, that one would have
foreseen it.
• Easier to describe what has happened than to
predict it.
• Overconfidence – thinking we know more
than we really do.
• These two phenomena lead us to overestimate
our intuition.
 Research & Testing
• Science is driven by curiosity, a passion to
explore and understand without misleading or
being misled.
• The scientific attitude is to question facts, but
being open to new learning.
• Skepticism – questioning things that are
believed to be fact.
• Scientists have to be skeptical asking two
questions, “What do you mean?” and “How do
you know?”
 Research & Testing
• Scientists also have to have humility, or
accepting that they too can be wrong.
• Curiosity, skepticism, and humility is the basis
of the scientific attitude.
• Critical Thinking – examines assumptions,
discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence,
and assesses conclusions.
 Research & Testing
• Research has led to surprising findings as well
as proving popular ideas wrong.
• Scientific method – make observations, form
theories, and then refine theories.
• Scientific theory – an explanation using a set
of principles that organizes and predicts
behaviors or events.
• Hypothesis – testable prediction
 Research & Testing
• Operational definition – a statement of the
procedures used to define research variables.
• Replicate – repeating a research study to see if
the findings are the same.
• Useful Theory – organizes and links observed
facts and implies clear predictions that be
tested.
 Research & Testing
• Laboratory environment should be a
‘simplified reality’ which allows focused study
of specific behaviors.
• Not as concerned
about behavior than
with general principles
that help explain
behavior.
 Research & Testing
• Culture – shared ideas, attitudes, and traditions
amongst a group of people which are passed
on from one generation to the next.
• Culture shapes who we are, how we act, and
how we react.
• Need to be culturally aware!!!!
• Although cultures are different, many of the
basic processes are the same.
 Research & Testing
• Gender issues are unavoidable in psychology.
• Biology determines our sex, then culture bends
the gender, but males and females are basically
the same.
 Research & Testing
• Animal testing allows us to learn about people.
• It has led to treatment for diseases, diabetes,
polio, rabies, etc…
• Animal testing can often be cruel to animals,
but may lead to discoveries that benefit
mankind.
• Basic argument is whether it is right to value
human life over that of animals.
 Research & Testing
• Psychology is not value-free. Our values effect
what we study and how we study and interpret
it.
What do you see?
 Thinking Critically
• 1954 – Brown vs. Board of Education ruled
that “separate educational facilities are
inherently unequal”.
• Desegregated schools.
• First case that a social psychologist
participated.
 Thinking Critically
• Mamie P. Clark and Kenneth B. Clark were
expert witnesses.
• Conducted a study where they gave African-
American children Black & White dolls and
most chose the white dolls.

• They found that under

segregation, Black children
were internalizing anti-
black prejudice.