Chapter 3

Ethics in Research
 Regularly Reviewed Ethics Codes

• Despite the tentative nature of ethics, a

number of codes have been developed:
• The APA Code: Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
• Local and Federal Laws
• Dept of Health and Human Services
• Federal Drug Administration
Most Basic Ethical Principles in Research

• Participation Must Be Voluntary

• Researchers Must Obtain Informed
Consent
• Researchers Must Maintain
• Participant Confidentiality
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• Approves all research on humans
• Checks for technical validity
• Tries to minimize risks to participants
• Considers risks in relation to benefits
• Minimum of five members
• Including one non-scientist
• One that is not affiliated with the institution
• Approval is by simple majority
• Review can be full, expedited, or exempt
• [your CITI assignment is due soon]
 APA Ethics Code Entitles Participants

• To a Competent Investigator
• To Be Protected from Harm
• A Written Informed Consent Document* that
details in everyday language:
• Subject Responsibilities
• Risks and Benefits to Subject
• Penalties for Leaving the Study
• Full Reason for Study
• Guarantee of Privacy
*Debriefing may be necessary
 Informed Consent

• Requires the capacity to give consent (as

opposed to assent)

• Requires that participants are provided with

enough information to make an assessment
of the risks or benefits associated with the
research.

• Should not be obtained through coercion.

 Deception in Research

• Only used if non-deceptive alternative

procedures aren’t feasible.
• Cannot be performed if it will cause physical
or emotional pain
• Deception should be explained to participants
as soon as possible.

• Debriefing
• participants told the purpose and expected
results of experiment.
 Ethics in Scientific Writing

• Truth in Data Reporting

• Refrain from Plagiarism
• Presenting another person’s work as your
own
• Take Authorship for only Work Performed
• Publish Data only Once
• Share Data after Publication
• Review the Work of Others Professionally
 Fraud In Research

• A Few Notable Cases of Fraud:

• Walter Levy’s ESP experiment
• Sir Cyril Burt’s twin studies
• Karen Ruggiero’s studies on Women of
Color
• Why so few?
• Successful experiments are replicated
• Science is Progressive and Self-Correcting
 Caring for Animals in Research
• APA Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the
Care and Use of Animals
• Minimize discomfort
• Sanitary and comfortable conditions
• Adequate food and water (taking into
account experimental protocol)
• Care by a licensed veterinarian
• Reduction, Refinement, Replacement
• Experiments approved by the Animal Care
and Use Committee (ACUC)
 Animal Research

• Animal Welfare
• Generally accepted term for concerns about the care
and use of animals in research
• Animal Rights
• Idea that animals have the same rights as people. Not
generally accepted.
• Speciesism
• Term used to describe the discrimination of animals
(treated differently than people).
• The Case of the Silver Spring Monkeys: Innocent
Researcher Victimized by Animal Rights Activists