This document discusses the ethical standards that psychologists must follow when conducting research. It outlines six main standards: informed consent, avoiding deception, protecting participants from harm, allowing participants to withdraw, debriefing participants, and maintaining confidentiality. It also discusses ethical considerations for animal research and questions to consider regarding research ethics. The document concludes with an activity where students review studies and identify which ethical standards were violated in each.

1. S
Ethics
• Discuss ethical considerations related to psychological research studies

2. Today’s Objectives
Content Objectives
 I can identify the ethical
standards that
psychologists must
follow when conducting
research.
Language Objectives
 I can use the names of
the ethical standards
when discussing ethics.

3. What are Ethics?
 A set of rules that are designed to protect the
participants (human or animal) in any psychological
research.
 Standards are set by the American Psychological Association
(APA)
 There are different Ethical Standards for human and animal
participants.
 Psychologists are required to follow these rules.
 IB has it’s own set of standards which we will follow when
conducting research.

4. Standard 1:
Informed Consent
 Participants must be clearly told what the research is
about and what will happen during the study before
agreeing to participate in the research.
 If a child is participating, informed consent must be obtained
by an adult guardian.

5. Standard 2:
Deception Should be Avoided
 Researchers should not deceive (mislead, lie to, trick, leave out
key details, smudge the truth…) participants about what will
happen during the research or what the research is about.
However, some deception can be used when it is necessary
and can be justified.
 Ethical use of Deception: Telling participants to rank the
attractiveness of faces but not telling them that the researchers
will be examining how the participants rank faces from different
races.
 Unethical use of Deception: Telling participants that they will
rank the attractiveness of faces and then making them decide
which person should be given electrical shocks.

6. Standard 3:
Protection from Physical and
Psychological Harm
 Participants should not be harmed either physically or
mentally (Put under great amounts of stress).
 If harm is done, the researcher is responsible for providing
ongoing support for the harmed participants.

7. Standard 4:
Right to Withdraw from
Research
 Participants must be allowed to quit participating in a
study at any point for any reason.
 Participants have the right to withdraw their data from a
research if they are not content with the research.
 Must be informed about this right before the study takes
place and enforced while the study is going on.

8. Standard 5:
Debriefing
 After the research is complete, the participant must be
told about the true goals of the study. If deception was
used, they must be told about how they were deceived
and for what purpose.

9. Standard 6:
Confidentiality
 The identity of the participant must be protected at all
times. When data is published about participants, it must
be done so confidentially (without saying who did what).
 Participants can agree to have their results shared if they
are willing.

10. The Ethics Animal Research
 Stress and pain should be minimized.
 Consider alternative methods.
 Approval of research be ethical committees.
 Researcher competence.

11. Questions to Consider When
Thinking About Ethics
 Was consent granted by participants?
 Was the participant harmed in any way?
 Was the research justified?
 Were there ethical guidelines when the study was conducted?
 Were the results important and beneficial to society?
 Could the study have been conducted in different ways?

12. Ethical Study Gallery Walk
S Travel to each station and read the study summary. As
you do this you should…
1. Identify the ethical standards which were violated in each
study
2. Write an example of each ethical violation for each
standard in your notes.
3. Rank the studies from most to least unethical.
4. Write ranking list on the whiteboard.