Passer chapter 3: Conducting ethical research
The importance of research ethics
- Ethics represent a system of moral principles and standards.
- Ethic codes are there to govern how psychologists conduct research with humans and
nonhuman animals.
- Ethic codes promotes respect from participants and ensure a standard of safety for
participants.
- Ethics also affect the validity of scientific findings. Safeguarding confidentially can
enhance the validity of a research findings by increasing participants’ willingness to
response truthfully.
Codes of research ethics
The American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code
The APA ethics code describes general ethical principles and specific ethical standards to guide
psychologists’ professional behavior.
General principles:
- Beneficence. Psychologists should strive to benefit those with whom they work.
- Nonmaleficence. Psychologists should be careful not to cause harm.
Psychologists need to conduct their research in a way that maximizes benefits
and minimizes harm.
- Fidelity. Psychologists should behave in a trustworthy manner. Psychologists need to
act responsible to earn others’ trust.
- Responsibility. Responsibility involves adhering to professional codes of conduct and
not exploiting people.
- Integrity. Psychologists should be honest and truthful, and should not engage to fraud.
- Justice. Psychologists need to recognize that the benefits of their research should be
available to all persons.
- Respect for people’s rights and dignity. Psychologists needs to respect the dignity and
worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality and self-
determination.
The importance of research ethics
- Ethics represent a system of moral principles and standards.
- Ethic codes are there to govern how psychologists conduct research with humans and
nonhuman animals.
- Ethic codes promotes respect from participants and ensure a standard of safety for
participants.
- Ethics also affect the validity of scientific findings. Safeguarding confidentially can
enhance the validity of a research findings by increasing participants’ willingness to
response truthfully.
Codes of research ethics
The American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code
The APA ethics code describes general ethical principles and specific ethical standards to guide
psychologists’ professional behavior.
General principles:
- Beneficence. Psychologists should strive to benefit those with whom they work.
- Nonmaleficence. Psychologists should be careful not to cause harm.
Psychologists need to conduct their research in a way that maximizes benefits
and minimizes harm.
- Fidelity. Psychologists should behave in a trustworthy manner. Psychologists need to
act responsible to earn others’ trust.
- Responsibility. Responsibility involves adhering to professional codes of conduct and
not exploiting people.
- Integrity. Psychologists should be honest and truthful, and should not engage to fraud.
- Justice. Psychologists need to recognize that the benefits of their research should be
available to all persons.
- Respect for people’s rights and dignity. Psychologists needs to respect the dignity and
worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality and self-
determination.
