MORALS & ETHICS
FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH ETHICS
MORAL PRINCIPLE WHO IS AFFECTED
Weighing risks against benefits ( why was risk Scientists
worth the benefit)
Acting responsibility & w/ integrity Community
Seeking justice
Respecting people’s right & dignity
RISKS VS BENEFITS
RISKS
● Psychological distress - participants may feel as though they are not doing a great thing
● Physical harm - is there anything in your study where you can hurt someone?
● We are not going to eliminate risk, but we will minimize it
● Reputation - how will this affect you as a researcher
BENEFITS
● Directly from participation - like psychoeducation
● NOT COMPENSATION
● Benefit means what you directly get from your study
ACTING RESPONSIBILITY & W/ INTEGRITY
ALL ABOUT TRUST
● You are telling the truth about what they will go through
● You will protect their privacy & keep their data confidential
● Must report results truthfully
● You will respect their autonomy to make a decision regarding their participation
JUSTICE
, WHY DO WE NEED TO CONSIDER THIS?
● TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY
● NAZI EXPERIMENTS
● WAR CRIMES
● ANY research that does distribute risk & award equitably
RESPECT FOR RIGHTS & DIGNITY
● Respect for autonomy- people make their own choices free from coercion
● We do this by asking for their informed consent - they are told everything they would
reasonable want to know before agreeing to participate
LAW & POLICY
● Protection of Human subjects: OHRP - Office of Human Research Protections
● IRB - Institutional Review Board made up of:
○ Scientists
○ Non-scientists
○ Outside
○ Exempt
■ This is for research involving minimal risk to participants, such as
anonymous surveys or educational tests.
■ Even though it's called "exempt," it still undergoes a limited review by the
IRB, but it doesn't require full board approval
○ Expedited
■ This review is for studies involving minimal risk but may involve
procedures like blood draws or the use of existing data or specimens.
■ An expedited review is done by a smaller subset of the IRB (a single
reviewer or a few), rather than the entire board
○ Full-Board
■ This is for studies that pose more than minimal risk to participants, such as
clinical trials or research involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children,
prisoners).
■ These studies require review & discussion by the entire IRB at a convened
meeting.
APA ETHICS CODE
● Published in 1953 & revised several times, most recently in 2010
● Outlines about 150 specific ethical standards for psychologists
FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH ETHICS
MORAL PRINCIPLE WHO IS AFFECTED
Weighing risks against benefits ( why was risk Scientists
worth the benefit)
Acting responsibility & w/ integrity Community
Seeking justice
Respecting people’s right & dignity
RISKS VS BENEFITS
RISKS
● Psychological distress - participants may feel as though they are not doing a great thing
● Physical harm - is there anything in your study where you can hurt someone?
● We are not going to eliminate risk, but we will minimize it
● Reputation - how will this affect you as a researcher
BENEFITS
● Directly from participation - like psychoeducation
● NOT COMPENSATION
● Benefit means what you directly get from your study
ACTING RESPONSIBILITY & W/ INTEGRITY
ALL ABOUT TRUST
● You are telling the truth about what they will go through
● You will protect their privacy & keep their data confidential
● Must report results truthfully
● You will respect their autonomy to make a decision regarding their participation
JUSTICE
, WHY DO WE NEED TO CONSIDER THIS?
● TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY
● NAZI EXPERIMENTS
● WAR CRIMES
● ANY research that does distribute risk & award equitably
RESPECT FOR RIGHTS & DIGNITY
● Respect for autonomy- people make their own choices free from coercion
● We do this by asking for their informed consent - they are told everything they would
reasonable want to know before agreeing to participate
LAW & POLICY
● Protection of Human subjects: OHRP - Office of Human Research Protections
● IRB - Institutional Review Board made up of:
○ Scientists
○ Non-scientists
○ Outside
○ Exempt
■ This is for research involving minimal risk to participants, such as
anonymous surveys or educational tests.
■ Even though it's called "exempt," it still undergoes a limited review by the
IRB, but it doesn't require full board approval
○ Expedited
■ This review is for studies involving minimal risk but may involve
procedures like blood draws or the use of existing data or specimens.
■ An expedited review is done by a smaller subset of the IRB (a single
reviewer or a few), rather than the entire board
○ Full-Board
■ This is for studies that pose more than minimal risk to participants, such as
clinical trials or research involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children,
prisoners).
■ These studies require review & discussion by the entire IRB at a convened
meeting.
APA ETHICS CODE
● Published in 1953 & revised several times, most recently in 2010
● Outlines about 150 specific ethical standards for psychologists
