WAYS OF DEALING WITH ETHICAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Objectives:-

To identify ways that ethical problems have been dealt with.

To compare Zimbardo and Reicher and Haslam studies in terms of how they dealt with ethics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jUJUa77kkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k04f8Mganw

Ways to deal with ethics

BPS guidelines should be followed. Ethical committee ensure this is done Gather presumptive consent Peer review of research before published Thorough debriefing of pps Checking during research as outcomes

are not always anticipated e.g Zimbardo Availability of counselling after research Stopping the process if problems occur

Two studies – same topic – different places, different times and different approach to ethics! Zimbardo (1971) USA Reicher and Haslam (2006) Watch film and see if you can identify

the main differences between the studies

Aim Reicher and Haslam (2006)

To provide data of the unfolding interactions between groups of unequal power and privilege

To analyse conditions that lead to individuals identifying with, accepting or challenging intergroup equalities

To examine the role of clinical, social, organisational and clinical factors in group behaviour

To develop practical ethical guidelines for social psychology experiments

Methodology

IVs: permeability of group boundaries, participants belief about the legitimacy of group divisions, participants belief about the possibility of change

DVs: Social variables, organisational variables, clinical variables measured by video and audio recordings, psychometric testing, daily saliva swabs

Selection Procedure: Participants were selected from psychometric tests, to reduce the 332 applicants to 15, who were the closely matched on personality variables into 3 groups of 5 and then random selection to decide roles

Guards were taken to a hotel and given free reign over rules, whereas prisoners were ‘arrested’ and moved in one at a time

Ethical considerations

The research study plan was submitted to the BPS ethics committee

There was a three-phase clinical, medical and background screening of participants

Two independent clinical psychologists monitored the study throughout

A paramedic was on constant standby There were on-site security guards There was a round-the-clock independent ethics

committee