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Resources on Ethics in Psychological Research Lesson
1. Summary of BPS Ethical Guidelines
2. Activity: Applying Ethical Guidelines to Scenarios
3. Ethical Guidelines Checklist & Note-Taking Sheet on Milgram’s Study
4. Exam Style Question: Working Through the Ethical Guidelines when conducting an
Interview
5. Conducting a Risk Assessment
1. Summary of BPS Ethical Guidelines
Ethical Explanation Why It Matters Key Considerations
Guideline for Research
Informed Participants must be Ensures that Provide detailed
Consent fully informed about the participants are information and
study’s purpose, making an obtain signed
procedures, and any autonomous decision consent forms.
potential risks before to participate,
agreeing to take part. respecting their rights.
Deception If deception is Prevents manipulation Use only if
necessary, it must be and psychological necessary; ensure
minimal and justified. distress by ensuring debriefing clarifies
Participants must be transparency and the true purpose.
debriefed thoroughly restoring trust after
afterward. the study.
Protection Researchers must Protects participants’ Provide support
from Harm ensure participants are well-being, resources, monitor
not exposed to physical maintaining trust in for distress, and stop
or psychological harm. psychological if harm is detected.
research.
Right to Participants should feel Respects participants’ Clearly communicate
Withdraw free to leave the study autonomy and that withdrawal is
at any time, without any ensures that their allowed at any stage.
pressure or negative participation is
consequences. voluntary.
Confidentiality Personal data collected Protects participants’ Use anonymized
during research must be privacy, encouraging data, secure storage,
kept secure and honest responses and and limit access to
anonymized. participation. information.
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Debriefing Participants must be Helps to alleviate any Conduct a thorough
fully informed of the potential distress debriefing session to
study’s true nature and caused by the study answer questions
any deception involved and ensures and provide closure.
after the study ends. participants
understand their role.
2. Activity: Applying Ethical Guidelines to Scenarios
1. Observing Children in a Playground. Scenario: You are conducting a study
observing children’s social interactions in a public playground to understand how they
form friendships.
2. Conducting a Survey on Workplace Stress. Scenario: You are distributing surveys
to employees about their experiences with stress in the workplace. The survey
includes questions about their mental health and job satisfaction.
3. Interviewing Patients About Sleep Habits. Scenario: You’re interviewing patients
about their sleep patterns as part of a study on insomnia and its impact on daily
functioning.
4. Recording Behaviours in a Classroom. Scenario: You are observing how students
interact in group activities within a classroom to study collaborative learning. You plan
to use video recordings for analysis.
5. Questionnaire on Stress Levels. Scenario: You are distributing a questionnaire to
university students about their stress levels during exam periods. The questionnaire
includes personal questions about coping mechanisms.
6. Interviewing Elderly Participants About Memory Loss. Scenario: You are
conducting interviews with elderly participants about their experiences with memory
decline to study cognitive ageing.
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3. Ethical Guidelines Checklist & Note-Taking Sheet on MIlgram’s Study
Ethical Guideline Tick Box Example/Keywords You Noticed During Video
Informed Consent [ ]
Deception [ ]
Psychological [ ]
Harm
Right to Withdraw [ ]
Debriefing [ ]
4. Exam Style Question: Working Through the Ethical Guidelines when
conducting an Interview
Ethical Guideline How It Applies to the Recommended Actions
Scenario
Informed Consent Does the minor fully Ensure the minor and their guardian
understand the interview provide informed consent.
process?
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Protection from
Harm
Confidentiality
Right to Withdraw
Use of
Appropriate
Language
5. Conducting a Risk Assessment
Scenarios:
1. Scenario A: Investigating the impact of social media usage on teenagers’ anxiety
levels.
2. Scenario B: Conducting a study on stress management techniques in university
students.
3. Scenario C: Examining the effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance in
young adults.
4. Scenario D: Observing peer pressure and conformity behaviours in a high school
setting.
Risk Assessment Description of specific Risks Your Assessment (How to
Component involved mitigate the risks)
1. Identification List any potential risks, both physical E.g., emotional distress
of Risks and psychological, that participants from discussing personal
might face. experiences.
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2. Likelihood of Assess how likely it is that each risk
Risks might occur (e.g., low, medium, high).
3. Severity of Rate the potential impact of each risk
Risks on participants (e.g., minor discomfort,
severe distress).
4. Mitigation Outline specific strategies to reduce or E.g., provide breaks, offer
Strategies eliminate each identified risk. counseling resources.
5. Monitoring and Describe how you would monitor E.g., check in regularly,
Support participants during the study and have a psychologist on
provide support if needed. standby.
6. Debriefing Plan Detail how you will conduct a E.g., explain the study’s
debriefing session to address any true purpose, provide
distress caused by the study. resources.
