Transcript Chapter 4

Experimental Psychology
PSY 433
Chapter 4
Ethics
Parts of an Experiment
 Welcome & orient subjects.
 Informed consent.
 Instructions.
 Subject does task.
 Demographic questionnaire or other
measurement used to classify subjects.
 Debriefing.
 Always thank the subject for helping!
CITI Training (Basic 101)
 Before you start testing subjects, you must
have completed the online CITI training
AND have my approval to conduct your
experiment.
 You should also know APA guidelines -the preamble + 10 general principles on
pp. 84-85 & following pages (Kantowitz).
 These principles can be summarized into 6
basic tenets.
Basic Tenets of Research Ethics
 Society decides what’s right & wrong.
 Responsibility lies with the experimenter
 Minimal risk versus “at risk”
 Informed consent and freedom to
decline.
 Cost-benefit analysis
 Confidentiality and debriefing procedures
Examples of Unethical Studies
 Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
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http://www.prisonexp.org/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201307/therarely-told-true-story-zimbardo-s-prison-experiment
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201310/whyzimbardo-s-prison-experiment-isn-t-in-my-textbook
 Ivy League Nude Posture Photo Scandal
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http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlitprivate/texts/posture.htm
 Tuskegee Syphillis Study
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http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/centers_of_excellence/bioethics_center/
about_the_usphs_syphilis_study.aspx
 Facebook
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http://www.avclub.com/article/facebook-tinkered-users-feeds-massivepsychology-e-206324
Other Ethics Challenges
 Should psychologists assist in deception and
propaganda efforts of government agencies?
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https://theintercept.com/2015/08/07/psychologists-workgchq-deception-unit-inflames-debate-among-peers/
 Should psychologists assist in interrogation
and torture of enemy detainees by advising
the military or intelligence agencies?
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https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dangerousideas/201504/the-apa-and-guantanamo-actions-not-words
Right and Wrong
 People obviously differ in their beliefs about
what is right and wrong.
 Experimenters are biased, so oversight is
necessary.
 Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides
necessary protections for subjects (human
and animals).
 Be conservative and seek advice.
 “Do unto others even better than you would
have them do unto you.”
The Responsibility is YOURS
 Experimenters are held responsible for
the ethics of an experiment.
 Even if an IRB approves an experiment,
the experimenter is still held responsible.
 Your job is to protect subjects from any
discomfort in the research procedures:

Subject should leave in same state as they
came into the student.
 Advice from dissimilar others is one way
to check your values.
Minimal Risk versus “At Risk”
 Minimal risk -- the anticipated risks posed by
the research are no more than those
encountered in daily life.
 At-risk -- the anticipated risks posed by the
research are more than those expected in
everyday life.
 Informed consent is required for at-risk
research.
 Informed consent is a good idea for any
experiment – can be verbal or written.
Freedom to Stop
 Informed consent -- informing subjects of all
aspects of the research that might influence
their willingness to participate and
answering any other questions they have.
 Subjects are always free to withdraw from
the experiment at any time without penalty.
 Deception requires special considerations
because the subject is not truly informed.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
 Experimenters should always compare
the costs of doing the research with the
expected benefits of the results.
 This is even more important if the
research costs involve deception.
 The greater the deception, the greater the
expected benefits should be.
 Must explore non-deceptive alternatives.
Confidentiality and Debriefing
 All subject data are kept confidential.
 If possible, keep data separate from names.
 Ask about age, gender, etc, but keep such
info separate from the names.
 Upon completion, debrief subjects ASAP.
 Debriefing involves telling subjects your
hypothesis and what you expect to find.
 Follow up when long term effects are
possible.