🧠 Ethical Guidelines and Principles in Human Research
📌 Key terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Informed Consent | Participants must be fully aware of the study’s purpose, procedures, and their rights before agreeing. |
| Deception | Withholding true information or misleading participants; only allowed if justified and debriefed. |
| Right to Withdraw | Participants may withdraw at any point without penalty. |
| Confidentiality | Ensuring participant data and identities remain private. |
| Protection from Harm | Researchers must prevent physical, emotional, or psychological distress. |
| Debriefing | Full disclosure after participation to explain purpose and restore well-being. |
| Anonymity | No personally identifying information is linked to participant data. |
| Ethical Review Board (ERB) | Committee that reviews and approves research before data collection to ensure ethical compliance. |
📌 Notes
Ethical principles in psychology are based on respect for human dignity, autonomy, and welfare.
All IB psychological research must comply with the APA (American Psychological Association) and BPS (British Psychological Society) guidelines.
Key Principles:
Restores trust and ensures no residual distress.
Informed Consent:
Participants must understand what participation involves.
Special care is required for vulnerable populations (children, clinical patients).
Example: Loftus & Palmer (1974) — minimal risk, but participants were misled by leading questions.
Deception:
Allowed only if essential for validity (e.g., Asch’s conformity experiment).
Must be revealed during debriefing.
Right to Withdraw:
Participants can stop participation or request data removal at any time.
Confidentiality & Anonymity:
Data stored securely and used only for intended purpose.
Example: Milgram (1963) kept names confidential despite controversial design.
Protection from Harm:
No lasting physical or psychological harm permitted.
Example: Milgram’s obedience study violated this due to stress and anxiety.
Debriefing:
Ethical necessity after deception.
🔍Tok link
Ethics challenges the epistemic boundaries of research — how far can scientists go in pursuit of truth?
TOK Question: “Should the pursuit of knowledge ever override ethical considerations?”
Consider Milgram’s (1963) obedience study — it yielded vital insight into authority but caused significant distress.
🌐 Real-World Connection
Ethical awareness has transformed research design — leading to Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) worldwide.
Modern experiments use virtual simulations or informed deception to study sensitive topics like prejudice or obedience ethically.
❤️ CAS Link
- Students could create awareness campaigns on research ethics or organize a mock ethics review board.
This links creativity (design of materials) and service (educating peers) — promoting responsible science communication
🧠 IA Guidance
- Always include ethical consent and debrief forms.
- Participants must know their rights (withdrawal, anonymity).
- Avoid deception unless approved by your teacher-supervisor.
- Reflect on ethical issues in the Evaluation section of your IA.
🧠 Examiner Tips
- State specific ethical issues and how they were addressed.
- Use named studies (Milgram, Bandura, Asch).
- Link ethics to validity: an ethically flawed study may lack reliability or generalizability.
- Avoid general statements like “this study was unethical” — explain which principle and why.