Ethical Considerations
In the past, researchers
performed all kinds of questionable experiments in the name of science. For
example, in one famous experiment, psychologist Stanley Milgram led his
subjects to believe that they were giving painful electric shocks to other
people. Many people consider this experiment unethical because it caused the
subjects emotional discomfort. Today, researchers must abide by basic ethical
norms when conducting research. Most important, they must consider whether they
might harm their human or animal subjects while doing research.
Ethics
Ethics refers to a system
of moral values or the way people distinguish right from wrong. The American
Psychological Association (APA) requires all its members to adhere to its code
of ethics, which applies to the treatment of both humans and animals.
Research
with Human Subjects
Researchers must get
informed consent from their subjects before beginning research. Informed
consent means that subjects must know enough about the research to
decide whether to participate, and they must agree to participate voluntarily.
Furthermore, researchers have an ethical obligation to prevent physical and
mental harm to their subjects. If there is any risk of harm, they must warn
subjects in advance. Researchers also must allow subjects to withdraw from a
study at any time if they wish to stop participating. Finally, researchers have
an obligation to protect the anonymity of their subjects.
Some psychological research
cannot be done when subjects are fully informed about the purpose of the
research, because people sometimes behave differently when under observation.
To study people’s normal behavior, researchers sometimes have to deceive
subjects. Deception is considered ethical only if:
·
The study will give researchers some valuable
insight
·
It would be impossible to do the study
without deception
·
Subjects can learn the truth about the
study’s purpose and methods afterward
Research
with Animal Subjects
Although most psychological
research involves human subjects, some psychologists study animal subjects
instead of or in addition to humans. Research with animal subjects has helped
psychologists do the following:
·
Learn facts about animal species
·
Find ways to solve human problems
·
Study issues that can’t be studied using
human subjects for practical or ethical reasons
·
Refine theories about human behavior
·
Improve human welfare
Many people question the
ethics of animal research because it can involve procedures such as
deprivation, pain, surgery, and euthanasia. Psychologists have ethical obligations
to treat animal subjects humanely and to do research on animals only when the
benefits of the research are clear.
People who are against
animal research maintain three arguments:
·
Animals should have the same rights as
humans.
·
Society should enact safeguards to protect
the safety and welfare of animals.
·
Researchers should not put the well-being of
humans above the well-being of animals.
Social Plugin