PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Ethical Guidelines Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Consent from participants should always be sought. For persons under the age of 16, parental consent should be sought. If this is not possible, the ethics committee should be consulted. Participants should be made fully aware of what the experiment involves.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Deception is unacceptable if it is likely that participants would be uneasy about the deception when they are debriefed. Unintentional deception should always be avoided.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Debriefing should enlighten the participants, after the experiment, as to their complete understanding of the experiment. Full debriefing should be achieved before the participants leave the research setting.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Participants should be made aware that they can withdraw from an experiment at any time. They should also be allowed to withdraw retrospectively, their data being removed from the sample.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Experimental data should be confidential subject to the constraints of the data protection act and other legislation. If confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, participants should be warned in advance.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Investigators have a responsibility to protect participants from physical and mental harm. Investigators should enquire about any pre-existing medical conditions that participants might have.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Investigators should respect the privacy and well-being of participants. Participants should only be observed when they are in a place where they might expect to observed by strangers. Local cultural differences should be taken into account. Another culture might find something that seems quite normal to us, unacceptable

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants If, during an investigation, the investigator finds evidence that a participant has a psychological problem, the investigator should recommend an appropriate source of professional advice. He should do the same if advice is solicited from the participant.

PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS Human Participants The British Psychological Society – Human Participants Any psychologist, aware that a collaborator, assistant, student or employee is not following the guidelines, should encourage that person to re-evaluate their research.