1. Psychology 3450W: Experimental Psychology
Spring, 2018
Professor Delamater

2. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to scientific conduct
Ethical Issues with regards to experimental subjects

3. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to scientific conduct
Plagiarism – Use of others ideas and written words and claiming them as your own.

4. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to scientific conduct
Plagiarism – Use of others ideas and written words and claiming them as your own. Easy to detect with word checking programs. This should become less and less of a problem, as people understand their responsibility is to communicate their own ideas.

5. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to scientific conduct
Plagiarism – Use of others ideas and written words and claiming them as your own. Easy to detect with word checking programs. This should become less and less of a problem, as people understand their responsibility is to communicate their own ideas.
Falsifying data – This is when an investigator, essentially, makes up their data.

6. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to scientific conduct
Plagiarism – Use of others ideas and written words and claiming them as your own. Easy to detect with word checking programs. This should become less and less of a problem, as people understand their responsibility is to communicate their own ideas.
Falsifying data – This is when an investigator, essentially, makes up their data. This should be detectible through the scientific process because experiments will fail to replicate, and in the review process peer reviewers may detect abnormalities in the data. Still, a lot of wasted time and resources can occur if people falsify their results because this can lead investigators astray. A good example is the controversy over vaccination and autism. That link has been discredited because of data fabrication, yet people still believe there is a link.
Fortunately, these cases are relatively rare in the literature!

7. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
2. Ethical Issues with regard to experimental subjects
Human Research – Ethical treatment of human participants ensured.
Informed consent – Seeking participant’s approval to participating in the study with any potential risks identified).
Deception – Used to disguise the true intent of the experiment so as to solicit natural responses from the participant.
Debriefing: Includes 2 components – dehoaxing and desensitizing. Dehoaxing refers to revealing the true intent of the study. Desensitizing refers to administering any necessary supplementary therapy.
Coercion and Freedom to decline participating – Participants need to be given the option of declining participating in the experiment and withdrawing from the experiment at any time. Participants may be given an “incentive” to participate by earning extra course credit, or as part of a course. But, if they decline to participate other options must be made available.
Cost/Benefit Analysis – If the experiment includes risks to the subject, then do the benefits outweigh the potential costs? For example, cancer research and new drug treatment with side effects.

8. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Ethical Issues with regard to experimental subjects
Animal Research – Ethical treatment of animals must be ensured.
Procedures to ensure ethical guidelines are followed (both human and non-human animal research)
Research Cycle:
Scientist has an idea Paper is published
Paper is not
Designs an experiment published Peer Review
Develops a protocol
Submits protocol for approval to Performs Submits paper to
Institutional committee (IRB, IACUC) Experiment scientific journal or

9. Ethics in Research Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research
Checks for ethical conduct
1. at the protocol approval stage (NIH guidelines must be followed)
2. at the Peer Review stage (where outside examination of adherence to ethical guidelines is made).
Research Cycle:
Scientist has an idea Paper is published
Paper is not
Designs an experiment published Peer Review
Develops a protocol
Submits protocol for approval to Performs Submits paper to
Institutional committee (IRB, IACUC) Experiment scientific journal or