Chanel Holt – Psych 427 -- Ethics

Debriefing: is mandatory when a psychological study involves the use of deception but is highly
recommended to be used in all other studies as well. Debriefing happens after the experiment has been
conducted and should educate the participant(s) on any relevant background information needed to
understand the hypothesis. This provides the researcher with the ability to adhere to the guidelines of
the APA ethics code while still being able to conduct riskier studies. Participants should also be informed
of any deception used and reasons why it was necessary for the study. An example of Debriefing would
be The Asch Conformity Experiment (1951), participants were asked to pick two strings of the most
similar length. They were almost always accurate in their choices until the confederates started to voice
that they disagreed (they were wrong). Soon, participants started to second-guess themselves and
doubt their original choices. This experiment’s purpose was to observe the impacts of social pressure on
conformity. Concluding the study participants were debriefed on the use of Deception and when and
why it was used to observe how they would confirm.

Larsen, K. S. (1974). Conformity in the Asch experiment. The Journal of Social Psychology, 94(2), 303–
301. doi:10.1080/00224545.1974.9923224

Deception: is when participants of a study are purposefully given misinformation about the contents of
the study, this is done in order to achieve the most authentic results Deception may be argued as
unethical given some feel that in order to give informed consent one must know the full truth of a study.
Deception can be psychologically harmless when done minimally, for valid reasons, and with proper
debriefing.

Statement of Informed Consent: This is a written or typed form by the researcher explaining the
contents of the study such as the risks, benefits, confidentiality, and possible compensation. The
researcher does not have to go into detail about what exactly the purpose of the study is, just enough
for the participant to make an informed decision. The terminology must be understandable, avoiding
the use of jargon for the most transparency.

Minimal Risk Research: Examples would be physical exams and routine psychological testing that
doesn’t pose any risks or discomforts other than those that come with everyday life. This type of
research does not induce any type of stress or involve manipulation or deception.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism: This is when the ideas of someone rather than their direct words are copied
without giving proper credit. This form of plagiarism is the most common and easiest to do by mistake.
When providing a paper with a supporting idea that is not your own, an in-text citation is needed in
order to recognize who had the original thought. This also gives the reader the ability to look deeper
into the source for more information.

Research with risk involvement: When a study involves risks greater than those from everyday life, it
must go through a very tedious review by the IRB. They must see everything including how the subjects
will be debriefed and word for word the statement of consent form. The IRB will continue to watch over
the research even after it has been approved. This is to ensure that APA ethics remains enforced
throughout the study. Greater-than-risk research can involve stressors, manipulation, invasion of
privacy, and much more.

A risk-benefit analysis: When conducting experiments in order to be considered ethical, the benefit
from the results of the study must out weight the risks of harm to the participants. Benefits could
Chanel Holt – Psych 427 -- Ethics

include treatment, education, or compensation: on the other hand, risks could include breached
confidentiality, physical harm, or even distress. A risk-benefit analysis needs to be done before any
research can be approved.