Ethics

Confidentiality

Participants have the right to keep their identities and experiment results kept private and the experimenter needs to gain consent in order to use the information. Experimenters are not allowed to reveal the identity of the participant to outside sources.

Voluntary Participation

Participants must volunteer to be a part of the investigation and must not be pressured to take part.

Withdrawal Rights

Participants must be told of the nature of the investigation and that they are free to withdraw from the investigation at any time. If at any time during an investigation, if the participants are uncomfortable or under stress, or would just like to leave, they are free to do so.

Informed Consent Procedures

Participants must complete a consent form in which they are advised to the nature of the study and are informed of their rights and what will happen to the information that results from the investigation.

Deception

If informing the participant about the nature of the study is thought to impact on the results, experimenters are allowed to deceive them about the topic but are still responsible for ensuring their welfare. They must ALWAYS debrief participants after they have used deception – even if the participant withdraws early from the study.

Debriefing

Experimenters must inform participants about the nature of the study, answer any concerns that they have about the study and provide assistance if they suffered from stress.

Integrity

Demonstrate commitment to search for knowledge. Recognise principles in conducting research. Be honest and ethical in conducting research. Disclosure and communication of results obtained from research.

Respect for Persons

Regards welfare, rights, beliefs, perceptions, customs and culture of participants.

Beneficence

Maximise benefits to participants and minimise risks, harm or discomfort. Respect dignity and wellbeing of participants.

Justice

Avoid imposing on a particular group. Ensure that research design, participant selection, recruitment, inclusion and exclusion is fair. Not discriminate when selecting participants.