Component 3: Ethical costs of conducting research — Eduqas A-Level Psychology
Test yourself on Component 3: Ethical costs of conducting research with EDUQAS A-Level practice questions.
Start free
7 days Premium · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge
Your focus
- benefits to society and the economy
- individual participants
- potentially negative consequences for society
Show all 4 objectives
- risk management techniques used by Psychologists
Component 3: Ethical costs of conducting research exam tips
Quick Revision Summary (Key Takeaway)
Ethical costs of conducting research in psychology refer to the moral obligations researchers have to protect participants from harm, obtain informed consent, maintain confidentiality, and ensure the benefits of research outweigh any risks. In Eduqas A-Level Psychology Component 3, students must evaluate these ethical considerations in the context of socially sensitive research and the role of ethical committees.
Topic Overview
This topic examines the ethical principles that govern psychological research, focusing on the costs to participants, researchers, and society. It covers key guidelines from the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct, including informed consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw. Understanding these costs is essential for evaluating the validity and acceptability of classic and contemporary studies.
In the wider context of Eduqas A-Level Psychology, ethical costs are integral to the 'Issues and Debates' component and are often assessed in relation to socially sensitive research. Students must be able to apply ethical principles to specific studies, weigh costs against benefits, and discuss how ethical committees balance scientific progress with participant welfare. This topic also prepares students for designing their own ethical research proposals.
Key Concepts
- →Informed consent: Participants must be given comprehensive information about the study's aims, procedures, and potential risks to make a voluntary decision to participate.
- →Deception: Deliberately misleading participants about the true purpose or procedures of a study; it is only acceptable if it is necessary and does not cause undue harm, and participants must be debriefed.
- →Protection from harm: Researchers must ensure participants are not exposed to physical or psychological harm, including stress, embarrassment, or pain; risks should be no greater than in everyday life.
- →Confidentiality: Participants' data must be kept anonymous and secure, unless disclosure is agreed; this is crucial for sensitive topics.
- →Socially sensitive research: Studies that could have implications for groups or society, requiring special ethical consideration due to potential stigmatisation or misuse of findings.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Always use specific terminology from the BPS Code of Ethics, such as 'informed consent', 'debriefing', 'protection from harm', and 'right to withdraw', to show precise knowledge.
- 💡When evaluating ethical costs, provide a balanced argument by discussing both the costs and the benefits of the research, and refer to how ethical guidelines have evolved over time.
- 💡Apply ethical principles to named studies (e.g., Milgram, Zimbardo, Bowlby) to demonstrate understanding and avoid generic answers.
Common Mistakes
- Misconception: Ethical guidelines are absolute and must never be broken. Correction: Ethical costs are relative; researchers may use deception if it is justified and does not cause harm, and ethical committees weigh costs against benefits.
- Misconception: Informed consent means simply getting a signature. Correction: Informed consent requires full disclosure of the study's purpose and procedures, and participants must be competent to consent; in cases like Milgram's, presumptive consent or debriefing may be used.
- Misconception: Confidentiality means participants' names are not used. Correction: Confidentiality also involves secure data storage, anonymisation, and not sharing identifiable information without consent.
Revision Plan
- 1Day 1-2: Learn the BPS ethical guidelines and key terms (informed consent, deception, etc.) using flashcards and the BPS website.
- 2Day 3-4: Apply each ethical principle to at least two classic studies (e.g., Milgram, Zimbardo) and note the specific costs and how they were managed.
- 3Day 5-6: Study socially sensitive research (e.g., race and IQ, maternal deprivation) and evaluate the ethical costs and benefits.
- 4Day 7-8: Practice exam questions, focusing on 6-mark and 12-mark structured questions, and self-assess using mark schemes.
- 5Day 9-10: Review and consolidate by creating a mind map linking ethical costs to wider issues and debates, and complete a timed essay.
Exam Question Types
- 📋Short answer questions (2-6 marks): Define ethical terms or outline ethical costs in a given scenario. Advice: Be concise and use precise terminology.
- 📋Application questions (6-8 marks): Apply ethical guidelines to a novel research scenario. Advice: Identify the ethical issue, explain why it is a problem, and suggest how to address it.
- 📋Essay questions (12-15 marks): Discuss ethical costs in relation to a specific area (e.g., obedience, attachment) or socially sensitive research. Advice: Structure your answer with an introduction, balanced arguments, and a conclusion, using examples.
Command Word Expectations (EDUQAS)
Explain
Provide detailed reasons or mechanisms, showing cause and effect. For example, 'Explain one ethical cost' requires a clear definition, an example, and why it is a cost.
Discuss
Present a balanced argument considering multiple perspectives, including strengths and weaknesses. For ethical costs, discuss both the costs and benefits, and reach a justified conclusion.
Evaluate
Make a judgement based on evidence and reasoning, weighing up the importance or value of something. For ethical costs, assess the extent to which costs are justified by benefits, and consider alternative viewpoints.
How Students Lose Marks (Examiner Pitfalls)
Pitfall: Students often confuse ethical guidelines with ethical issues, or fail to apply them to specific research scenarios, leading to vague answers that do not address the question.
❌ Weak Answer (Loses Marks):Ethical costs are things like consent and confidentiality. Researchers should follow them to be ethical.
Example improved answer:Ethical costs in research include the potential psychological or physical harm to participants, such as in Milgram's obedience study where participants experienced extreme stress. Researchers must obtain informed consent, debrief participants, and ensure confidentiality. However, these costs must be weighed against the scientific benefits, such as understanding obedience to authority. Ethical committees assess this balance before approving research.
Examiner Tip: Always link each ethical cost to a specific example from a named study and explain how it could be managed or justified. Use terms like 'informed consent', 'debriefing', 'protection from harm', and 'confidentiality' precisely.
Pitfall: Students frequently ignore the concept of 'socially sensitive research' and its ethical implications, or they treat ethical costs as absolute rather than relative to the research context.
❌ Weak Answer (Loses Marks):Socially sensitive research is unethical because it can harm groups. Researchers should avoid it.
Example improved answer:Socially sensitive research, such as studies on race and intelligence, can have ethical costs including stigmatisation of groups and misuse of findings. However, it can also yield benefits like reducing prejudice. Ethical costs are not absolute; they must be evaluated in terms of the potential harm versus the potential societal benefit. Researchers should follow guidelines from the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct, which emphasises responsibility and integrity.
Examiner Tip: In questions about socially sensitive research, discuss both costs and benefits, and refer to the BPS guidelines. Use examples like Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory or Jensen's work on IQ to illustrate.
Step-by-Step Worked Solutions
Question: Explain two ethical costs that researchers must consider when conducting psychological research. (6 marks)
- 1.Step 1: Identify two ethical costs from the BPS guidelines, such as protection from harm and informed consent.
- 2.Step 2: For each, explain what the cost involves and why it is important, using a specific example from a named study.
- 3.Step 3: Conclude by stating how researchers can address these costs, e.g., through debriefing or ethical committee approval.
Final Answer: One ethical cost is protection from harm: participants should not experience physical or psychological harm. For example, in Zimbardo's prison study, participants experienced severe stress, which was an ethical cost. Researchers can minimise this by stopping the study early and providing debriefing. Another cost is lack of informed consent: participants must be told the true aims of the study. In Milgram's study, participants were deceived about the shocks, so they could not give informed consent. This can be addressed by obtaining presumptive consent or debriefing afterwards.
Question: Discuss the ethical costs of conducting research into obedience to authority. (12 marks)
- 1.Step 1: Outline the ethical costs in obedience research, such as deception, protection from harm, and right to withdraw.
- 2.Step 2: Use evidence from Milgram's study and variations to illustrate these costs, e.g., participants showed signs of extreme stress.
- 3.Step 3: Evaluate the costs against the benefits, such as increased understanding of destructive obedience, and discuss how ethical guidelines have evolved.
- 4.Step 4: Conclude with a balanced judgement on whether the costs were justified.
Final Answer: Ethical costs in obedience research include deception, as participants in Milgram's study were told the shocks were real, and protection from harm, as many participants experienced nervous laughter and seizures. The right to withdraw was also compromised as the experimenter prompted them to continue. However, the benefits include valuable insights into obedience, which have been used to understand atrocities like the Holocaust. Modern ethical guidelines would require debriefing and follow-up care. While the costs were high, the scientific benefits may justify them, but researchers must now adhere to stricter ethical standards.
Active Recall Memory Test
What are the four ethical principles in the BPS Code of Ethics?
Key Fact: Respect, Competence, Responsibility, and Integrity.
Define 'informed consent' and explain why it is an ethical cost when it is not obtained.
Key Fact: Informed consent is when participants are fully informed about the study's aims, procedures, and risks, and voluntarily agree to take part. Without it, participants are deceived and cannot make an autonomous choice, which is an ethical cost as it violates their rights.
Give an example of a study with high ethical costs and explain how the costs could be justified.
Key Fact: Milgram's obedience study had high ethical costs: deception, protection from harm, and right to withdraw. It could be justified by the significant insights into destructive obedience, which have real-world applications, and participants were debriefed and followed up.
What is socially sensitive research and why does it have ethical costs?
Key Fact: Socially sensitive research studies topics that could have implications for groups or society, such as race, sexuality, or mental illness. It has ethical costs because findings can be misused to stigmatise or discriminate against groups, causing psychological harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ethical costs of conducting research in psychology?
Ethical costs refer to the potential harms or moral issues that arise from research, such as psychological or physical harm to participants, loss of confidentiality, deception, and lack of informed consent. Researchers must weigh these costs against the scientific benefits and follow guidelines like the BPS Code of Ethics to minimise harm. Ethical committees assess research proposals to ensure costs are justified.
How do you evaluate ethical costs in the Milgram study?
In Milgram's study, ethical costs included deception (participants thought shocks were real), protection from harm (participants showed extreme stress), and right to withdraw (prods were used to keep them going). However, the benefits included valuable insights into obedience to authority. The costs were high, but Milgram debriefed participants and found no long-term harm, so some argue the costs were justified given the scientific contribution.
What is socially sensitive research and why is it an ethical issue?
Socially sensitive research studies topics that could have implications for groups or society, such as race, gender, or mental health. It is an ethical issue because findings can be misused to justify discrimination, stigmatise groups, or cause psychological harm. Researchers must be especially careful to follow ethical guidelines and consider the potential impact of their work on society.
What are the BPS ethical guidelines for psychological research?
The BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct is based on four principles: respect (for persons and their autonomy), competence (maintaining high standards), responsibility (to participants and society), and integrity (honesty and accuracy). It includes specific guidelines on informed consent, deception, debriefing, confidentiality, and protection from harm. Researchers must adhere to these to ensure ethical practice.
How can ethical costs be reduced in psychological research?
Ethical costs can be reduced by obtaining informed consent, avoiding deception where possible, debriefing participants fully, ensuring confidentiality, and allowing the right to withdraw. Researchers should also conduct a risk assessment and have their study approved by an ethics committee. In cases where deception is necessary, presumptive consent or retrospective consent may be used.
What is the difference between ethical costs and ethical benefits?
Ethical costs are the potential harms or negative consequences of research, such as stress to participants or misuse of findings. Ethical benefits are the positive outcomes, such as advancing knowledge, improving interventions, or benefiting society. Researchers must balance these, ensuring that benefits outweigh costs and that costs are minimised. Ethical committees evaluate this balance before approving research.