Why does psychology use ethical standards

Psychologists make reasonable efforts to minimize the discomfort, infection, illness, and pain of animal subjects. Psychologists use a procedure subjecting animals to pain, stress, or privation only when an alternative procedure is unavailable and the goal is justified by its prospective scientific, educational, or applied value.

Psychologists perform surgical procedures under appropriate anesthesia and follow techniques to avoid infection and minimize pain during and after surgery. Psychologists do not fabricate data. See also Standard 5. If psychologists discover significant errors in their published data, they take reasonable steps to correct such errors in a correction, retraction, erratum, or other appropriate publication means. Psychologists take responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, only for work they have actually performed or to which they have substantially contributed.

Principal authorship and other publication credits accurately reflect the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their relative status.

Mere possession of an institutional position, such as department chair, does not justify authorship credit. Minor contributions to the research or to the writing for publications are acknowledged appropriately, such as in footnotes or in an introductory statement. Faculty advisors discuss publication credit with students as early as feasible and throughout the research and publication process as appropriate.

Psychologists do not publish, as original data, data that have been previously published. This does not preclude republishing data when they are accompanied by proper acknowledgment.

After research results are published, psychologists do not withhold the data on which their conclusions are based from other competent professionals who seek to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis and who intend to use such data only for that purpose, provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and unless legal rights concerning proprietary data preclude their release.

This does not preclude psychologists from requiring that such individuals or groups be responsible for costs associated with the provision of such information.

Psychologists who request data from other psychologists to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis may use shared data only for the declared purpose. Requesting psychologists obtain prior written agreement for all other uses of the data. Psychologists who review material submitted for presentation, publication, grant, or research proposal review respect the confidentiality of and the proprietary rights in such information of those who submitted it.

Properly informing participants includes details of the procedure, the risks and benefits of the research, the fact that they have the right to decline to participate or to withdraw from the study, the consequences of doing so, and any legal limits to confidentiality. For example, some places require researchers who learn of child abuse or other crimes to report this information to authorities.

Although the process of obtaining informed consent often involves having participants read and sign a consent form , it is important to understand that this written agreement is not all it is.

Although having participants read and sign a consent form might be enough when they are competent adults with the necessary ability and motivation, many participants do not actually read consent forms or read them but do not understand them.

For example, participants often mistake consent forms for legal documents and mistakenly believe that by signing them they give up their right to sue the researcher Mann, [2].

Even with competent adults, therefore, it is good practice to tell participants about the risks and benefits, demonstrate the procedure, ask them if they have questions, and remind them of their right to withdraw at any time—in addition to having them read and sign a consent form.

Note also that there are situations in which informed consent is not necessary. For example, if you wanted to sit outside a public building and observe whether people hold the door open for people behind them, you would not need to obtain their informed consent. Similarly, if a professor wanted to compare two legitimate teaching methods across two sections of her research methods course, she would not need to obtain informed consent from her students unless she planned to publish the results in a scientific journal about learning.

Although participants are likely to assume that the memory test will require them to recall the words, it might instead require them to recall the contents of the room or the appearance of the research assistant. Some researchers have argued that deception of research participants is rarely if ever ethically justified.

Among their arguments are that it prevents participants from giving truly informed consent, fails to respect their dignity as human beings, has the potential to upset them, makes them distrustful and therefore less honest in their responding, and damages the reputation of researchers in the field Baumrind, [4]. Note, however, that the TCPS 2 and the APA Ethics Code takes a more moderate approach—allowing deception when the benefits of the study outweigh the risks, participants cannot reasonably be expected to be harmed, the research question cannot be answered without the use of deception, and participants are informed about the deception as soon as possible.

For example, Milgram , Zimbardo One of the problems one encounters when conducting psychological research is considering the extent to which the research depends upon being unethical. Furthermore, demand characteristics would have undoubtably had a confounding effect upon the results. If you are taking an a-level psychology exam, or conducting psychological research, it is important to know these ethical principles.

Perhaps the most important ethical principle is that participants should be protected from harm, psychological or otherwise. Psychological harm can be difficult to operationalise because it can depend upon the person and it can be difficult to detect, both the participants and the researchers may not know that participants have been harmed psychologically.

However, that being said, researchers can do their upmost to prevent any undue stress for their participants. Giving participants the right to withdraw does not just informing them that they can leave the study at any time , but also informing them that they have the right to withdraw their results from the study at any time.

This is important because some participants may feel pressured into continuing with the study. It is also important because it prevents the participants from feeling embarrassed about their results.

Take for example a study in which a person has to take an IQ test, that returns the result that they have below average intelligence. This principle states that people have a right to access and benefit from advances that have been made in the field of psychology. It is important for psychologists to treat people equally. Psychologists should also always practice within their area of expertise and also be aware of their level of competence and limitations.

Psychologists should respect the right to dignity, privacy, and confidentiality of those they work with professionally. For example, people may have specific concerns related to their age, socioeconomic status, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or disability.

The 10 standards found in the APA ethics code are enforceable rules of conduct for psychologists working in clinical practice and academia. These standards tend to be broad in order to help guide the behavior of psychologists across a wide variety of domains and situations. They apply to areas such as education, therapy, advertising, privacy, research, and publication. This standard of the APA ethics code provides information about what psychologists should do to resolve ethical situations they may encounter in their work.

This includes advice for what researchers should do when their work is misrepresented and when to report ethical violations. It is important that psychologists practice within their area of expertise. When treating clients or working with the public, psychologists must make it clear what they are trained to do as well as what they are not trained to do. This standard stipulates that in an emergency situation, professionals may provide services even if it falls outside the scope of their practice in order to ensure that access to services is provided.

Psychologists frequently work with a team of other mental health professionals. This standard of the ethics code is designed to guide psychologists in their interactions with others in the field.

This includes guidelines for dealing with sexual harassment, discrimination, avoiding harm during treatment, and avoiding exploitative relationships such as a sexual relationship with a student or subordinate.

However, the APA also notes that there are limitations to confidentiality. Sometimes psychologists need to disclose information about their patients in order to consult with other mental health professionals, for example. While there are cases where information is divulged, psychologists must strive to minimize these intrusions on privacy and confidentiality.

Psychologists who advertise their services must ensure that they accurately depict their training, experience, and expertise.

They also need to avoid marketing statements that are deceptive or false. This also applies to how psychologists are portrayed by the media when providing their expertise or opinion in articles, blogs, books, or television programs. When presenting at conferences or giving workshops, psychologists should also ensure that the brochures and other marketing materials for the event accurately depict what the event will cover.

Patient records include case notes and other diagnostic assessments used in the course of treatment. In terms of research, record keeping involves detailing how studies were performed and the procedures that were used. This allows other researchers to assess the research and ensures that the study can be replicated.

This standard focuses on expectations for behavior when psychologists are teaching or training students. When creating courses and programs to train other psychologists and mental health professionals , current and accurate evidence-based research should be used. This standard also states that faculty members are not allowed to provide psychotherapy services to their students. This standard focuses on ethical considerations when conducting research and publishing results.

For example, the APA states that psychologists must obtain approval from the institution that is carrying out the research, present information about the purpose of the study to participants, and inform participants about the potential risks of taking part in the research.

Psychologists should obtain informed consent before administering assessments. They should also take steps to ensure the privacy of those who have taken assessments. This standard outlines professional expectations within the context of providing therapy.

Areas that are addressed include the importance of obtaining informed consent and explaining the treatment process to clients. Confidentiality is addressed, as well as some of the limitations to confidentiality, such as when a client poses an immediate danger to himself or others. Outlines are also provided for delegating work to others and resolving personal problems and conflicts.

Many professionals are pushing for the addition of Cultural competence discussed in a previous module as an ethical must in teaching and research. Within a range of acceptable variations, they should be free of a diagnosable psychological disorder. Should they develop such a disorder, they should receive treatment and consider suspending their practice until their symptoms are in remission or minimally, under control.

To ensure that mental health professionals meet these standards of competence, they are expected to conduct regular self-scrutiny, in which they objectively evaluate their competence to carry out their work. According to the Federal Rules of Evidence, a qualified expert witness is someone who has knowledge, skill, education, experience, or training in a specialized field.

In these capacities, they will typically act as expert witnesses, called by either side in a court case to provide their research- or experience-based opinions. As expert witnesses, forensic psychologists must have a good understanding of the law and provide information in the context of the legal system rather than just within the realm of psychology. Forensic psychologists are also used in the jury selection process and witness preparation.

They may also be involved in providing psychological treatment within the criminal justice system. In some instances, the psychologist is a guardian ad litem , a person whom the court appoints to represent or make decisions for a person e. The human relations section of the DPA Ethical Standards provides psychologists guidance with how to approach situations related to the process of working with people in a helping field.

This section outlines how to identify and avoid unfair discrimination, sexual harassment, and other types of verbal and nonverbal harassment. These types of behavior have strong adverse influences on mental health. As such, psychologists must be particularly vigilant in identifying and avoiding these kinds of behavior.

This section also outlines how to avoid harm when treating patients. Some treatments have been shown to cause harm, and as such, should be avoided. The section also provides guidance for navigating and avoiding a number of multiple relationships. Situations where a clinician has more than one relationship with the client beyond just being a client can be difficult to navigate, which can also lead to conflicts of interest, which are also covered.

Guidance is also provided for how to approach requests for service from third-parties, that is, when someone other than the patient is requesting services for the said patient. Exploitative relationships are also covered and should be avoided, according to the ethical standards. This section provides guidance for cooperating with other professionals, which is often a situation faced in multi-disciplinary treatment teams. Guidance is provided for providing and obtaining informed consent for treatment.

Another section outlines how to provide psychological services to or through organizations. And lastly, guidance is provided for how to navigate situations in which there is an interruption of psychological services for various reasons.

The privacy and confidentiality section of the APA Ethical Standards is written to help provide psychologists with guidelines for maintaining appropriate confidentiality and respecting the privacy of the clients and patients under their care.

In certain situations where the safety of the patient or others is at risk, confidentiality must be broken as law enforcement needs to be motivated. Guidelines are also provided for how to ethically record therapy sessions for various reasons including training.

Steps are covered for the psychologist to minimize intrusions on privacy for patients. Sections on disclosures and consultations provide guidance on how and when psychologists should disclose information and how to ethically consult with other professionals while maintaining appropriate levels of confidentiality.

Lastly, this section guides psychologists on how and when to use confidential information for didactic or other purposes while protecting confidentiality of the client. The advertising and other public statements section of the APA Ethical Standards is designed to guide psychologists through the process of advertising their practice and making other types of public statements.

As described in the competence section, it is unethical to provide services outside of your area of expertise. The section goes on to outline how to accurately and honestly describe workshops and non-degree granting educational programs.

The section closes by outlining how to ethically navigate situations of in-person solicitation of services. The record keeping and fees standard of the APA ethical standards is developed to guide psychologists in maintaining records of professional and scientific work in confidentiality. This standard states that maintaining records allow professionals to share information with other professionals if needed, help replicate research findings, and abide by the requirements of the institution and the law.