Ethics in Research

Nowadays, before carrying out a psychological experiment, researchers must demonstrate that their study meets a code of ethics—standards that prevent their participants from overly experiencing any physical and psychological harm.

In the United States, Institutional Review Boards or IRBs—committees that consist of a variety of members from the school and community—are in charge of enforcing the code. They review research proposals based on a set of ethical guidelines and only allow experiments to proceed if they meet certain criteria.

For example, an IRB won’t approve a study unless it includes informed consent—the process of letting participants know the relevant aspects of the experiment and what will happen during the study. This way, participants are aware of any potential risks and implications before agreeing to participate in an experiment.

At this time, participants are also assured that any personal information they provide over the course of the study will remain confidential.

On occasion, researchers need to exclude certain details from the consent form due to the nature of the experiment. In this case, they may use deception—purposefully misleading experimental subjects for the sake of the study’s integrity and potential gain in knowledge.

For instance, perhaps a researcher wants to explore the calming effects of classical music on mood. Instead, she tells participants she’s interested in measuring how much they enjoy classical music, because if they knew the real point of the study, their expectations may unnaturally alter their states.

At the end of the study, the researcher must fully debrief participants: they reveal the true purpose of the experiment, why deception was necessary, and what the potential contributions might be to society.