Ethics of Psychological Research

This nine-hour course explores basic ethical concerns associated with scientific research, using specific historical examples to illustrate key issues. It begins by exploring the purposes served by codes of research ethics, highlighting their role in guiding researchers towards responsible conduct. A comprehensive account of the five general Ethical Principles and ten Ethical Standards of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Code establishes a foundation for the course, particularly focusing on the specific elements of the APA code that apply to researchers, such as the operations of Institutional Review Boards and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, which play crucial roles in overseeing research involving human and nonhuman subjects.

The course emphasizes the protections offered by ethics codes for human participants, ensuring their safety and well-being throughout the research process. Ethical considerations in planning research studies using nonhuman animals are also thoroughly examined, with a focus on the importance of the three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) in animal research.

Students will explore the implications of WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) participants being overrepresented in psychological research, and how this affects the generalizability of findings. The course addresses problems in analysis and interpretation of results like p-hacking and HARKing (Hypothesizing After the Results are Known), explaining how replication and preregistration can mitigate these issues.

Real-life examples of ethical violations are used to apply theoretical knowledge, helping students identify the consequences of different types of fraud in research. Through this comprehensive exploration, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to conduct ethical research in psychology.

Learning objectives

• Illustrate the history of ethical concerns about scientific research using specific examples.
• Describe purposes served by codes of research ethics.
• Explain the five general Ethical Principles of the APA Ethics Code.
• Describe the issues addressed by the APA Ethical Standards that apply to researchers.
• Explain how IRBs and IACUCs operate.
• Outline the major ethical considerations in planning a research study using nonhuman animals.
• Explain the importance of the three Rs in animal research.
• Explain the protections ethics codes offer for human participants in research.
• Describe the implications of WEIRD participants being overrepresented in psychological research.
• Apply your knowledge of ethical violations with real-life research.
• Identify the consequences of the different types of fraud in research.
• Explain how replication and preregistration address the problems of p-hacking and HARKing.