The basis of ethical research in psychology first and foremost is that the volunteer patient expects that no harm, either physical or psychological, will come to them as a participant of the research. One of the most important components of ethical research in psychology is informed consent. I consider informed consent to be one of the most important components. On the APA’s website, this issue is addressed.
“For persons who are legally incapable of giving informed consent, psychologists nevertheless (1) provide an appropriate explanation, (2) seek the individual’s assent, (3) consider such persons’ preferences and best interests, and (4) obtain appropriate permission from a legally authorized person, if such substitute consent is permitted or required by law. ” (“Ethical principles of,” 2010)While I have never personally taken part of a research study, I have read many scholarly articles about research studies in curing celiac disease.
Many of these studies include the patient ingesting a substance that their body has a lethal reaction to in order to test the effectiveness of the vaccination. I took part in a medical ethics group. The discussion was based on a young patient’s desire to die and the parent’s desire to keep the child alive.
We studied the stages of death and the child’s development in order to come to a decision that the child should be able, depending on age, to make the choice whether to extend their life or pass away.
Reference:
Ciccarelli, S., & White, J. (2011). Psychology. (3 ed., p. 33). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. (2010, June 01). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx?item=6