Ethics Discussion
Ethical Standards and Guidelines
Consider the information presented in the readings this week as it can be related to your current or future employment as a practicing psychologist working with a given population. Select two or three ethical standards presented in those articles that will be relevant to you and that population. Specifically, discuss how those standards will be relevant to your work. Discuss the precautions that can be taken to ensure that the standards are not violated when conducting survey research with the identified population.
In your response, incorporate how the concepts of ethical astuteness, demonstration of ethical character, and practicing ethical acuity pertain to the ethical standards you identified in this post.
Read the American Psychological Association’s 2002 paper, “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.” Link to article ethical.pdf
Link
Read Tourangeau’s 2004 article, “Survey Research and Societal Change,” from the Annual Review of Psychology, volume 55, issue 1, pages 775–801. Link to article Tourangeau’s.pdf
Optional Readings
You may find the following readings helpful in understanding this unit’s topics:
Haverkamp, B. E. (2005). Ethical perspectives on qualitative research in applied psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 146–155.
Kralik, D., Warren, J., Price, K., Koch, T., & Pignone, G. (2005). The ethics of research using electronic mail discussion groups. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 537–545.
Answer:
One of the ethical standards that may be relevant to psychologists working with different populations is informed consent. Informed consent requires that participants in research studies are fully informed about the nature of the study, its purpose, the procedures involved, and any potential risks or benefits of participating. This standard is important because it ensures that participants are able to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate in a study, and that they are aware of any potential risks or benefits of doing so. As a practicing psychologist, you would need to ensure that you obtain informed consent from all participants in your research studies.
Another ethical standard that may be relevant to psychologists working with different populations is confidentiality. Confidentiality requires that psychologists keep all information related to their clients or research participants confidential, except when there is a clear and imminent danger to the client or others, or when required by law. This standard is important because it helps to protect the privacy and confidentiality of clients or research participants, and can help to build trust between the psychologist and the individual. As a practicing psychologist, you would need to take precautions to ensure that you maintain the confidentiality of all information related to your clients or research participants.
When conducting survey research with a particular population, it is important to take precautions to ensure that ethical standards are not violated. One precaution that can be taken is to ensure that participants are fully informed about the nature of the study, its purpose, the procedures involved, and any potential risks or benefits of participating. This can help to ensure that participants are able to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate in the study, and that they are aware of any potential risks or benefits of doing so. Another precaution that can be taken is to ensure that all information related to participants is kept confidential, except when there is a clear and imminent danger to the participant or others, or when required by law.
Ethical astuteness refers to the ability to recognize ethical issues and to make appropriate ethical decisions. This can be important for psychologists, who may be faced with complex ethical issues in their work. Demonstration of ethical character refers to the ability to act in accordance with ethical principles and to behave in a morally responsible manner. This can be important for psychologists, who are often in positions of authority and may be responsible for the well-being of their clients or research participants. Practicing ethical acuity refers to the ability to recognize and respond to ethical challenges in a flexible and adaptive manner. This can be important for psychologists, who may encounter new and evolving ethical challenges in their work.
In summary, informed consent and confidentiality are two ethical standards that may be relevant to psychologists working with different populations. When conducting survey research, it is important to take precautions to ensure that ethical standards are not violated. Ethical astuteness, demonstration of ethical character, and practicing ethical acuity can be important for psychologists in their work.
