Ethical Codes

Ethics in any area of study are fluid and change due to things like technological influences and the altering of cultural norms. Regarding the latter, as cultural norms change in society, ethical principles also change. For example, in the past there were no ethical principles regarding non-discrimination due to sexual orientation. In fact, the field of psychology even called homosexuality a psychiatric disorder in the not-so-distant past. Now, however, the psychology profession considers discrimination based on sexual preference to be unethical.

In the realm of research, a good example of evolving ethical principles is the Helsinki Declaration, which provides medical doctors with guidelines on the use of human subjects when conducting biomedical research. This original document was created in 1964. Since its creation, it has been revised in 1975, 1983, 1989, and 1996. A similar document included in this week's Optional Resources is the Belmont Report. This document was the product of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and was released in 1979. The tenets of this document were used in drafting the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 45 (public welfare), Part 46 (protection of human subjects), as well as CFR Title 21 (food and drugs), Part 50 (protection of human subjects) and Part 56 (Institutional Review Boards). Over a dozen agencies that fund or conduct research with human subjects have adopted variations of these codes.

Both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) have developed ethical codes that govern the practice of psychology, and some of these codes pertain to psychological research.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Chapter 3 in your course text, Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. Pay particular attention to ethical standards related to psychological research.

• Review this week's DVD program, "Ethics." Think about the ethical principles that are important to follow when conducting forensic psychology research.

• Review the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and the American Psychology-Law Society's (AP-LS) Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists. Focus on the ethical principles, standards, and guidelines that apply to research.

• Select two ethical principles, standards, or guidelines that apply to research and that you believe might or should be revised in the future.

• Think about how the two ethical principles, standards, or guidelines you selected could or should be changed and why.

Application: Application of Ethical Principles

Prior to the implementation of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, no ethical guidelines existed for using human subjects when conducting research. On December 9, 1946, an American military court prosecuted 23 German physicians and administrators who participated in medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners. Many of these experiments led directly to the death of thousands of prisoners. Others were disabled for life. In the 1950's , individuals were given thalidomide for sleep problems without knowing that the drug was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This led to more than 12,000 children being born with severe deformities. Even as late as 1972, the United States Public Health Service conducted experiments on more than 600 low-income, black males, injecting two-thirds of them with syphilis without telling them they had been injected with a disease. Researchers followed these individuals for 40 years. Even when a proven cure was known to exist, researchers conducting this " Tuskegee Syphilis Study" denied participants the penicillin needed to cure them.

Most appalling was that when physicians who were unaware of the study diagnosed the disease in some of the participants, researchers intervened and prevented the administration of penicillin. Many of these subjects died as a direct result of their unknown participation in this experiment.

You read this week about a very important psychological study, the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted in 1973, the same year the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was terminated due to its existence being made public for the first time. The Stanford Prison Experiment provided much information about ordinary people and how they respond to roles of authority. However, this study was also controversial because of the way it was carried out and the effects it had on some of its participants.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review the article, "Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison." Pay particular attention to the ethical standards followed in the Stanford Prison Experiment.

• Review the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Think about which APA ethical standards might apply to the Stanford Prison Experiment and about what problems or conflicts might arise if these standards were applied.

• Consider whether this study could be conducted today under current ethical standards and why or why not.

• Keeping in mind the APA ethical standards you reviewed, notice if there are any ethical issues, problems, or flaws in the research study. If so, think about why they are issues, problems, or flaws.

The assignment (2-3 pages):

• Briefly describe each ethical issue, problem, or flaw you found in the Stanford Prison Experiment.

• Explain why you consider each to be an ethical issue, problem, or flaw.

• Explain whether the same research, if conducted today, would be considered ethical or unethical and why or why not.

• Justify your position citing specific APA ethical codes that apply.

Websites:

• Article: Haney, C., Banks, C., & Zimbardo, P. (1973). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1, 69-87. Retrieved from http://www.prisonexp.org/pdf/ijcp1973.pdf

• Article: American Psychological Association. (2003). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved fromhttp://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

• Article: Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists. (1991). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychologists. Law and Human Behavior, 15(6), 655-665. Retrieved from http://www.ap-ls.org/aboutpsychlaw/SGFP_Final_Approved_2011.pdf