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Competency 6 Assessment
Alyssa Cremer
Rasmussen College
General Psychology
Jennifer Green
October 2, 2020
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Competency 6 Assessment
The most important ethical consideration in research is the rule of 'Non-maleficence'/
minimal risk, which means not inflicting pain physically or mentally. In other words, the
research that you conduct on should in no way lead to even minor physical harm (injury, damage
to the body, loss of senses) or mental stress (anxiety, uneasiness, pathology) Be it in researches,
including human or animal participants; they should be given the utmost respect and care.
Specific pointers that can ensure this includes checking for possible side effects, technical
problems, possible accidents. If the participant shows unusual physical or psychological
difficulty after the study, provide the necessary care. Ensure that the participant is in the same
state of wellness as she/he was when the person came to be part of the study. However, there is
the option for minimal risk (only in some instances approved by the institutional ethical review
board), where specific risky experimental measures are approved (usually only in animals), only
if the advantages of using those methodologies outweigh the disadvantages (for, e.g., hurting an
animal to test vaccine efficiency).
Informed consent which means the participants should be given a description of the
study's aim, procedure, and methodology used, possible risks (if any). Permission should be
sought from them and made sure that they have understood the study, and this should be
obtained from them in written (or verbally in certain situations). In case the study includes
children (18 years of age), assent should be obtained from the child's parents. In some studies,
deception is used, where the study's real aim might not be revealed to the participants. This can
be used only in certain conditions. This is done to prevent participants from behaving
unnaturally; participants must behave the way they usually would when not being observed or
studied (e.g., if the study aims to measure altruism/prosocial behavior, if the participants are
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aware that they are being observed, they might not be their authentic self). Debriefing is at the
end of the study; participants should be debriefed about the study's procedure and methodology.
The briefing should be done in a comprehensible manner.
Data storage meaning confidentiality and anonymity should be maintained while storing
the data. This may be done by storing data on a key-locked file within a computer. One may use
codes instead of the participant's name. Data should not be shared with anyone and should be
destroyed. Free will meaning when the participants should be given the liberty to decide whether
to be part of the study (not forced) and withdraw from the study at any point in time. The
participant should be provided with a contact number if they have any doubts about the study.
However, it is okay to provide incentives to participants, including money or extra points.
Ethical concerns in Milgram’s experiment
rule of non-maleficence was not followed- participants were given shocks, which have
severe health effects.
participants were not given the freedom to withdraw
the deception was used unprofessionally
debriefing was not adequate
Zimbardo's Prison experiment
Non-maleficence was not followed- torturing of participants who enacted prisoners,
inhumane conditions of living and physical punishments
Risks were not explained- one participant suffered from emotional disturbances
free will to withdraw from the study was not provided
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Asch's Experiment
the deception was used, which can affect the credibility of the results
Proper debriefing was lacking
Marsh mellow study/Willpower' over the life span
the highly vulnerable sample was used-preschooler
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References
Haslam, S. A., & Reicher, S. D. (2012). Contesting the 'nature' of conformity: What Milgram and
Zimbardo's studies really show. Plos Biology, 10(11), doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001426
Larsen, K. S. (1974). Conformity in the Asch experiment. The Journal Of Social Psychology, 94(2),
303-304. doi:10.1080/00224545.1974.9923224
Mischel, W. Ayduk, O., Berman, M. G., Casey, B. J., Gotlib, I. H., Jonides, J., & ... Shoda, Y. (2011).
'Willpower' over the life span: Decomposing self-regulation. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience, 6(2), 252-256. doi:10.1093/scan/nsq081
