Ethics in Psychology

Psychologists are expected to maintain high ethical standard in their relations with human and animal research participants and in therapeutic relationships with clients. The American Psychological Association (APA) has published specific guidelines detailing these ethical standards.

The APA, the largest professional organization of psychologists, recognizes the importance maintaining high ethical standards in research, therapy, and all other areas of professional psychology. The preamble to their publication Ethical Principles of Psychologist (1990) admonishes psychologyst to maintain their competence, to retain objectivity in applying their skills, and to preserce the dignity and best interests of their clients, colleagues, students, research participants, and society.

Deception research is conducted. An investigator should obtain the participant’s “informed consent” before initiating an experiment. The researcher should fully inform the participant as to the nature of the study and come to an agreement with the participant as to the responsibilities of each. If the participant knew the true purpose behind some studies, they would almost certainly not respond normally. Therefore, APA acknowledges the need for some deception research. However, researchers explain the reasons for conducting this research are expected to follow strict guidelines, which include debriefing participants at the end of the experiment. When debriefing participants, researchers explain the reasons for conducting the research and clear up any misconceptions or concerns on the part of the participants. It is expected that participants will be debriefed at the end of all experiments.