AP® Psychology · Science Practices: Research Methods and Data
2.D Research Ethics
Research ethics are the rules that protect people who take part in psychological studies: informed consent, protection from harm, confidentiality, and debriefing, all checked beforehand by an independent review board.
Every study involving people has to answer to a basic question: did the participant know what they were getting into, and did the researcher keep them safe? Informed consent means telling participants, before they take part, the general nature of the study, what they will do, and any foreseeable risks, so they can agree freely. Protection from harm means the researcher cannot expose people to serious physical or psychological damage, even if it would produce interesting data. Confidentiality means participants' individual data and identities are kept private, not just promised but actually secured. Debriefing happens afterward: the researcher explains the true purpose, clears up any deception, and gives participants a chance to ask questions or withdraw their data.
None of this runs on the honor system. Before a single participant is recruited, a study has to pass review by an independent board, often called an Institutional Review Board, which checks that the design meets these standards and that any risks are justified by the scientific value of the question. This is why studies like Milgram's obedience experiments, which caused real distress and gave little support afterward, could not be approved today.
Deception complicates this but does not erase it. When knowing the true purpose would ruin the data, informed consent still covers the general nature and risks of the study, harm is still minimized, and debriefing becomes more important, not less, since it is the only place the participant learns the truth and can object. This connects directly to the practice of evaluating whether a study's claims were earned: a result built on an unethical design is a weaker result, not just a risky one.
Key terms
- Informed consent
- Agreement to participate given after learning the general nature of the study and its foreseeable risks.
- Protection from harm
- The requirement that researchers not expose participants to unnecessary physical or psychological damage.
- Confidentiality
- Keeping participants' identities and individual data private and secure.
- Debriefing
- A post-study explanation of the true purpose and any deception, with a chance to ask questions or withdraw data.
- Institutional Review Board
- An independent panel that reviews a study's design and ethics before any participants are recruited.
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End of topic.