Ethical concerns

Ethical Concerns in Research
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Introduction
Ethical consideration is very critical while conducting research. One should recognize the acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. This recognition is crucial as it prevents fabrication of data and therefore prevents the collection or existence of false data. The main aim of a researcher is to collect data which are true. It also brings the environment of trust between the researcher and the participant. Codes that address honesty, respect and confidentiality have been adopted by researchers to succumb this problem.
The research conducted should be confidential, and the participant should ensure that any other person including the researcher is not aware of the data collected from them. Every person wants their information to be safe mainly because of security purposes. None of the outsiders and even the researcher should be able to know which participant gave specific information.
After the research has been done, the researcher should debrief the participant. This process ensures that none of the participants have been in harm’s way. Some of the participants suffer from stress after the research, and this represents one of the challenges that all researchers should aim to avoid. It also ensures that all participants have full knowledge about the study in progress. Some of them might have understood the study differently or had little information about the research. So, this is the time to make sure all the participants understand the aim of the study.

It also gives time for the participant to ask any relevant question on the study conducted. At this time the participant can decide to withdraw all of his or her information if he or she wishes to do so. The participant should receive maximum protection at any cost during research. The researcher should also use appropriate methods to collect the data and provide the participant with full information about the investigation as this will make them understand the terms and conditions.
Ethical issues occur in any research. For example, problems have arisen in the ‘Conformity in the Asch experiment’ conducted by Larsen in 1974. In this case, Larsen deceived the participant by not giving them the full information about his research. The participant never knew that the people involved were confederates. Asch’s participants suffered from stress after knowing the truth. (Larsen, 1974). Another ethical concern occurred during Mischel et al. (2011) gratification study. The researchers raised a moral dilemma by recruiting participants without their consent. In particular, Mischel et al. (2011) did an internet search and identified some email addresses, before sending mails to these addresses randomly. They should have first informed the individuals that they would be part of a research study.
Another ethical issue faced in this field is deception. The participant can be misled or misinformed about the research which in most cases is deliberate. The researcher should avoid deceiving the participant at any cost because it is unethical. For instance, in Milgram’s study of conformity, Milgram told the participant that the research was not about intelligence but rather the effect of authority on obedience (Haslam & Reicher, 2012). The investigation caused no physical harm but affected the participant psychologically. In any study, the participant should be allowed to withdraw at any time, but during the study, they were urged to continue even though some of them began having second thoughts (Haslam & Reicher, 2012).
Conclusion
While conducting research, one should ensure that the data collection process is done appropriately. The participant should volunteer to be included in the study have the liberty to quit at any time. Such freedom will ensure that none of the participants is harmed in any way. Therefore, other than being honest and open, researchers should also ensure they respect participants’ liberty.
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