PSYB04H3 Chapter 4: notes
Document Summary
Ethical decision making is not when you say yes or no, it is when you make a balance of priority. If the research is going to harm someone, they look to see if there is a positive effect towards the population. Many people believe that research with some degree of risk is justified, if the benefit from the knowledge gained from the results is great. In contrast, if the risk to participants becomes too high, the new knowledge may not be valuable enough to justify the harm. Another example of this careful balance comes from the way researchers implement the informed consent process. Researchers try to balance respect for animal subjects and human participants, protections from harm, benefits to society, and awareness of justice. Researchers refine their ethical decision making in response to good and bad experiences, changing social norms, and scientific discoveries.
