Joseph Nichols

SS3150
11 Jan 2014

Explore Activity
3:
Ethical Codes of
Research
SS3150 Research Methods

Your Name
INSTRUCTORS NAME

Page
1

Joseph Nichols
SS3150
11 Jan 2014
Explore Activity 3: Ethical Codes of Research
There are 5 general principles that are followed in the guidance of research established by the
American Psychological Association. The five principles are listed as follows:

Principle A: Beneficence and Non-maleficence

Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility
Principle C: Integrity
Principle D: Justice
Principle E: Respect for Peoples Rights and Dignity

The first principle is designed to help safeguard the welfare and rights of the persons with whom an
individual works. It also alerts and guards against the misuse influenced by personal, financial, social,
organizational and political factors. The second principle is all about upholding standards of conduct,
maintaining appropriate responsibility for their behavior and managing any conflicting interests, as
well as being concerned with the ethical compliance and professional conduct of fellow colleagues.
Integrity is the third principle which is there to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness. The main
goal of this principle is to help prevent stealing, cheating or committing fraud, and misrepresenting
yourself. Justice is number four on the principle list and states that a person should remain fair and just
but do not allow their Biases, boundaries of their competence lead to unjust practices. The last
principle is one that covers the respect for peoples worth, discrimination, and individuals right to
privacy.
There are 10 standards in total but I will describe only the first three which are; Resolving
Ethical Issues, Competence, and Human Relations. The first standard is about resolving ethical issues
that fall under 8 topics that are:

Page
2

Joseph Nichols
SS3150
11 Jan 2014
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Misuse of Psychologists Work

Conflicts between Ethics and Law, Regulations, or Other Governing Legal Authority
Conflicts between Ethics and Organizational Demands
Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations
Reporting Ethical Violations
Cooperating with Ethics Committees
Improper Complaints
Unfair Discrimination Against Complainants and Respondents

The second standard is about Competence and is broken down into six areas; Boundaries of
Competence, Providing Services in Emergencies, Maintaining Competence, Bases for Scientific and
Professional Judgments, Delegation of work to others, and lastly Personal Problems and Conflicts. The
last standard is one that should be familiar with everyone; it is about Human Relations and has 12 areas
of description which are:
1. Unfair Discrimination
2. Sexual Harassment
3. Other Harassment
4. Avoiding Harm
5. Multiple Relationships
6. Conflict of Interest
7. Third-Party Requests for Service
8. Exploitative Relationships
9. Cooperation with Other Professionals
10. Informed Consent
11. Psychological Services Delivered to or Through Organizations
12. Interruption of Psychological Services

Page
3