In: Psychology
what constitutes ethical or unethical experiment in sociology? what safeguards should be in place to ensure experiments are ethical?
The ethical guidelines set by the American Psychological Association to carry out a research, confidentiality is one of the most important principles in the guidelines. Breaching confidentiality in any way is unethical. The consent of a participant is of utmost importance. If the participant consents on letting use of records, it is ethical. However, if the records are used without consent, it is considered to be unethical and violating the norms set by the APA. It is suggested that patients have come to expect that their records will be used without their consent under certain conditions, it is argued to be ethical. Arguments suggest that, there is a difference between autonomy and respect. Participants' records are respected and kept confidential. However, if there is a need that arises for research purposes, then researchers can use it without the participant's consent. Using records without consent in any way is otherwise unethical.