Due to the failure of the experimenters to fully disclose the potential dangers the students would face in this unnecessary experiment, it is clear that researchers violated the American Psychological Association's (APA) code of ethics. .
Discussion.
In order to even consider the ethical implications of a given experiment, the APA's code of ethics must first be understood. Known as the Ethics Code, this grouping of standards strives to provide an accessible set of principles to protect the welfare of individuals central to the professional, scientific work of psychologists. However, not all of the conditions by which experimenters abide by are rigidly defined and inflexibly enforced in the guidelines. The Ethics Code also includes a set of Principles, which are not obligations but are rather designed to help psychologists adhere to the ethical ideals of the profession. To ensure that an experiment is ethical, researchers should fully comply with the guidelines, except where appropriate exceptions are noted. Experiments which fail to follow the APA's Ethics Code are inherently not ethical.
The first indication that the experiment is ethically questionable can be found within Principle C, simply known as "integrity."" With the acknowledgment that some deception may, in fact, be ethically justifiable, Principle C provides the justification for psychologist but with the strong caution against possible negatives outweighing benefits, as well as the potential for mistrust. The concern for mistrust leads to the second indication, coming from the "obtaining informed consent,"" which requires psychologists to provide a good-faith disclosure of the research. Since the experimenters did not share with participants that they would be exposed to smoke, the consent obtained was not fully informed. .
Additionally, "exceptions to informed consent"" would not apply, because although the rule allows psychologists to forego informed consent, the experiment must be reasonably calculated not to cause distress or harm to subjects in a private place with experimenters in an observational role only.
