• Question: What impact does confidentiality have on both the study and the participant/patient?

    Asked by Florence to Jack, Gem, Jermaine, Michelle, Steve on 16 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Steven Brown

      Steven Brown answered on 16 Jun 2017:

      It’s built into all we do. It ensures participants are happy to take part in studies, knowing that no-one else will find out what they said or did. Most studies zoom out to a group level, and calculate averages or mean scores on attitudes, reaction time, etc. So we are interested in the group measure, not individuals. No one person is identifiable.

      Things are changing with research on the internet, using tweets, etc. A new rulebook was just published on this which I have yet to read.

    • Photo: Jermaine Ravalier

      Jermaine Ravalier answered on 16 Jun 2017:

      Good question. The biggest impact from a methodological point of view is that it ensures that participants answer honestly in projects – that’s a really important one. From the participant’s opinion, they know that they can discuss (almost) anything without fear of reprisal – it’s win-win both sides.

    • Photo: Michelle Jamieson

      Michelle Jamieson answered on 18 Jun 2017:

      It is a cornerstone of psychology and research. It is very important for the participants, especially in studies looking at ‘bad’ behaviour, or upsetting things.

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