Explain the importance of following the ethical guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society ethical guidelines are to be followed for the protection of both researcher and participants within a psychological study. Providing information on areas such as informed consent, confidentiality and debriefing, the guidelines ensure no members of the study are in jeopardy of harm or deception which could have negative consequences for the study as a whole. The guidelines ensure that participants are not at risk from physical or psychological harm both during or after the experiment has taken place.

It can be seen from Milgram's experiment (1963), where participants were deceived about the true nature of the study, that deviation from ethical guidelines can have a damaging impact on the value of any findings that arise as a result of the study. Instead, researchers may doubt the validity of the study and as a result, any conclusions which can be drawn from the experiment as a whole.