On the Justification of Unethical Testing Practices, or on the Prevalence of Group Reasons on Individual Reasons

Abstract

The paper focuses on some issues important for testing practices (taking into consideration not the methodological point of view, i.e. important for the researcher, but also the ethical one, i.e. important for the researcher and for the subject). The crucial point here is to answer the following three questions: 1 – Is the subject entitled to complete information about the purposes of the test and its actual course? 2 – What shall we do to minimize stress for the OUB? 3 – What does it mean that the OUB cannot in some circumstances refuse to be tested?

To answer these questions it was very helpful to analyze the documents that regulate the ethical context of a scientific test (documents: D-1 – D-6, see Bibliography). According to the author, the formulations of ethical codes allow for the researcher's self-justification when he fails to abide by ethical standards.