Scottish pupils are exposing peers to sleep deprivation and footage of fatal car crashes while carrying out psychology experiments, sparking warnings from Scotland's qualification watchdog that participants are being put "at risk of harm."

In letters to schools and colleges, also published online, the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA)warned about a range of concerns related to the research assignments in National 5 and Higher Psychology courses. The document states that "a significant number" of submissions "included procedures which were unethical" and asks that teachers delivering the courses are made aware of the ongoing problem.

In the most serious cases the SQA has identified that "a number of candidates across a range of centres conducted experiments that put their participants at risk of harm". This included "physical/psychological harm, discomfort or stress" and refers to examples such as participants being deprived of sleep through consumption of caffeine or alcohol or following exposure to horror films.

The letter referring to Higher Psychology also highlights "several instances" in which people were exposed to videos of "real and fatal car accidents to measure memory recall." It also warns against the use of "unethical questionnaires" focused on sensitive personal issues like mental health, as well as "instances of cultural insensitivity, such as using religious headscarves to test conformity."

National 5 students are only required to plan a piece of research; however, concerns were raised about proposals such as "placing participants in a room with a person behaving aggressively."

Nearly 3500 students sat Higher Psychology in 2018, more than subjects such as Spanish and Media Studies and about the same number as those studying French. 775 students attempted the course at National 5.

The research assignment accounts for a third of students' overall grade and is considered a crucial part of the course, especially for those who wish to study psychology at a higher level.

However, the SQA has now expressed a number of concerns over the way in which this research is being prepared and delivered. In addition to potentially harmful experiments, they point to practices such the employment of deceptive tactics, a lack of informed consent for those involved in the research, a declining number of breaches of participant confidentiality, and a small number of cases where participants aged under 16 were involved.

In addition to concerns about the research subjects, the SQA warns that "recruiting participants by having students approach members of the public continues to be an issue" and is a practice which "potentially puts researcher students at risk."

The letters also warn teachers that candidates who breach ethical guidelines will be marked down, potentially affecting their overall grade.

Commenting on behalf of the Association for the Teaching of Psychology Scotland, Morag Williamson said: "The research assignments are a very, very valuable part of these courses and we need to get them right. We are as concerned as anybody else to ensure that ethical guidelines are followed and we support all teachers of psychology regardless of their qualifications because we know that for some of those delivering the courses it is not their main subject.

"Quite a lot of changes were made during the transition to new qualifications but more detailed ethics guidance, tailored to the relevant topic areas, would still be extremely helpful. Greater support at each stage of the research process is also needed, such as a more formalised template for the research plans, and ATP Scotland has offered such material to the SQA in the past.

"Teachers also need to be able to offer greater support to students than is currently the case while the project is in progress."

An SQA spokesperson said: "To deliver National 5 and Higher Psychology courses, centres are required to apply for SQA approval, which ensures they have suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff in place.

“For Higher Psychology, it is also the responsibility of the centres to ensure that, whichever topic is chosen by the candidate, that the candidate is able to meet the requirement of the assignment within the ethical guidance and guidelines set by the SQA and the British Psychological Society.

"Every year after the examination diet, we contact centres offering support for future course delivery, when we have received evidence from candidates which breaches ethical guidance. We also publish an annual Course Report which offers further support and guidance to centres.

“The volume of ethical breaches has reduced in recent years, which we believe is due to the open publication of BPS and SQA guidance.”