Ethical Issues in Psychological Tests

 Ethics

            The study of what is right and wrong in human behaviour.

            Ethics is based on the foundations of the moral behavior of man, but a substantial portion of the moral codes are based on religious beliefs, social customs, norms and traditions.

            Indian ethical ideals and principles are found in the Vedas and in other teachings of the Indian religions.

            Ethics stands on morality. Morality means conscious living within the frame of certain principles of conduct laid down by those regarded as authorities. So in general morality as an institution of life consists in the awareness of an important distinction between what is and what ought to be.

 

Source of Morality

 Vedas (Srutis) and the Smrtis (Dharmasastras of Manu) taken together, have been regarded as the source of morality.

            The Indian term for morality and ethics is ‘dharma’. Dharma comes from ‘dhr’, which means to hold together. And thus the function of dharma is to hold the human society together for its stability and growth.

            Dharma in the Vedas refers to the highest truth, power and as duty par-excellence.

            Dharma is also generally understood as the duties of humans according to one’s own Savadharma (सत्व+रजस+तमस) and stage of life (Varnasrama Dharma).

            Dharma as morality means all the duties one ought to perform and all the virtues one ought to practice to attain moksa, nirvaan or liberation.

 

Ethical Standards of Psychological Tests

            To prevent the misuse of psychological tests, the distribution and use of psychological tests constitutes a major area in Ethical Standards of Psychologists.

1.         Only be used by Qualified Psychologist – Administration of test, nature of test, purpose of the test, scoring, interpretation of scores, test conditions, conditions that may affect the test performance, conclusions, recommendations, [Considering demographics and other relevant information about the individual].

2.         Purchase, Use and Procure of Psychological Tests – The restriction on the distribution of tests have a dual objective:

(i)        security of test materials and

(ii)       prevention of misuse.

3.         Confidentiality of test scores/data.

4.         Communicating Test Results (Self, Parents or Care givers, Teachers, Employer, Administrator). Great care must be taken in regard to sharing the IQ scores.

5.         Protection of Privacy of subject.

6.         Informed Consent (Self and Parents/Care givers in case of minor).

 

APA Ethical Standards

Preamble - Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and professional knowledge of behavior and people’s understanding of themselves and others and to the use of such knowledge to improve the condition of individuals, organizations, and society. Psychologists respect and protect civil and human rights and the central importance of freedom of inquiry and expression in research, teaching, and publication. They strive to help the public in developing informed judgments and choices concerning human behavior. In doing so, they perform many roles, such as researcher, educator, diagnostician, therapist, supervisor, consultant, administrator, social interventionist, and expert witness. This Ethics Code provides a common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build their professional and scientific work. This Ethics Code is intended to provide specific standards to cover most situations encountered by psychologists. It has as its goals the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom psychologists work and the education of members, students, and the public regarding ethical standards of the discipline. The development of a dynamic set of ethical standards for psychologists’ work-related conduct requires a personal commitment and lifelong effort to act ethically; to encourage ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees, and colleagues; and to consult with others concerning ethical problems.

General Principals

1.         Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

2.         Fidelity and Responsibility

3.         Integrity

4.         Justice

5.         Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity

 

Ethical Standards

1.         Resolving Ethical Issues

(i)        Misuse of Psychologists’ Work

(ii)       Conflicts Between Ethics and Organizational Demands

(iii)      Reporting Ethical Violations

(iv)      Cooperating with Ethics Committees

2.         Competence

(i)        Boundaries of Competence

(ii)       Providing Services in Emergencies

(iii)      Maintaining Competence

(iv)      Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments

(v)       Delegation of Work to Others

(vi)      Personal Problems and Conflicts

3.         Human Relations

(i)        Unfair Discrimination

(ii)       Sexual and other Harassment

(iii)      Avoiding Harm

(iv)      Conflict of Interest

(v)       Third-Party Requests for Services

(vi)      Exploitative Relationships

(vii)     Cooperation with Other Professionals

(viii)    Informed Consent

4.         Privacy and Confidentiality

(i)        Maintaining Confidentiality

(ii)       Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality

(iii)      Recording

(iv)      Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy

(v)       Disclosures

(vi)      Consultations

5.         Advertising and Other Public Statements

(i)        Avoidance of False or Deceptive Statements

(ii)       Media Presentations

(iii)      Testimonials

(iv)      In-Person Solicitation

6.         Record Keeping and Fees

(i)        Documentation of Professional and Scientific Work and Maintenance of Records

(ii)       Maintenance, Dissemination, and Disposal of Confidential Records of Professional and Scientific Work

(iii)      Withholding Records for Nonpayment         

(iv)      Fees and Financial Arrangements

(v)       Barter with Clients/Patients

7.         Education and Training

(i)        Design and Descriptions of Education and Training Programs

(ii)       Accuracy in Teaching

(iii)      Student Disclosure of Personal Information

(iv)      Sexual Relationships with Students and Supervisees

8.         Research and Publication

(i)        Institutional Approval

(ii)       Informed Consent to Research

(iii)      Informed Consent for Recording Voices and Images in Research

(iv)      Client/Patient, Student, and Subordinate Research Participants

(v)       Offering Inducements for Research Participation

(vi)      Deception in Research

(vii)     Debriefing

(viii)    Humane Care and Use of Animals in Research

(ix)      Reporting Research Results

(x)       Plagiarism

(xi)      Duplicate Publication of Data

(xii)     Sharing Research Data for Verification

9.         Assessment

(i)        Bases for Assessments

(ii)       Use of Assessments

(iii)      Informed Consent in Assessments

(iv)      Release of Test Data

(v)       Test Construction

(vi)      Interpreting Assessment Results

(vii)     Assessment by Unqualified Persons

(viii)    Obsolete Tests and Outdated Test Results

(ix)      Test Scoring and Interpretation Services

(x)       Explaining Assessment Results

(xi)      Maintaining Test Security

10.       Therapy

(i)        Informed Consent to Therapy

(ii)       Therapy Involving Couples or Families

(iii)      Group Therapy

(iv)      Providing Therapy to Those Served by Others

(v)       Sexual Intimacies with Current or Former Therapy Clients/Patients

(vi)      Sexual Intimacies with Relatives or Significant Others of Current Therapy Clients/Patients

(vii)     Interruption of Therapy

(viii)    Terminating Therapy

References:

Anastasi, A. (1976). Psychological testing-Macmillan.

Freeman, F. S. (1965). Theory and Practice of Psychological Testing. Mohan Primlain: New Delhi.

 

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