Ethics In Psychological Testing

User’s Qualifications and Professional Competence

Provide only those services and only those techniques for which they

are qualified by education, training and experience.

Only appropriately qualified examiner is allowed towards protecting

the test taker against the improper use of tests.

- Well trained examiners choose tests that are appropriate for both

the particular purpose for which they are testing the persons to be

examined.

- Ethics Code calls for psychologists to recognize the boundaries of

their particular competencies and the limitations of their expertise.

- Misuse of psychological test by the administrators is a constant and

troubling issue that has the potential to harm the individuals

involved and even society as a whole. For test takers, the misuse of

a psychological test could result in improper diagnoses or

inappropriate decision making. The misuse of tests reflects very

poorly on the professional organizations along with highly trained

test users and overall will result in poor decisions that may harm

society in both an economic and mental manner.

Responsibilities of the Test Publishers

1. The purchase of tests is generally restricted to persons who meet

certain minimal qualifications.

Objectives:

Security of the tests materials

Prevention of misuse

2. Tests should not be released prematurely for general use.

3. Tests that need to be secure because of their use in selection,

placement, or diagnostic decisions should not be published in the

popular media.

Goals of Ethical Principles

The Ethical Principles have a goal to respect individuals, safeguard individual

privacy as well as dignity, and condemn any unfair or discriminatory

practices.

1. Protection of Privacy – it is defined as the right to decide for oneself

how much one will share with others one’s thoughts, feelings, and facts

about one’s personal life; this right is further characterized as

“essential to ensure freedom and self-determination.

2. Confidentiality –indicates that individuals are guaranteed privacy in terms of all personal information that is disclosed and that no information will then be disclosed without the individual's direct permission which is usually required in writing (McIntire & Miller, 2007).The underlying principle is that such records should not be released without the knowledge and consent of the test taker, unless such a release is mandated by law or permitted by law for valid purposes.

3. Anonymity - Anonymity refers to the practice of obtaining information through the use of tests while concealing the identity of the participant involved. Anonymous testing is more commonly used in double-blind studies in which the researchers are completely unaware of the identity of their participants. Some research suggests that anonymous testing may be a more valid option in terms of accurate and truthful information about participants because participants will be more likely to answer questions truthfully about themselves if their identity is never revealed. However, in other situations, it is important for every participant to have their own identity the results can be correlated based on various factors of each individual.

4. Right to Informed Consent - Self-determination is a right to every

individual which means that individuals are entitled to receive

complete explanations in regards to why exactly they are being tested

as well as how the results of the test will be used and what their results

mean. These complete explanations are commonly known as informed

consent and should be conveyed in such a way that is straight-forward

and easy for examinees to understand. In situations involving minors

or those with limited cognitive abilities, informed consent needs to

come from both the examinee themselves as well as their parent or

guardian.

5. Protection from stigma. In conjunction with the participant's right to

know and understand their results, researchers need to be careful not

to use any stigmatizing labels when describing the results in terms of

the participant. Researchers need to refrain from using terms such as

"feebleminded" and "addictive personality". Therefore, the results that

the test taker receives along with their parent or guardian in cases

involving minors should bring upon positive growth and development

for the test taker.

6. Communicating Test Results. Communicating test results must

always be done in a form that will be meaningful and useful to the

recipient. Among the possible recipients of test results, besides the

test taker themselves, are parents of minors, teachers and other

personnel, employers, psychiatrists, and court and correctional

personnel.

Due to the fact that some test results may influence the participant's

self esteem as well as behavior, it is crucial that a trained professional

explain the results to the participant in a sensitive and understanding

manner.

References:

Anastasi.A. Psychological Testing. 7th ed. Upper Saddle river, New

Jersey: Macmillan Publishing Co.

McIntire, S. A. & Miller, L. A. (2007). Foundations of psychological

testing: a practical approach. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications.

ETHICS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

A REPORT

in GC 221 / GC 240

Tests, Their Uses and Interpretation / Psychological Testing

Antonino P. Ortega

MA Guidance