ETHICAL STANDARDS

IN ASSESSMENT
 ETHICS
• THE DISCIPLINE DEALING WITH WHAT IS
GOOD AND BAD AND WITH MORAL DUTY AND
OBLIGATION
• A SET OF MORAL PRINCIPLES
• THE PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCT GOVERNING AN
INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP
PRINCIPLE A: Beneficence and Non-
maleficence

• Psychologists strive to
• - benefit those with whom they work and
• - take care to do no harm
PRINCIPLE B: Fidelity and Responsibility

• Psychologists are aware of their professional and scientific

responsibilities to society and to the specific communities in
which they work.

• Psychologists seek to manage conflicts of interest that could

lead to exploration or harm.
PRINCIPLE C: Integrity

• Psychologists seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and

truthfulness in the science, teaching and practice of
psychology

• Insurance fraud?
PRINCIPLE D: Justice

• Psychologists recognize that fairness and justice entitle all

person to access to and benefit from the contributions of
psychology and to equal quality in the process, procedures
and services being conducted by psychologists.
Psychologists exercise reasonable judgment and take
precautions to ensure that their potential biases do not lead
to or condone unjust practices.
 PRINCIPLE E: Respect for People’s Right and
Dignity
- Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role
differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race,
ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation,
disability, language, and socioeconomic status and consider these
factors when working with members of such groups.
• Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based
on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone
activities of others
based upon such prejudices
 COMPETENCE
Clinicians must always represent their training
accurately.

Clinicians have an obligation to “actively presents

themselves correctly with regard to training and
all other aspects of competence.
 COMPETENCE
Clinicians should not attempt treatment or
assessment procedures for which they lack specific
training or supervised experience.

It is equally important that clinicians be sensitive

to treatment or assessment issues that could be
influenced by patient’s gender, ethnic or racial
background, religion, disability, sexual
orientation, or SES.
 COMPETENCE
So as not to deprive individuals or group of necessary
services, which we do not have existing competence, we
may provide the service: as long as

-we have closely related training or experience’

and

-we make reasonable effort to obtain the competence

required by undergoing relevant research, training,
consultation or
thorough study.
 COMPETENCE
We shall undertake continuing education and
training to ensure our services continue to
be relevant and applicable.
 PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY
Clinicians have a clear ethical duty to respect
and protect the confidentiality of the client
information.

Clinicians should be clear and open about

matters of confidentiality and the other
conditions under which it could be breached.
 PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY
Clinicians should become well acquainted
with their state laws regarding
confidentiality and privileged
communication in psychotherapy.
 HUMAN RELATIONS
Sexual activities, with clients, employing a client,
selling a product to a client, or even becoming friends
with a client after the termination of therapy are all
behaviors that can easily lead to exploitation of and
harm to the client.

In our work-related activities, we shall not

discriminate against a
person based on gender,
age, gender identity, race
and etc.
 HUMAN RELATIONS
We do not engage in sexual harassment.

We shall take reasonable steps to avoid

harming our clients/patients, students,
supervisees, research participants,
organizational clients, and others whom we
work, and to minimize harm where it is
foreseeable but unavoidable.
 INFORMED CONSENT
When conducting research or providing
assessment, therapy counseling or
consulting services in person via electronic
transmission or other forms of
communication, we shall obtain the
informed consent of the individual using
language that is reasonably understandable
to that person.
 INFORMED CONSENT
For a persons, who are legally incapable of
giving informed consent, we shall
nevertheless (a) provide an appropriate
explanation (b) seek individual’s assent ©
consider such persons preference and best
interests (d) obtain appropriate permission
from legally authorized person.
 INFORMED CONSENT
When psychological services are court
ordered or otherwise mandated, we shall
inform the individual of the nature or the
anticipated services, including whether the
services are court ordered or mandated
and any limits of confidentiality.
 INFORMED CONSENT
We shall appropriately document written
or oral consent, permission and accent.
PAP Code of Ethics
VII Assessment
 We subscribe to the following ethical
standards and procedures related to the
following specific functions of
psychologists: psychological assessment,
therapy, education and training.
 A. Bases for Assessment

1. The expert opinions that we provide

through recommendations, reports and
diagnostic or evaluative statements are
based on a substantial information and
appropriate assessment technique.
2. We provide expert opinions regarding the
psychological characteristics of a person
only after employing adequate assessment
procedures and examination to support our
conclusions and recommendations.
3. In instances where we are asked to provide
opinions about an individual without
conducting an examination on the basis of
review of existing test results and reports,
we discuss the limitations of our opinion
and the basis of our conclusions and
recommendations.
 B. Informed Consent in Assessment

1. We gather informed consent prior to the

assessment of our clients EXCEPT for the
following instances:
a. When it is mandated by law
b. When it is implied such as routine
educational, institutional and organizational
activity
c. When the purpose of the assessment is to
determine the individual’s decisional capacity
2. We educate our clients about the nature of
our services, financial arrangements,
potential risks, and limits of confidentiality.
In instances where our clients are not
competent to provide informed consent on
asssessment, we discuss these matters with
immediate family members or legal
guardians.
3. In instances where a third party interpreter
is needed, the confidentiality of test results
must be ensured. The limitations of the
obtained data are discussed in our results,
conclusions and recommendations.
 C. Assessment Tools
1. We judiciously select and administer only
those tests which are pertinent to the
reasons for referral and purpose of the
assessment.
2. We use data collection, methods and
procedures that are consistent with the
current scientific and professional
development.
3. We use tests that are standardized, valid,
reliable and has a normative data directly
referable to the population of our clients.
4. We administer assessment tools that are
appropriate to the language, competence
and other relevant characteristics of our
client.
 D. Obsolete and Outdated Test Results

1. We do not base our interpretations,

conclusions and recommendations on
outdated test results.
2. We do not provide interpretations,
conclusions and recommendations on the
basis of obsolete tests.
 E. Interpreting Assessment Results

1. In fairness to our clients, under no

circumstances should we report the test
results without taking into consideration
the validity, reliability and appropriateness
of the test. We should therefore indicate our
reservations regarding the interpretations.
2. We interpret assessment results while
considering the purpose of the assessment
and other factors such as the client’s test
taking abilities, characteristics, situational,
personal, and other cultural differences.
 F. Release of Test Data

1. It is our responsibility to ensure that test

results and interpretations are not used by
persons other than those explicitly agreed
upon by the referral sources prior to the
assessment procedure.
2. We do not release test data in the form of
raw and scaled scores, client’s responses to
test questions or stimuli, and notes
regarding the client’s statements and
behaviors during the examination unless
regulated by the court.
 G. Explaining Assessment Results

1. We release test results only to the sources

of referral and with a written permission
from the client if it is a self referral.
2. Where test results have to be
communicated to relatives, parents or
teachers, we explain them through a non-
technical language.
3. We explain findings and test results to our
clients or designated representatives except
when the relationship precludes the
provision of explanation of results and it is
explained in advanced to the client.
4. When test results need to be shared with
schools, social agencies, the courts or
industry, we supervise such releases.
 H. Test Security

1. The administration and handling of all test

materials (manuals, keys, answer sheets,
reusable booklets, etc) shall be handled
only by qualified users or personnel.
 I. Assessment by Unqualified Persons

1. We do not promote the use of assessment

tools and methods by unqualified persons
except for training purposes with adequate
supervision.
2. We ensure that test protocols , their
interpretations and all other records are
kept secured from unqualified persons.
 J. Test Construction
1. We develop tests and other assessment tools
using current scientific findings and
knowledge,appropriate psychometric
properties, validation and standardization
procedures.
https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

RA 10029
 CASE STUDY
• In a study of a new drug for Covid-19, a
researcher finds that the group receiving the
drug is doing much better than the control
group, whose members are receiving a placebo.
Which principle requires the the researcher to
also give the control group the opportunity to
receive the new drug?
a. Justice c. Respect for persons
b. Beneficence d. Informed Consent
 CASE STUDY
• You are aware that a colleague of yours is
audio-recording his interview sessions with his
patient. He also uses this audio-recording in
his classes to discuss certain disorder. What
specific ethical code has been compromised in
this situation?