Ethical and Professional Issues in Psychological Assessment
Introduction
This seeks to discuss the scenario of a 3-year-old baby boy with cerebral palsy who undergoes a psychological assessment to admit him to the IDEA services and a program that would help him. The ethical consideration of the test will be discussed based on the ethical principles highlighted by APA (2017). These include integrity, beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for people’s dignity and rights. It will also discuss the types of ethical bias that could impact the scenario’s evaluation process.
Applied Scenario
Aston, a 3-year-old baby boy with cerebral palsy, was admitted into an early childhood program in San Francisco. Aston’s parents found out that his unique needs were not met satisfactorily. The program’s staff proposed that Aston be referred to an agency so that he could be eligible for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Services (IDEA). Later, his parents took him to be tested by professionals that were not familiar to him. A standard test was used on Aston, who struggled to respond to the test prompts. Therefore, the assessors found it difficult to interpret his communication attempts. Aston responded by crying when he was asked to carry out some tasks in the tests. The testing, such as tabletop, hindered him from moving, and the assessors removed the elements that Aston could not perform. The test was prorated, and its functioning in Aston was reported at 11 months in several areas. Aston’s parents believed that the test did not reflect all the capabilities of Aston as seen and experienced in community, home, and school settings and were frustrated by that. The services were made available to him, and he was designed an individualized education plan (IEP). Later, the team working with Aston discovered that Aston had already mastered most of the skills. This means that the team had to rewrite the objectives and goals of the IEP. Having a rigid test that restricted Aston from movement could have restricted him from showing some of his skills. This scenario could have used psychological testing considering various sources such as Aston’s records (like medical), records from other organizations, behavioral observations, official neuropsychological testing, interviews with teachers, friends, and family, and interviews with the person under study (Saklofske, Reynolds, & Schwean, 2013).
Ethical Concerns
The test assessors in this scenario could have considered non-maleficence, beneficence, integrity, and respecting the dignity and rights of the child as principles in conducting their assessment. The principle of non-maleficence and beneficence holds that psychologists ought to benefit the clients they work with and care for them, not harm them (APA, 2017). Should there be conflicts regarding the psychologists’ obligations and the person they work with, they need to strive to solve them to reduce harm. In this case, the assessors did not consider Aston’s view on their child’s capabilities, given that they have had more interactions with him than the test. Failure to address their concerns violates the principles of non-maleficence and beneficence. Besides, given that the team had to rewrite the objectives and goals of IEP for Aston shows that the test’s integrity is questionable. It did not promote truthfulness, honesty, and accuracy in practice, teaching, and science (APA, 2017). The assessors also violated the principle of respect for the rights and dignity of the client under study. This tenet requires safeguarding the rights, confidentiality, privacy, dignity, and self-determination of the individual. The test restricted Aston from movement, thus hindering him from showing some of the skills he had.
Test Bias, Reliability, Validity, and Ethics
Test bias is defined as the differential validity of test scores for groups such as sex, race, culture, education, and age (Hogan, 2019). When there is a systematic error in the process of measurement, which differentially affects the scores of the group, that is bias. Construct bias is a test bias where the construct measures reflect different results for the students from the original culture where the test was conducted (Newman, 2016). For instance, what is seen as wise in a single culture may be unwise in another. This could have affected Aston’s evaluation based on what worked for him in different cultural contexts. Cultural bias is when a test unfairly measures the test-taker’s attributes without considering the test-taker’s cultural traditions (Newman, 2016). For example, the test may fail to consider Aston’s beliefs and traditions, such as movement skills, that have shaped his capabilities. Item bias is when the components of an individual in a test pertaining to a particular group’s experiences and language (Newman, 2016). For instance, if the test fails to consider how Aston behaves around his friends, family, and community, it may miss some of his abilities and skills. Method bias happens based on how familiar the test-taker is with the test administration (Newman, 2016). Test bias in this scenario affects the validity of the goals and objectives of the program that Aston would take. The program may not be beneficial to Aston but may drag him behind. Reliability refers to the level to which the assessment scores are free from measurement errors, and validity is the scientific utility of an instrument of measurement when it comes to how effectively it measures the variables meant to be measured (Altmaier & Hansen, 2012). Determining that Aston’s functioning was at 11 months in many areas was in line with the rigid measures and procedures of the test because the conventional test did not represent Aston’s really strong hidden skills and capabilities. Therefore, the teachers expected a child that had severe disabilities when this was not the case. The assessment should have focused on the child’s abilities in various settings, but it focused on one place, and this did not reflect what the test was supposed to test, rendering it unreliable and invalid. This is in relation to the principle of non-maleficence and beneficence because the test was meant to address the concerns of the test-taker as validity requires, but it ended up jeopardizing the concerns of the test-takers, leading him to a program that his capabilities have surpassed.
Proposed Solutions
The test assessment should have been connected with the program content so that the concerns and needs of the child and his family could be met. In order to determine the validity of the test, early childhood assessment is essential because it is a process where assessment efforts can positively impact a child (Saklofske, Reynolds, & Schwean, 2013). In the test used, children are determined to be eligible for IDEA services based on how they perform on the assessment. The system needs to incorporate other elements in the assessment to ensure it is not rigid, limiting the abilities displayed by the child in other settings such as school, home, and the community. Therefore, the involvement of Aston’s family and friends can be considered in the assessment to meet the integrity principle and respect for people’s dignity and rights.
Conclusion
In summary, the ethical principles determine whether the psychological assessment tests what they are intended to test. The scenario explained above shows the effect of absconding the ethical principles in psychological tests. More often than not, the test-takers bear the most negative effects, and this also affects the program of the people they work with. Having a rigid test may also not meet the concerns of the test-taker as the test-taker may reflect their capabilities outside the conventional test. Thus, considering a flexible system may attend to the test-takers rights, dignity, and concerns.
References
Altmaier, E.M. & Hansen, J.C. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Counseling Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.
American Psychological Association-APA (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code
Hogan, T. (2019). Psychological Testing: A Practical Introduction, Edition 4. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Newman, M. (2016). Research Methods in Psychology, Edition 2. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Saklofske, D.H., Reynolds, C.R., & Schwean, V.L. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Child Psychological Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Question 
Psychological tests can be used in ways that are helpful or harmful. Ethical standards and legal constraints are placed on their use to protect the public, such as when tests are used for determining educational placement or in employment selection. For this assignment, you will write a two- to three-page paper that details a psychological testing scenario and its ethical considerations.
Ethical and Legal Influences on Teaching
To successfully complete this assignment, organize your paper in the following manner using each of the headings provided below in boldface.
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
Compose a one-paragraph introduction to your psychological testing scenario and ethical considerations. Be sure to review the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s resource Introductions & Conclusions Links to an external site..
Paragraph 2 (Applied Scenario)
Create a one-paragraph scenario describing a situation in which psychological testing might be utilized (e.g., learning disorder evaluation, law enforcement candidate screening, pre-surgery evaluation, competency to stand trial determination, or pre-employment testing). This list is not exhaustive.
Feel free to identify and discuss other applications of psychological testing in your scenario. Although not required, you are encouraged to create a scenario relevant to a field you would consider pursuing for your personal career.
Paragraph 3 (Ethical Concerns)
Apply the assigned readings to identify at least three potential ethical concerns based on principles from Standard 9 in the APA Ethics Code (e.g., 9.01 Bases for Assessments, 9.02 Use of Assessment, 9.03 Informed Consent in Assessment, 9.06 Interpreting Assessment Results, 9.07 Assessment by Unqualified Persons, 9.08 Obsolete Tests and Outdated Test Results, or 9.10 Explaining Assessment Results).
For each ethical concern, be specific about how the principle relates to the scenario you created.
Paragraph 4 (Test Bias, Reliability, Validity, and Ethics)
In this paragraph,
Define test bias.
Describe the types of test bias that could impact the evaluation for the scenario you created.
Discuss how reliability and validity are linked using the example in your scenario.
Integrate what you learned from Chapter 2 with the information learned in the two assigned articles to determine how reliability and validity are related to ethical concerns.
Paragraph 5 (Solutions)
In this paragraph,
Apply information from the APA Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation to offer solutions for the three ethical concerns you identified in Paragraph 3.
Propose how to address the concerns related to test bias and to ensure tests and assessments utilized are reliable and valid. Refer to information from Chapter 2 in the textbook and the APA Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation.
Paragraph 6 (Conclusions)
Compose a one-paragraph conclusion as described in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s resource Introductions & Conclusions Links to an external site..
The Ethical and Professional Issues in Psychological Assessment paper
Must be two to three double-spaced pages (500 to 750 words) in length plus a title page and at least an additional page for references (total four to five pages). Your assignment must be formatted according to APA Style Links to an external site.as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word Links to an external site.Consider using the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s Grammarly: A Free Proofreading Tool Links to an external site.resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper in bold font
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
Student’s name
Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Due date
Must include the subheadings provided in the instructions (Introduction, Applied Scenario, Ethical Concerns, etc.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice Links to an external site.resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions Links to an external site.refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must use the two assigned articles and the course text chapters required for Week 1.
Additional scholarly sources may be included. The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources Links to an external site.table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper Links to an external site.guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List Links to an external site.resource in the Writing Center for specifications.