The American Psychological Association: Ethics Code

Just like in school districts and work places, the field of Psychology has a code of ethics. A code of ethics is a set of rules which holds higher standards and maintains the integrity in the field of psychological testing. The American Psychological Association identifies nine areas in the ethics code in regards to psychological testing. By going through each of the nine areas which include competence, informed consent, knowledge of results, confidentiality, test security, test construction and publication, automated scoring/interpretation systems, qualified persons, and test user qualifications, one will grasp reasons why higher standards and a code of ethics is instituted in the field of Psychology with respect to psychological testing.

The first area in the ethics code dealing with psychological testing is identified by the APA as competence. In order to administer and employ tests correctly, one has to be competent, according to Hogan, in the “assessment concepts” and “methodology” (590). Hogan goes on to state that the concepts a psychologist must be familiar with are “norms, reliability, validity, and “test construction,” and in regards to methodology “administration, scoring, and technical characteristics” (590). Psychologists who administer psychological tests must always stay current on their understanding and expertise concerning psychological tests.

The second area of the ethics code recognized is informed consent. This basically means that a subject’s participation in testing must be voluntary. In order for it to be voluntary, a person has to be informed in words they will understand exactly what they are agreeing to by consenting to take part in the testing. The participant must also be informed according to Hogan that they may “withdraw consent at any time” (591). For example, if an individual is taking a test on racial ethnicity and after page three feels uncomfortable with a concept he/she is being questioned on, the test taker has the right to withdraw their consent and opt to stop the testing.

In addition to competence and informed consent, another area of the ethics code is knowledge of results. A person that participates in a test has the right to know their results. These results should be easy to comprehend for the participant and above all they should walk away knowing exactly what their results meant.

The next area of the ethics code is confidentiality. Only under extreme circumstances is confidentiality broken without consent. Otherwise a psychologist should keep the results and information gained from the testing completely confidential. This confidentiality also carries over, as stated by Hogan, into “record keeping” (592). The records should be safe and secure at all times unless consent is given by the test taker to have the results released to another professional.

Then, test security is the fifth area of the ethics code. None of the secrets of how the material is scored and interpreted should be released to anyone. There are exceptions to this oath such as in training new psychologists on how to use the instrument. Other than that, however, the oath to preserve the integrity of the psychological testing methods should be kept within the profession of Psychology.

Additionally, test construction and publication plays an important role in the ethics code. As explained by Hogan, test developers “must maintain high standards in developing tests and refrain from making unwarranted claims about the quality of their products” (592). These developers must be knowledgeable in their field and understand the relevance of their test. Hogan points out that the test developer should also be extremely familiar with the concepts of “reliability, validity, and norms” and apply that knowledge when constructing their own tests (592-593).

Another point in the ethics code is automated scoring/interpretation systems. The advances in technology within the psychology field have now created computer programs that can interpret the tests. Nevertheless, psychologists are still responsible for the correct interpretation of the results. As part of the code of ethics, psychologists can not transfer the blame of invalid test interpretation to the software’s creator.

Furthermore, under the code of ethics, Hogan goes on to explain that psychologists are responsible to make sure that unqualified people that are connected to them do not have any part in the testing process. Unqualified people are not allowed to administer the test nor interpret the results. Psychologists have to again take care to preserve the integrity of the tests and only allow trained professionals to assist them in their testing should they need assistance (593).

And lastly, test user qualifications are a very important aspect in the code of ethics. Test users have to have specific qualifications to order and administer tests. According to Hogan, Standards established a three-tier system to define test users credentials; tier one is called Level A which requires “minimal training,” “reading simple directions” (594). Level B calls for “some knowledge of technical characteristics of tests” and Level C “wants advanced training in test theory” (594).

So after reviewing the nine factors that make up the American Psychological Association’s code of ethics, one can see the need for such rules within the field of Psychological testing. In my opinion, the ethics code is vital to the field of Psychology. With each rule, psychologists aspire to keep the integrity of psychological tests. So as one notices, the ethics code is an important part in the field of Psychology.