Ethical and professional considerations in psychological assessment.

Abstract

Professional activities and ethical practices of psychologists who administer psychodiagnostic assessment and testing devices are explored. A return rate of 72% on a survey of WO subjects indicated considerable interest in the subject matter. A majority of the respondents' ethical practices were apparently in keeping with established ethical principles; however, a diversity of professional styles was evident. Most respondents gave feedback to the clients, with a large percentage willing to give feedback on projective as well as objective tests. Although most respondents kept old cases safely under lock, few appeared to have followed American Psychological Association guidelines to detach names from raw data on obsolete materials.

Current Assessment Practice, Personality Measurement, and Rorschach Usage by Psychologists

“…First, the response rate to the survey was 18%. This is lower than response rates obtained in similar surveys conducted by other researchers in which response rates ranged from 32% to 72% (Berndt, 1983;Lubin et al, 1984;Piotrowski et al, 1998Piotrowski et al, , 1985Wade & Baker, 1977;Watkins et al, 1995). One difference between this survey and past surveys was use of the Internet.…”

“…Psychologists tend to rely on their clinical judgment rather than test findings and may ignore or discount negative research findings related to a particular test (Wade & Baker, 1977;Watkins et al, 1995). Finally, psychologists have reported practicing in accordance with ethical principles and graduate programs have continued to train students in assessment (Belter & Piotrowski, 2001;Berndt, 1983;Childs & Eyde, 2002).…”

“…To better understand assessment approaches, multiple surveys of psychologists' test usage and reviews of assessment training and practice have been conducted over several decades (Agrawal, 2005;Belter & Piotrowski, 2001;Berndt, 1983;Camara, Nathan, & Puente, 2000;Childs & Eyde, 2002;Clemence & Handler, 2001;Durand, Blanchard, & Mindell, 1988;Lubin, Larsen, & Matarazzo, 1984;Mihura & Weinle, 2002;Piotrowski, Belter, & Keller, 1998;Piotrowski & Keller, 1989;Piotrowski, Sherry, & Keller, 1985;Sundberg, 1961;Wade & Baker, 1977;Wade, Baker, Morton, & Baker, 1978;Watkins, Campbell, Nieberding, & Hallmark, 1995). Relevant findings from these studies can be categorized into two broad areas including general conclusions about assessment practice and findings related to personality assessment and the Rorschach.…”

A Review on Ethical Issues and Rules in Psychological Assessment

“…In case a test is used without verification of its validity and reliability, psychologist must explain the strengths and limitations of the results and their interpretations (APA, 2010). According to Berndt (1984), psychologists should determine as to whether the sample of the test is similar to the individual being tested, as a means for generalizability of the results. Rosen, Reaves and Hill (1989) stated that, when choosing among the tests for a client, psychologists should pay regard to the validity and reliability level of the test and its compliance with the norms.…”

The feedback process with parents in child and adolescent psychological assessment

“…While the problems connected with communicating the results of a psychological assessment to "lay" consumers has not gone unnoticed (Appelbaum, 1970; Berg, 1986; Schectman, 1979), there has been surprisingly little attention devoted to communication of assessment findings other than by a formal diagnostic report. This is ironic, given that recent survey research indicates that a majority of psychologists are willing and interested in providing feedback to their patients (Berndt, 1983), and that this aspect of the assessment process can be quite problematic and require delicate handling in order to enhance the probability of successful outcome. Berg (1985) has attempted to fill the gap in this area by providing strategic guidelines for presenting feedback to adult psychiatric patients, and a recent paper extends this to feedback specifically of the results of neuropsychological assessment to adult psychiatric patients and their families (Allen, Lewis, Blum, Vooheers, Jernigan, & Peebles, 1986).…”