510 Finals questions
1. Increase in professional activity and public visibility of its members before
and after WW2. To protect rights and welfare of Psychologists and client/pa-
tients. Increased awareness of psychology led to the creation of a code that
would add validity and integrity to the field: For what reasons does the APA
Ethics Code in exist?
2. Critical incident method. Involved asking the members of the APA to de-
scribe a situation they knew of first hand, in which a psychologist made a
decision having ethical implications and to indicate the ethical issues in-
volved.: What method was first used as the format for developing the Ethics Code?
3. Aspirational- composed of statements of broadly worded ideals and princi-
ples that do not attempt to define with any precision right and wrong behav-
iors.
Educational- combines ethical principels with more explicit interpretations
that can aid in professional decision making
Enforceable- includes a set of standards that specifically describes behaviors
required and proscribed by the profession and is designed to serve as a
basis for adjudicating grievances.: Describe the difference between aspirational,
educational, and enforceable concerning the Ethics Code.
4. Standard 1.07, Improper complaints, prohibits filing an ethics complaint
with reckless disregard for or willful ignorance of facts that would disprove
the allegations.: Describe what code helps protect psychologists from improper
accusations?
5. Duty to release- right of the client to receive health records and be a part of
the "discovery process"
Right to withhold- right of the psychologist not to release test data if he/she
feels that the information may cause the client/patient harm: Please describe
"duty to release" and "right to withhold" concerning test data.
6. Reasonably clear that the client no longer needs the service, is not likely
to benefit, or is being harmed by continued service. When psychologists are
threatened or endangered by a client or another person with whom the client
has a relationship.: Describe situations in which termination of therapy may be
necessary.
7. Test data- raw and scaled scores, client responses to test questions or stim-
uli, and psychologists' notes and recordings concerning client statements and
behavior during an examination. Also includes test materials or protocols if
the psychologist wrote the client's responses, scores, or notes about behavior
on the test protocol itself.
Test materials- manuals, instrument, protocols, and test questions or stimuli
, 510 Finals questions
that do not come under the definition of test data as defined in standard
9.04a: What is the difference between test data and test materials?
8. Bring it to their attention first and try to resolve it there before going to
somebody higher. Attempt to resolve it informally by doing the above if a
resolution appears appropriate and the confidentiality rights of a research
participant, client, organizational client, or others are not violated.: What is the
recommended first step when one learns of a fellow psychologist's practices being
unethical?
9. No: Are sexual relations with students ever acceptable in the field of psychology?
10. Designed to ensure that people are provided with sufficient information to
rationally and voluntarily decide whether they wish to participate in research
or to receive psychological services. The primary means of ensuring the rights
and welfare of those with whom psychologists work.: What does informed
consent mean?
11. Lack of awareness or misunderstanding of an Ethical Standard is not itself
a defense to a charge of unethical conduct: 1) A complaint was filed against
a clinical psychologist, a case was opened, and, in the charge letter, the clinical
psychologist was asked to provide the APA Ethics Committee with comment and
materials regarding the allegation. The clinical psychologist, in her comment, stated
that she was unaware that her particular course of action was an ethical violation.
Would the psychologist's lack of awareness that her course of action was an ethical
violation be a good defense against the charge of unethical conduct? Why or why
not?
12. The code does not apply to the purely private conduct of psychologists.
However, To determine whether or not your personal actions are tilting toward
your role as a psychologist you should ask yourself:
Is my behavior linked to a role played by psychologists?
Does my behavior, on its face, seem at least partially professional?
Is there a high probability that I will affect those with whom I am working?
Does the action threaten my professional credibility or the credibility of the
discipline of psychology?: 2) While waiting in line together to buy coffee at a local
café during their lunch break, a clinical psychologist who works in the in-patient wing
of a psychiatric hospital was talking with one of the on-site nurses about some of the
hospital's new orderlies that were just hired. The clinical psychologist made a racist
comment about one of the orderlies and said if it were up to him, he would have
, 510 Finals questions
never hired the orderly in the first place based on his race. Is the clinical psychologist
in violation of an ethical standard? Why or why not?
13. The use of modifiers is necessary for standards that are written broadly
to allow for professional judgment across a wide range of psychological
activities and contexts: 3) Why are modifiers, such as appropriate, potentially, to
the extent feasible, as early as is feasible, attempt to, and relevant, included in many,
if not most, of the ethical standards?
14. The phrase as early as is feasible provides decisional latitude when fully
informed consent during an initial therapy session may not be possible or
clinically appropriate: 4) Standard 10.01a, Informed Consent to Therapy, requires
psychologists to obtain informed consent from clients/patients as early as is feasible
in the therapeutic relationship. Why is the phrase, as early as is feasible, included
in this particular standard? What does this phrase add to the standard that it would
otherwise not have? How would the standard be different if this phrase were not
included?
15. Reasonable - the "prevailing professional judgment of psychologists en-
gaged in similar activities in similar circumstances, given the knowledge the
psychologist had or should have had at the time."
Standard 4.07- The term reasonable provides psychologists, clients, students,
and research participants a professional standard against which to judge
ethical behaviors. Despite stepts taken to ensure confidentiality, persns may
recognize themselves or others may be privy to information not under the
psychologist's control that leads to identification.
Standard 2.05-The term reasonable also enables psychologists to launch a
legitimate defense of their actions based on documentation of efforts and
current best practices in the field: 5) Standard 4.07, Use of Confidential Infor-
mation for Didactic or other Purposes, prohibits psychologists from disclosing in
public statements confidential and personally identifiable information about those
with whom they work unless they have taken "reasonable steps to disguise the
person or organization". Standard 2.05, Delegation of Work to Others, requires that
psychologists who delegate work to employees, supervisees, research or teaching
assistants, interpreters, or others take reasonable steps to authorize only those
responsibilities that such persons can be expected to perform competently on the
basis of their education, training, or experience, either independently or with the level
of supervision being provided. Explain what is meant by reasonable in these two
standards. Explain why the term, reasonable, is included in each of these standards.
16. The term organizational client refers to an organization, representative
of an organization, or other individual for whom a psychologist is provid-
ing consultation, organization or personnel evaluations, test development,