Psychology Ethics and Codes

• Code of Ethics in Psychology

Overview

• Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) and the American Psychological Association (APA) both have codes of ethics.
• The codes of ethics of both organizations cover a preamble, universal principles, functions, and ethics in assessments.

What is a Code of Ethics?

• A code of ethics provides principles and guidelines.
• These principles help organizations, employees, and stakeholders navigate moral and ethical decisions.
• A code of ethics offers a structured approach for making sound decisions
• It promotes a unified approach to handling complex challenges.

Timeline of the PAP Code of Ethics

• 1980s: Code of Ethics for Clinical Psychologists
• 2007: Scientific and Professional Ethics Committee was chaired by Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo
• 2008: Updating and revising to make it inclusive to all psychologists
• 2009: Ratification of the Code of Ethics
• 2020: Revision due to technological advancements, new laws and Covid 19 pandemic
• 2022: Approval of the latest version of code of ethics

PAP Code of Ethics Preamble

• Ethics forms the core of every discipline.
• The Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists creates a moral framework
• It guides and inspires psychology practitioners towards ethical ideals.
• The objectives of the Universal Declaration provides a moral framework for psychology organizations globally.
• The Universal Declaration describes ethical principles grounded in shared human values.
• It articulates principles and related values that are general and aspirational
• These principles are not specific or prescriptive.
• The significance of the Universal Declaration relies on its recognition and promotion by psychology organizations.
• The promotion happens at national, regional, and international levels.

Universal Principles

• Respect for the dignity of persons and peoples
• Competent caring for the well-being of persons and peoples
• Integrity
• Professional and scientific responsibilities to society

Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples

• Recognition of inherent worth of all human beings, regardless of status, origin, gender, or characteristics.
• All humans are worthy of equal moral consideration.
• All human beings are interdependent social beings.
• They are born into, and live as part of the history and evolution of their peoples
• Cultures, ethnicities, religions, histories, and social structures are integral to the identity of members
• These structures give meaning to their lives.

Competent Caring for the Well-Being of Persons and Peoples

• It involves working for their benefit and, above all, doing no harm.
• It includes maximizing benefits, minimizing potential harm, and offsetting or correcting harm.
• Competent care also covers the delivery of psychological services using online modalities(telepsychology).

Integrity

• It is based on honesty, and on truthful, open, and accurate communications.
• Complete openness and disclosure of information must be balanced with other considerations.
• This includes the need to protect the safety or confidentiality of persons and peoples
• It also includes the need to respect cultural expectations.
• Self-interest does not interfere with acting in the best interests of persons and peoples.

Professional and Scientific Responsibility to Society

• Psychology functions as a discipline within human society and has responsibilities.
• These responsibilities include contributing to the knowledge about human behavior.
• It also includes improving the condition of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society.

General Ethical Standards and Procedures

• How to resolve ethical issues in professional lives and communities
• Adhering to the highest standards of professional competence
• Respecting the rights and dignity of supervisees, clients, peers, students, and stakeholders
• Maintaining confidentiality in professional and scholarly functions
• Ensuring truthfulness and accuracy in public statements and advertisements
• Observing professionalism in records and fees.

Ethical Standards in Specific Functions

• Includes general ethics for:
  • Assessment
  • Therapy
  • Education and Training
  • Research

Ethical Standards Specific to Therapy

• Includes general ethics for:
  • Confidentiality
  • Informed Consent
  • Client's Well-being
  • Relationships
  • Record-Keeping
  • Competent Practice
  • Working with Vulnerable Populations
  • Referrals
  • Interruptions
  • Termination

Ethical Standards Specific to Education and Training

• Includes ethics for:
  • Design of Education and Training Programs
  • Descriptions of Education and Training Programs
  • Accuracy in Teaching
  • Student Disclosure of Personal Information
  • Mandatory Individual or Group Therapy
  • Assessing Student and Supervisee Performance
  • Sexual Relationships with Students and Supervisees

Ethical Standards in Research

• Concerns rights and dignity of participants
• Informed consent to research
• Informed consent for recording voices and images
• Research participation of client, students, and subordinates
• Offering inducements for research participation
• Deception in research
• Debriefing
• Observational research
• Humane care and use of animals in research
• Care for the environment
• Reporting research results
• Plagiarism
• Publication credit
• Duplicate publication of data
• Sharing research data for verification
• Reviewers, and limitations of study

Ethical Standards Specific to Assessment

• Includes general standards for:
  • Bases of assessment
  • Informed consent in assessment
  • Assessment tools
  • Obsolete and outdated test results
  • Interpreting assessment results
  • Release of test data
  • Explaining assessment results
  • Test security
  • Assessment by unqualified persons
  • Test construction

Bases of Assessment

• Expert opinions are based on substantial information and appropriate assessment techniques.
• Expert opinions regarding the psychological characteristics of a person should employ adequate assessment
• This examination supports conclusions and recommendations.
• Opinions on an individual without examination are based on the review of the data.
• This review includes test results and reports
• The limitations of opinions and conclusions are discussed.
• Teleassessment procedures can inform decisions if administered by qualified professionals.

Informed Consent in Assessment

• Informed consent is gathered prior to assessment, except when:
  • Mandated by law.
  • Implied in routine educational, institutional, or organizational activities.
  • Assessment is to determine individual's decisional capacity.
• Clients are educated about the nature of services, financial matters, risks, and confidentiality limits.
• If clients aren't competent to provide informed consent, matters are discussed with family members or legal guardians.
• If a third-party interpreter is needed, test result confidentiality and security must be ensured.
• Data limitations are discussed in results, conclusions, and recommendations.
• In teleassessments, test takers are informed of the implications
• This includes technical issues leading to poor data.

Assessment Tools

• Tests are judiciously selected and administered only when pertinent to the reasons for referral and purpose of assessment.
• Data collections use methods and procedures consistent with current scientific and professional developments.
• Tests used must be standardized, valid, reliable, and have normative data directly referable to clients' population.
• Administer assessment tools must be appropriate to competence, language, and other relevant client characteristics.
• Use only original copies of test materials.

Obsolete and Outdated Test Results

• Interpretations, recommendations and conclusions should not be based on outdated test results.

Interpreting Assessment Results

• Test results should not be reported without considering the validity, reliability, and appropriateness of the test.
• Therefore, reservations regarding the interpretations should be indicated.
• Assessment results are interpreted while considering the purpose of the assessment and other factors.
• The other factors include the client’s test taking abilities, gender, characteristics, situational, personal, and cultural differences.

Release of Test Data

• It is a responsibility to ensure that test results and interpretations are not used by persons other than those explicitly agreed upon.
• The people who can use the test results should be approved by the referral sources.
• Test data in the forms of raw and scaled scores, client's responses to test questions or stimuli, and notes regarding the client's statements and behaviors are not released.
• Unless regulated by the court

Explaining Assessment Results

• Test results are only released to the referral sources and with written permission from the client if it is a self-referral.
• When communicating test results to relatives, parents, or teachers, it is explained through non-technical language.
• Findings and test results are explained to clients or designated representatives.
• An explanation of results may not be appropriate, and its advanced to the client
• When test results need to be shared with schools, social agencies, the courts, or industry, there is supervision with these types of releases.
• When explaining test results online, clients may request documentation of sessions.

Test Security

• The administration and handling of all test materials shall be handled only by qualified/licensed users or personnel.
• These materials include manuals, keys to correction, answer sheets, reusable booklets, tests administered online, etc.

Assessment by Unqualified Persons

• The use of assessment tools and methods by unqualified persons is not promoted unless it is for training purposes with adequate supervision.
• Test protocols, their interpretations and all other records are kept secured by qualified persons.
• As psychometricians, one must practice under the boundaries prescribed in RA10029 operated under a registered psychologist.

Test Construction

• Tests and other assessment tools must be developed using current scientific findings, knowledge, appropriate psychometric properties, validation, and standardization procedures.

APA Code of Ethics

• The 1st edition was in 1953.
• The effective date as of June 1, 2003, with amendments effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017.
• The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (Ethics Code) has an Introduction, a Preamble, five General Principles (A-E), and specific Ethical Standards.

APA Preamble

• Psychologists work to increase scientific and professional knowledge of behavior and people.
• They improve people's understanding of themselves and others through organizations and society.
• The Ethics Code covers most situations encountered by psychologists.
• A dynamic set of ethical standards requires a personal commitment
• It involves lifelong effort to act ethically.
• It also encourages ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees, and colleagues; and to consult with others concerning ethical problems.

General Principles

• Beneficence and Nonmaleficence: striving to benefit those with whom they work and care to do no harm.
• Fidelity and Responsibility: establishing relationships of trust with those with whom they work, be aware of their professional and scientific responsibilities to society and to the specific communities in which they work.
• Integrity: promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology.
• Justice: recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal procedures, processes and services
• Respect for People's Rights and Dignity: respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination.

APA Sections on General Principles

• Resolving Ethical Issues
• Competence
• Human Relations
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Advertising and Other Public Statements
• Record Keeping and Fees
• Education and Training
• Research and Publication
• Assessment
• Therapy