Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the video Equity in Psychological Testing: A Historical PerspectiveLinks to an external site. and the 5 tips to improve your critical thinking – Samantha AgoosLinks to an external site. video.
Additionally, review the resources below:
- Chapters 1 and 2 in your textbook
- Section 9: Assessment on the webpage, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct APA Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and EvaluationLinks to an external site.
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.
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 & ConclusionsLinks 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in Assessment, 9.06 Interpreting Assessment Results, 9.07 Assessment by Unqualified Persons, 9.08 Obsolete Tests and Outdated Test Results, or 9.10 Explaining Assessment Results).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 & ConclusionsLinks 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 StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. Consider using the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s Grammarly: A Free Proofreading ToolLinks 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
- Title of paper in bold font
- Must include the subheadings provided in the instructions (Introduction, Applied Scenario, Ethical Concerns, etc.).
