Ethical Standards

This paper will look at some of the ethical standards from the Standard 9: Assessment section of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, which is written to assist and guide psychologists in multiple forms of professional conduct (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010). An analysis of four ethical standards that pertain to testing and assessment will be undertaken, and attempts will be made to incorporate real-life examples. Additionally, possible suggestions for improvement or clarification of the standards will be given, along with information about psychological measurement and assessment in various settings. Other information may be included as it pertains to the topics being discussed in an effort to fully

Specifically the part which discusses maintaining and ensuring confidentiality of test results, test scores, reports, recommendations, or evaluative statements (APA, 2010). An example may be something as simple as an assessment being given to an individual that does not speak a language native to the area in question, even though this could have larger effects even beyond language. For example, in health care fields it may be necessary to have an interpreter assist with patients that have had a stroke, or any other health issue that may compromise speech, although this may be compounded if there was a lack of language proficiency prior to the health event (Fryer, Mackintosh, Stanley, & Crichton,

An issue with this may be that even in the best of circumstances it can prove difficult to understand and assess all variables in a situation. If psychologists are not aware of anything affecting their judgment for an interpretation, it is unclear how any indication of the limits of that same judgment can be made. In other words, it is extremely difficult to know something that isn’t known. Using language such as ‘reasonably’ or ‘best effort’ in conjunction with the information already present may help to decrease the absolute nature of the language used for this