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Assessment and testing
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Assessment and testing

Donald N Bersoff, David DeMatteo and Elizabeth E Foster
01 Jan 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/13272-004

Abstract

Human Informed Consent Professional Ethics Psychological Assessment Psychology: Professional & Research Test Construction
Psychological assessment, particularly testing, is but one of the “holy trinity” of the roles of psychologists, along with therapeutic intervention and research. Practically every subgroup of psychologists engages in measurement of some sort. Researchers use tests to acquire data. Clinical psychologists use tests for diagnosis and to monitor progress in therapy. School psychologists use tests to determine eligibility for special education. Counseling psychologists use vocational, occupational, and interest tests to guide career development. Forensic psychologists use tests to help guide legal decision making. Industrial and organizational psychologists use tests to measure qualifications for employment and promotion. Academic psychologists use tests, often their own instruments, to assess student learning. As a result, it is probably true that no one in the United States has or will escape being evaluated by assessment devices constructed, administered, or interpreted by psychologists. In many instances, the results of testing will have a profound impact on the lives of test takers—for example, admission to college or graduate school, eligibility for special school programs, determination of criminal responsibility, or even exemption from the death penalty. Given the potential positive or negative impact that psychological testing may have, it is imperative that tests are constructed so that they are reliable and valid for the specific purpose for which they are used, given and interpreted by competent practitioners, and administered with sensitivity to the rights and entitlements of test takers. In that light, this chapter attempts to cover the essential ethical considerations when psychologists construct and conduct psychological assessments. We cover such issues as test user qualifications, informed consent, the troubling concern about test security and the disclosure of test material and test data, and the emerging use of online assessment and automated tests, weaving in, as appropriate, the relevant provisions of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (the Ethics Code; American Psychological Association [APA], 2010 ) and other documents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

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