DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. Ethics and legal
Introduction to ethics in Developmental Psychology

2. Developmental psychology
 Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human
beings change over the course of their life.
 It is a scientific approach which aims to explain growth, change and
consistency though the lifespan. Nature/nurture, continuity
/stages,stability/change

3. Cont..
-the end justifies the means, thus
-ethical bhr would produce good outcome.
-based on the outcome there are theories such as;
i) utilitarianism-right action leads to most /greater happiness of greatest
number of people
ii) egoism-anything that maximizes the good for self is right
iii) Hedonism-anything that maximizes pleasure is right

4. Metaethics

5. Cont…
3.Applied ethics: focuses on how professionals should use their knowledge in practice. How do
we take moral knowledge and put it into practice?
4.Normative/Prescriptive ethics:
 Normative ethics is the study of what people should or should not do. Eg “Murder is wrong.”
 Deal with set of considerations how one should behave
-tells us what we can do or not
-involves creating or evaluating moral standards. Thus, it is an attempt to figure out what
people should do or whether their current moral behavior is reasonable
-classical(traditional/usual) ethical theories fall under this category e.g consequential &
deontology
A NORMATIVE claims a claim that asserts that such-and-such OUGHT to be the case
How should people act?

6. Meeting 2

7. Objectives
 define the terms ethical principles, standards and codes.
 explain what professional competence entails.
 examine the various ethical principles and codes.
 describe how and why psychologists should demonstrate the given
 principles.
 illustrate the core ethical issues that are important in psychological
 practice.

8. Ethical Principles
 The five ethical principles are as follows and will be explained later in this
unit;
 „
Beneficence and non-maleficence
 „
Fidelity and responsibility
 „
Integrity
 „
Justice
 „
Respect for people's rights and dignity

9. Ethical Standards
 Standard 1: Resolving ethical issues
 Standard 2: Competence
 Standard 3: Human relations
 Standard 4: Privacy and confidentiality
 Standard 5: Advertising and other public statements
 Standard 6: Record keeping and fees
 Standard 7: Education and training
 Standard 8: Research and publication
 Standard 9: Assessment
 Standard 10: Therapy

10. Ethical dilemma
Def: Circumstance in which moral/ethical obligation demand that a person adopt
each of the two/more alternatives
-Situation which presents with two or more alternatives and in which whatever
action one takes results in violation of some professional standards or civic
expectations
-appropriate course of action is not given or obvious
Egs Test taking conditions-no disturbance principle
Lets engage: What are the available alternatives in this scenario for the
psychologist

11. APA guidelines in solving a dilemma
Standard 1
 In case of conflicts between ethics and other demands, a psychologist must
clarify the nature of the conflict, make known their commitment to ethics
code and take reasonable steps to resolve the conflict consistent with general
principles and ethical standards
 Under no circumstance may this standard be used to justify or defend
violating human rights

12. 8 step model in face of ethical
dilemma(Fisher 2012)-aids sound decision
1. Committing to upholding ethical standards before any dilemma
2. Being well versed with professional ethical codes eg APA, Standard 1 on
resolving ethical issues
3. Consult any law relevant to the situation at hand
4. Understand perspectives of various parties affected by the actions of the
professional
5. Generate and weigh the alternatives
6. Select and implement most appropriate course of action

13. Cont..
7. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your course of action
8. Modify and continue to evaluate the ethical plan as necessary way of resolving
ethical dilemmas
NB: There is no clear cut response or solution

14. Principles to consider in dealing with
ethical dilemmas-by Kitcher(1984)
1. Autonomy-clients independence hence encouraging freedom of choice and
action
2. Nonmaleficence-do no harm principle
3. Beneficence-psychologists responsibility to contribute to the clients welfare
4. Justice-faireness
5. Fidelity –faithfulness, loyalty…clients must be able to trust psychologist

15. Tasks for Meeting 3
 Individual – 1.identify current legal and ethical issues across the life span
 Group –1. evaluate the law and ethics debate, 2.Describe ethical principles
 Practicals
 Ethical standards

16. Meeting 4

17. Psychological Practice in Zimbabwe
 Registration process
 Regulators in the field of psychology

18. A Psychologist
Who is a psychologist?
 An individual who scientifically studies how people
think, feel and behave and applies this knowledge to
help people understand, explain and change their
behavior
 Any individual who has been certified as such by the
professional board
 A Psychologist is a health professional/practitioner

19. Roles of psychologists
Depending on their training and experience,
psychologists can assume roles such as:
 Educators
 Counselors
 Researchers
 Psychometrists
 Expert witness
 Consultants
 Therapist-assess, diagnose & treat psychological
problems

20. Psychologists’ training and registration
 Academic
 Professional qualifications
 Internship & supervision
 Areas of training & specialization
 Examination for certification
 Certification

21. Regulation of the profession
 The practice of psychology is regulated by regulatory boards
assigned that responsibility
 In Zimbabwe the practice is regulated by Allied Health Practitioners
Council (AHPCZ) as mandated by the Zimbabwe Health
Professions Authority(HPA)
 ZHPA is governed by Health Professions Act Cpt 27:19
-ZHPA governs all health professions and too perform its functions
effectively, it established different boards/councils to manage
specific professions

22. Importance of professional
regulation (registration as
psychologists)
 Maintain high professional standards and
discipline
 Protect members of the public from unethical
practice & unqualified service from charlatans
 Provision of professional and technical advice to
members
 Ensures growth and development of the
profession
 Unifies the profession

23. Non-compliance to regulatory standards
The conduct of psychologists is guided by;
 Health Professions Act
 Allied Health Practitioners Council of
Zimbabwe(AHPCZ) Ethical code of conduct for
psychologists
 AHPCZ advertising policy and
 AHPCZ professional conduct regulations for all
professionals governed by the council
 American Psychological Association (APA) ethical
principles of psychologists and code of conduct
-Non compliance to any of the regulatory standard
attracts a disciplinary hearing

24. Cont
Examples of behavior warranting disciplinary action:
1.Practicing without a valid practicing certificate and
this attracts level 6 fine or imprisonment for a period
not exceeding one year(Health Practitioners
Act[HPA], Section 92)
2.i.Deceitful use of name or title inferring a particular
profession
ii.Pretending to be a member a particular profession
(HPA, section 126)
The above offences in (2) can attract level 8 fine &
imprisonment up to a maximum of 3 years

25. Professional Association affiliation
-In Zimbabwe there is a professional association for psychologists
-Although not mandatory, psychologists are encouraged to join
professional association
Benefits of association membership, include
 Professional growth
 Networking platform
 Address interests and welfare of psychologist

26. Meeting 5

27. Legal issues in Developmental
psychology
 Information Technology
 Convention of the rights of children
 Sexual issues

28. Information Technology(I.T) and
practice
What is I.T?
-Medium of communication:any device, process or method which aids
communication
-All communication technologies including the internet, cellphones, computers,
software, video conferencing, social networking and other media platforms
 Technology can be integrated into the practice of psychology such as
psychotherapy
 Telehealth,” “Telepsychology,” “E-Health,” “E-Therapy refers to integration
of various technologies into psychotherapy and other professional services

29. Technology use, ethics and legal issues
 Guarantee each client’s confidentiality regardless of the therapeutic
medium used. This can include the use of encryption for e-mails and hard
drives of gadgets used, virus and malware protection for your computer,
password all utilized electronic gadgets
 Consent issues which address use of technology should be addressed eg
expectations for the responsiveness to client’s communications
 Be sure you can know the identity of who you are interacting with each
time
 Ensure that the individual is legally authorized to consent to the
treatment/service being offered

30. Benefits of technology use
 Increased access to needed services for those who are homebound, live in
a remote or isolated area, or who might not seek out needed services in-
person due to stigma.
 Ability to continue a client’s treatment when the client travels for work,
is away on vacation, or otherwise out of town.
 To respond to client crises when not in the office (by telephone, e-mail,
text messaging, or even video conferencing).
 To provide or receive clinical supervision and consultation with expert
colleagues who are located out of your local geographic area.

31. Cont..
Overall benefits are:
 Help run one’s practice more smoothly and effectively.
 They may also help you to be more accessible to clients and to be able to
respond to them in a timely manner

32. Potential risks of technology use
 With certain technologies such as telephone, e-mail, and text messaging,
the absence of visual cues such as facial expression may make it difficult
to discern emotions or intonation.
 Difficulty confirming the identity of the client.
 Technological limitations and interruptions eg internet disruption,
hacking,
 Technology competence issues for psychotherapists.

33. Zimbabwe

The UN General Assembly adopted the UNCRC in 1989, and Zimbabwe ratified
it in September 1990
 Refer to doc – uncrc-Zambia ,zim and malawi

34. Meeting 6

35.  Individual activity
 Cite and describe the main global statutes, codes and children’s rights
relevant to children-Are these relevant locally? Justify your answer
 Group Task
 How were children in conflict with the law handled traditionally in Zimbabwe
 Should children be regulated to have sex when they get 16 or 18 years old?
Justify your answer