Keith, a psychologist, needs to conduct a quick assessment of an adolescent female student whose grades and behavior have changed. He wants to send her home with the MMPI-A personality test to complete and return so he can score it and determine if her personality is influencing her issues. However, sending her home with a test without supervision could raise ethical concerns, as outlined in the APA's ethical standards for psychological assessment. As his colleague, one should advise Keith that a more objective, supervised assessment would be needed to comply with ethical guidelines and get accurate results, rather than having her take the test alone without oversight.

1. Discussion Question: Objective vs Projective
Recall our consultant, Keith, from Module 1. Keith has been
asked to conduct a psychological evaluation on an adolescent
female. Her teachers and parents are concerned that her grades
have been dropping and she has been acting out.
Keith is short on time and needs to complete his assessment
quickly. He likes using the MMPI-A and decides to send a
protocol home for the girl to complete. Once she returns it,
he’ll score it and determine if the girl’s personality is somehow
influencing her grades and behavior changes.
Refer to the
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Standard 9 on Assessment
(APA, 2010).
What ethical concerns does Keith need to consider?
As Keith’s colleague, what advice can you give him based on
what you have learned about psychological assessment?
By
Saturday, August 1, 2015
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