American Psychological Association Code Research Articles

Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Deception in Simulation: Ethical and Educational Considerations.

Many techniques and modifications commonly used by the simulation community have been identified as deceptive. Deception is an important issue addressed by both the newly adopted Healthcare Simulationist Code of Ethics and the American Psychological Association Code of Conduct. Some view these approaches as essential whereas others question their necessity as well as their untoward psychological effects. In an attempt to offer guidance to simulation-based healthcare educators, we explore educational practices commonly identified as deceptive along with their potential benefits and detriments. We then address important decision points and high-risk situations that should be avoided to uphold ethical boundaries and psychological safety among learners. These are subsequently analyzed in light of the Code of Ethics and used to formulate guidelines for educators that are intended to ensure that deception, when necessary, is implemented in as psychologically safe a manner as possible.

Developing and revising the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists: key differences from the American Psychological Association code

ABSTRACT There are several key differences between the codes of ethics developed by the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association. This paper tells the story behind the key differences between the U.S. and Canada codes. It starts with an introduction to the two countries and a brief history of what led up to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) decision to develop the world’s first ethics code for psychologists. This is followed by a description of the development process used by APA, and the reasons why the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) originally adopted the APA code but subsequently chose to develop its own “made-in-Canada” code of ethics. The key differences of the CPA code, the cultural, legal, and philosophical contexts that help explain the rationale for those differences, and why the differences have been maintained are discussed. In particular, attention is given to the CPA code’s strong focus on: (a) the concept of a contract with society; (b) aspiration vs. enforcement; (c) ethical reasoning and decision making; and (d) organizing standards around ethical principles.

Technology and culture: Differences between the APA and ACA ethical codes

We conducted a section-by-section and line-by-line comparison of the ethical codes published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA). Overall, 144 differences exist between the two codes and, here we focus on two constructs where 36 significant differences exist: technology and culture. Of this number, three differences were direct conflicts between the APA and ACA ethical codes’ expectations for technology and cultural behavior. The other 33 differences were omissions in the APA code, meaning that specific elements in the ACA code were explicitly absent from the APA code altogether. Of the 36 total differences pertaining to technology and culture in the two codes, 27 differences relate to technology and APA does not address 25 of these 27 technology differences. Of the 36 total differences pertaining to technology and culture, nine differences relate to culture and APA does not address eight of these issues.

EXECUTIVE AND LEADER COACHING: AN I/O PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT Organizations continue to re-organize, re-structure, and adapt to the paradigm shift from traditional business practices to postmodern practices in boundaryless markets and global economies. On the human side of the paradigm shift to new unchartered waters, a growing number of executives and leaders are seeking assistance for professional and career development. Organizations are also using executive and leader coaches in efforts to increase organizational performance. Yet, the field of executive and leader coaching has limited empirical studies, theories, and models. Currently, there are no legal requirements to provide coaching services or create a coaching practice outside of obtaining a business license. Therefore, the average person could create a coaching practice with a minimum investment and limited coaching skills. The absence of empirical research, mandatory requirements, and limited guiding principles could result in potentially ineffective coaching practices leading to limited outcomes or in some cases, harm to the client. The field of executive and leader coaching has a surplus of practitioners with backgrounds and experiences including retired executives and business leaders, management consultants, motivational speakers, and sports coaches. Presently, there are a few professional coaching organizations offering training and coaching certification for reasonable prices and minimum membership requirements. However, the field of executive and leader coaching also has a growing number of industrial/organizational psychologists and licensed psychologists providing coaching services influenced by the American Psychological Association code of ethics, standards, and principles. This paper provides an overview of executive and leader coaching with an industrial/organizational psychology perspective of executive and leader coaching. Keywords APA Ethics Code, Best Practices, Business Coaching, Coaching Competencies, Coaching Principles, Evidence-based Coaching, Executive and Leader Development

Spiritual interventions in child and adolescent psychotherapy

Spiritual Interventions in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. Donald F. Walker and William L. Hathaway (Eds.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2013, Pp. 282, Pb, Reviewed by Tami Sullivan (Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, NY).Spiritual Interventions in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy puts at our disposal a comprehensive guide from which psychotherapists who work with children, adolescents, and their families can acknowledge and integrate religious and spiritual principles into their professional work. The authors successfully navigate a compendium of religiously guided assessments, interventions, and case conceptualizations that aid psychotherapists in discerning the importance of culturally diverse religious beliefs and practices of their child and family clients.In the first section, the authors lay a foundation in which the reader can understand the role of religion in a child and adolescent's life from an ethical, contextual and developmental perspective that is respectful of different religious orientations. With the emphasis that religiouslyminded treatment can be integrated with secular interventions or stand on its own, the second section introduces practical guidelines and considerations from different theoretical models for psychotherapists interested in incorporating religion and spirituality into their work.Chapter 1: Ethics, Religious Issues, and Clinical Child Psychology provides the reader with solid guidance to issues pertaining to client spirituality through the introduction of compelling case studies and the application of the American Psychological Association's code of ethics.Chapter 2: Assessment of Religious and Spiritual Issues in Clinical Child Psychology authors present general guidance for assessing the role of religion and spirituality in the child or adolescent's presenting problem. The Faith Situations Questionnaire, an assessment of Judeo-Christian religious behaviors is discussed in some detail.Chapter 3: Addressing Parental Spirituality in Family Psychotherapy follows a systematic exploration of the interrelationships between parental spirituality and child and adolescent psychopathology. A useful relational spirituality framework is presented in which psychotherapists can assess and come to understand how child and adolescent problems are situated in familial religious practices, and design ecologically valid interventions.Chapter 4: Spiritually Oriented Interventions in Developmental Context presents a conceptual model for understanding the religious and spiritual development of children and frames interventions within developmentally appropriate cognitive, psychosocial, and spiritual domains.Chapter 5: Acceptance we are generously reminded of the universality of acceptance in psychotherapeutic approaches. The authors' supposition that acceptance is a spiritual intervention is evidenced through a detailed analysis of both an object relations and child-centered therapeutic approach.Chapter 6: Spiritual Awareness Psychotherapy opens up a therapeutic path in which the child and adolescent's journey is guided by the psychotherapist through accord with the universe, or the divine, that ultimately bring about a spiritual awareness that leads to awareness, hope, and growth. …

The science of ethics: Deception, the resilient self, and the APA code of ethics, 1966–1973

This paper has two aims. The first is to shed light on a remarkable archival source, namely survey responses from thousands of American psychologists during the 1960s in which they described their contemporary research practices and discussed whether the practices were "ethical." The second aim is to examine the process through which the American Psychological Association (APA) used these survey responses to create principles on how psychologists should treat human subjects. The paper focuses on debates over whether "deception" research was acceptable. It documents how members of the committee that wrote the principles refereed what was, in fact, a disagreement between two contemporary research orientations. The paper argues that the ethics committee ultimately built the model of "the resilient self" into the APA's 1973 ethics code. At the broadest level, the paper explores how prevailing understandings of human nature are written into seemingly universal and timeless codes of ethics.

Ethical Considerations for Psychologists Screening Applicants for the Priesthood in the Catholic Church: Implications of the Vatican Instruction on Homosexuality

The release of the Vatican instruction on homosexuality in the priesthood and Catholic seminaries poses several challenging ethical issues for the psychologists who conduct psychological screening evaluations for those men interested in religious life as Catholic priests. This brief article reviews some of the key ethical issues associated with these evaluations in light of the new Vatican instruction on homosexuality. The RRICC model based on the American Psychological Association's Code of Ethics (i.e., responsibility, respect, integrity, competence, and concern) is used to highlight some of the ethical challenges for psychologist evaluators.

Ethical Dilemmas Associated with Self-Disclosure in Student Writing

Personal and reflective writing assignments in psychology courses may prompt self-disclosure that presents ethical dilemmas. The literature discusses responsibilities of the psychologist in instances such as disclosure of suicidal ideation or threats of harming others within the context of the therapist–client relationship, but significantly less so within the professor–student relationship. I review relevant models of ethical decision making, ethics codes, case law, and related research and propose an ethical decision making guideline for addressing student self-disclosure. I offer additional suggestions for ethical decision making, based on the current American Psychological Association Code of Ethics (2002), and for future research endeavors in this area.

The relative importance of the ethical principles adopted by the American Psychological Association.

Abstract A primary purpose of a code of ethics is to assist members of an organization in making consistent choices when faced with ethical dilemmas. In instances where two or more ethical principles are in conflict with one another, decision-makers are typically left to determine which of the two should be given most weight. Nonetheless, in the code of ethics adopted by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), principles are ranked in order of importance. This provides decision-makers with guidance in situations of conflict between ethical principles. In contrast to CPA's code of ethics, other professional codes do not provide such guidance. In a previous paper, we provided a philosophical rationale for a ranking of the ethical principles adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in order to help guide decision-making (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 1999). In the present study, we investigated whether APA members collectively believe that some ethical principles are more important than others, and whether their views about the relative importance of ethical principles are consistent with the order (i.e., ranking) outlined in the CPA code. The results suggest that although APA members view all principles of their code as being important, they also view certain principles as carrying more weight. A discussion of the similarities and differences between a ranking of ethical principles that was based on our participants' responses and that of the CPA code is provided. The implications of the findings for ethical decision-making are also discussed. A primary purpose of any code of ethics is to provide members of an association with guidance for making consistent ethical choices. Principles and standards are used to specify for members the nature of what the organization/association deems to be ideal and/or expected conduct (Railborn & Payne, 1990). The ethical principles listed in the code of ethics adopted by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA, 1991, 2000) are ranked in order of importance. This approach was intended to increase consistency of ethical decision-making in situations where ethical principles are in conflict with one another (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 2000; Sinclair, 1998). In contrast to the CPA code, the code of ethics adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1992) does not include a ranking of ethical principles. The APA (1992) code is of interest to Canadian psychologists because it reflects the practices of the largest psychological association in the world and is a highly visible and influential document within international psychology. Moreover, approximately 2,000 Canadian psychologists are members of APA (APA, 2000). The code of ethics of the american psychological association (APA, 1992) includes six ethical principles (Competence, Integrity, Professional and Scientific Responsibility, Respect for People's Rights and Dignity, Concern for Others' Welfare, and Social Responsibility). It is not difficult to think of situations in which some of these principles can come into conflict with other principles. Consider, for example, a well-meaning parent who wishes to make a choice for his child that the psychologist believes is not in the best interest of the child (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 1999). In such a situation, principles that relate to client autonomy (e.g., Respect for People's Rights and Dignity) would conflict with those that pertain to concern for the welfare of others (e.g., Concern for Others' Welfare). Most codes of ethics do not provide guidance with respect to the manner in which such conflicts should be dealt with, thus, increasing the probability of inconsistent decision-making among psychologists. As mentioned earlier, the issue of conflict among ethical principles has been addressed by CPA (1991, 2000). The four principles of CPA's code are ranked as follows: 1) Respect for the Dignity of Persons; 2) Responsible Caring; 3) Integrity in Relationships; and 4) Responsibility to Society. …

Ethical Principles of the American Psychological Association: An Argument for Philosophical and Practical Ranking

Unlike the American Psychological Association (APA), the Canadian Psychological Association has adopted a code of ethics in which principles are organized in order of importance. The validity of this hierarchical organization has received some empirical and theoretical support. We conducted a theoretical analysis that revealed conceptual justification for a ranking of the 6 principles in the APA code. Such a ranking could assist psychologists in making more informed and consistent moral choices when confronted with ethical dilemmas that involve conflicts among principles.

Relating the Psychological Literature to American Psychological Association Ethical Standards

The psychological literature frequently elaborates ethical principles and standards and highlights the complexity of many ethical issues. The American Psychological Association code of ethics (American Psychological Association, 1992) directs psychologists to become familiar with the code and its implications for their work. A computerized search strategy is described for identifying and organizing published articles dealing with ethical issues. Specifically, we report the development of a search strategy for use with the journal literature database contained on PsycLIT(CD-ROM). The search terms identify ethics articles and categorize them according to Ethical Standards 2 through 8 of the 1992 code.

Application of the CPA code of ethics in planning field research: An organizational case.

AbstractCanadian psychologists have a new code of ethics. Demonstrations of the code's use have thus far have concentrated on its application in traditional areas. The present paper demonstrates its use in planning field research by delineating the ethical implications of a research example drawn from the organizational psychology literature. Specifically, I argue that the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists provides a useful method for planning ethically sound field research. It is further shown that the decision - making process advocated by the CPA code of ethics is an effective means of identifying issues that would otherwise be neglected. Implications of the code for Canadian Industrial and Organizational psychologists are briefly discussed.In 1986, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) adopted its own code of ethics. The new code replaces previous adaptations of the ethical code from the American Psychological Association (APA) (Sinclair, Poizner, Gilmour - Barrett & Randall, 1987). The development of a Canadian code was, in part, spurred on by a growing interest among Canadian psychologists in developing a Canadian ethical code that would address uniquely Canadian issues and concerns (Sinclair, et al., 1987).The CPA code of ethics is still in its infancy; thus, many avenues remain to be explored. According to Sinclair and her colleagues (1987), the CPA code should be conceived of as, ... an umbrella document that can be used as a guide to the development of more specific standards for particular areas of practice in Canadian psychology... . This paper is intended to encourage progress in these areas. Specifically, I will demonstrate how the CPA code can be applied to issues in field research by using an ethical dilemma drawn from the organizational literature. To emphasize the uniqueness of the Canadian ethical code, the example chosen is one that has already been considered from the perspective of the APA code of ethics. I hope that this example will benefit both those individuals engaging in field research more generally, as well as those working closely with organizations, such as industrial/organizational (I/O) and social psychologists.Given that my own background is in I/O psychology, the present article will adopt an organizational psychology flavour. This, however, should not be taken as indicating that the dilemma is purely organizational in nature, nor one that is typical of I/O psychology. Rather, it is simply one of the many dilemmas I/O psychologists could face, and is one shared with many other field researchers.There are many possible scenarios that are unique to Applied Psychology, and the CPA code by no means answers all the questions. The code does, however, provide a solid foundation for further developments. The generic nature of the decision - making process advocated by the CPA code lends itself to most situations faced by psychologists, regardless of contextual factors.Other psychologists have demonstrated the application of the CPA code in contexts such as clinical and counselling psychology (see Eberlein, 1988; Weinberger, 1988; CPA Companion Manual, 1988; Tymchuk, 1986), and have described value conflicts occurring in field research (O'Neill, 1990). Many discussions of the new Code have been tied to issues for which dilemmas were unavoidably at hand; hence, use of the code was reactive in nature - the psychologist has a situation at hand that must be dealt with immediately.In the present paper, I shall explore how the CPA code can be used in a research setting in a proactive manner. Using the code proactively means that psychologists are using the code to delineate possible consequences to actions they have yet to execute. The decision - making process encourages researchers, first to identify potential consequences to various alternatives, and then to offer possible solutions for any ethical impasse. …

Will the new code help researchers to be more ethical?

A code of ethics has 2 largely incompatible objectives: to set forth enforceable minimal standards of conduct and to teach about or invoke ethical conduct. The section of the new American Psychological Association code dealing with research ethics achieves the former to some degree. However, it neither provides needed education in the ethics of research nor states where the reader might turn for such information. The code is particularly deficient in the following areas: privacy and confidentiality; institutional review boards; deception; debriefing; data sharing; and research on marginal populations, on children and adolescents, and in organizational contexts. Suggestions are offered for providing a bibliographic resource, in hard copy and on-line, that would stimulate independent interest, scholarship, education, and research on research ethics.

Three Approaches to Religious Issues in Counseling

The Christian faith continues to be a powerful influence in the lives of a great number of people in American culture. Three approaches employed by practitioners to deal with a client's religious faith have been identified through a review of the literature of the past 10 years. The approaches taken include avoidance, eradication, and integration of the client's faith. Practitioners will either avoid dealing with the client's faith, attempt to eradicate faith, or work towards integrating faith into the counseling process. These three approaches are evaluated in view of the American Psychological Association's code of ethics. Any one of the three approaches may be ethically acceptable when practiced within the bounds of professional code of ethics.

Ethical Issues in the Conduct of Supervision

The American Psychological Association code of ethics is used to understand the ethical issues present in the conduct of supervision. Because supervision is characterized by goals of behavior change, has many qualities similar to therapy, and by definition requires multiple roles of its participants, it should be considered a psychological intervention particularly vulnerable to ethical misconduct. The ethical issues of responsibility, client and supervisee welfare, confidentiality, competency, moral and legal standards, public statements, and professional relationships are discussed in relation to supervision.

Comments, Questions, and Answers

COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, AND ANSWERS Alan B. Crammatte Editor, Comments The Comment, Question, and Answer department is published as a service to professional readers and parents of deaf children. It is an attempt to provide practical information on the basic aspects of deafness, particularly in relation to education. Although all questions submitted cannot be used, those considered to be of greatest interest to readers will be published. Answers are prepared by competent authorities. Material submitted must contain the writer's name and address. Address questions and comments to: Alan B. Crammatte, 897 Windsong Dr., Arnold, Md. 21012. COMMENT—"Three is a crowd" is the traditional view of the psychotherapeutic situation. Yet deaf folk history is full of instances of horrible misdiagnoses in counseling of deaf patients by psychiatrists unable to communicate with the patient and unknowing about problems of deafness . Inclusion of interpreters has been an amelioration of this difficulty, yet problems remain. A letter from Robert Pollard, Jr., points out one problem. Lucinda Shupe, an interpreter at a nearby mental health center, was asked to contribute the interpreter's viewpoint—ABC. Dr. Michael Harvey's article concerning interpreters in family therapy (Annals, December 1982) helped fill a noticeable gap between the clinical utilization of interpreters in psychotherapy and the literature which has been published in the area. Of particular interest, however, was Dr. Harvey's assertion that "an interpreter is strictly prohibited from disclosing any feelings or opinions , even if requested . . . by the therapist" (p. 826) which, he claims, is the stance of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). While attending two recent conferences on deafness and mental health in Rochester, New York, I was struck by the great deal of time which the programs devoted to the specific issue of interpreters in the therapy situation. At both meetings, it was stressed that post-therapy interviews with the interpreter would provide useful information concerning not only problems encountered in interpretation, but would also shed light upon the nature of transference issues which would undoubtedly arise between the client, interpreter, and the therapist. Since such discussion would involve a degree of selfdisclosure of "feelings" and "opinions" by the interpreter, it is apparent that a conflict may exist between the RID Code of Ethics and recommended clinical practice. The use of interpreters in psychotherapy is not specifically addressed in the RID Code of Ethics, though several statements could relate to the therapy situation. Quoting directly from the RID Code of Ethics (1979): Even seemingly unimportant information could be damaging in the wrong hands. Therefore . . . interpreter transliterators must not say anything about any assignment . . . If the interpreter/transliterator's own feelings interfere with rendering the message accurately, he/ she shall withdraw from the situation, (emphasis added) These statements seem to leave enough leeway for the unusual dynamics of the therapy situation to allow for therapist/interpreter discussions of the interpreter's feelings and reactions . Specifically, the therapist is a professional as well, acting in accordance with the American Psychological Association's Code of Ethics and is certainly not the "wrong hands" referred to by the RID. Secondly, the purpose of discussing these feelings with the interpreters would be to address transference and countertransference issues. There is an important distinction between this and the issue of "feelings interfer(ing) with rendering the message accurately." Although these interpretations can be used to refute Dr. Harvey's assertion, the RID Code of Ethics still contains several unrealistic statements concerning the interpreter's "personal involvement": A.A.D. I ¡une 1983 371 Comments, Questions, and Answers He/she shall not become personally involved . . . (one should possess) the ability to prove oneself unbiased . . . the interpreter/transliterator may not become personally involved in the proceedings. These goals are admittedly desirable; however , even the most experienced interpreter cannot devoid him/herself from personal feelings about the interpreting situation, particularly when it involves the emotion-laden content of most therapy sessions. Furthermore, these feelings will influence the dynamics of the therapy situation itself, whether the interpreter is consciously aware of them or not; a viewpoint which is shared by many schools of psychological thought. It is therefore imperative that these important influences be explored and addressed directly, rather than...

The American Psychological Association code of ethics for research involving human participants: an appraisal.

The Southern Journal of PhilosophyVolume 13, Issue 4 p. 407-418 THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CODE OF ETHICS FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN PARTICIPANTS: AN APPRAISAL1 William T. Blackstone, William T. Blackstone University of Georgia William T. Blackstone is Professor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Georgia. His principal areas of interest are ethics and political philosophy. Blackstone's books include The Problem of Religious Knowledge (1963), Francis Hutcheson and Contemporary Ethical Theory (1965), Ethics and Education (Editor, 1969), The Concept of Equality (Editor, 1969), Meaning and Existence (Editor, 1971), and Political Philosophy (1973). A new volume under his editorship just released is entitled Philosophy and Environmental Crisis. Professor Blackstone is president of the American Society for Value Inquiry.Search for more papers by this author William T. Blackstone, William T. Blackstone University of Georgia William T. Blackstone is Professor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Georgia. His principal areas of interest are ethics and political philosophy. Blackstone's books include The Problem of Religious Knowledge (1963), Francis Hutcheson and Contemporary Ethical Theory (1965), Ethics and Education (Editor, 1969), The Concept of Equality (Editor, 1969), Meaning and Existence (Editor, 1971), and Political Philosophy (1973). A new volume under his editorship just released is entitled Philosophy and Environmental Crisis. Professor Blackstone is president of the American Society for Value Inquiry.Search for more papers by this author First published: Winter 1975 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-6962.1975.tb01244.xCitations: 4 1 This paper is a revised version of the Presidential Address to the Sixty-Seventh Annual Meeting of The Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology held in New Orleans, La., March 27–29, 1975. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume13, Issue4Winter 1975Pages 407-418 RelatedInformation