PSY 370 EXAM 3 STUDY GUIDE
Federal laws affecting testing-Discrimination - Answers - -Civil rights act 1964-prohibits
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, and gender
~applied to a wide variety of decisions-employment, education, housing
-Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-among other things, sets
guidelines for fair and appropriate employment testing
-Concerned with the results of testing-adverse impact against minority test-takers is
viewed as discrimination
~unless the test user can show that the test is valid and appropriate(and that there are
no better alternatives)
-Very very controversial
~if minority or majority group members get different scores, is the problem with the test?
-or is there a real difference with another cause
Federal laws affecting testing-Disability - Answers - -Education for all handicapped
children, 1975-requires appropriate, professional testing of children suspected to have a
disability
~Goal: to determine child's educational needs and meet them
-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997-required appropriate testing to
establish disability status and educational progress
~Educational progress tests must accommodate students with disabilities as far as is
reasonably possible
-Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990-prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities
~tests must accommodate persons with disabilities as far as is reasonably possible,
unless the testing method is essential for the job
Federal laws affecting testing-Education - Answers - -No Child Left Behind, 2001-holds
schools accountable for student improvement by assessing progress on standardized
tests
-Test-takers rights
~Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, 1974-parents and students have the right to
access school records, including tests
*May request a hearing to challenge test scores
,-Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 1996-individuals have the right to
know and control who has access to their medical information, including psychological
test results
Case Law and testing - Answers - Legislation is necessarily broad
-details of how to implement the law are often worked out over time
-When there is dispute about how to implement a law, it often ends up in court
A judge's ruling sets precedent that other cases must follow unless the ruling is
overturned
-within the same court level-state, appeals, supreme
This means that the judge's ruling essentially tells us what will be considered legal or
illegal in the future
Ethics - Answers - How do we know we are "doing the right thing"
-Not legally binding, but do carry professional consequences
American Psychological Association
-Psychologists use tests-members need guidance on how to use tests appropriately
Other groups develop ethical guidelines too
-American Educational Research Associations, Association of test publishers, Society
for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Aim to balance the needs and rights of:
-Person being assessed
-Person doing the assessing
-People who will use the results
-Person who developed the test
APA-General Ethical Principles - Answers - 1. Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
-Do good, avoid doing harm
-Consider the effects of your choices on others
-In testing, test with a purpose, be mindful of the consequences of test results
2. Fidelity and Responsibility
-Understand that you are in a position of trust
-Be accountable, address conflicts of interest
-In testing, use information carefully, be mindful that people are trusting you with
information about sensitive things
3. Integrity
-Encourage accuracy, honesty and truthfulness
-When its necessary to be deceptive, do so very carefully
, ~In testing we're not talking about research deception-we're talking about what we tell
our test-takers about what we are doing and why
~Deception by omission counts too
4. Justice
-Ensure that all people have equal access to services and equal quality of service
-In testing work to make your tests fair and appropriate for all people. Understand where
bias might affect test results and weight them appropriately
5. Respect for People's Rights and Dignity
-Acknowledge the dignity and worth of all people
-Respect all people's rights to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination
-Respect cultural, individual, and role differences
4 Basic Rights of test-takers - Answers - 1. Privacy/confidentiality
-People have a basic legal right to choose what they share about themselves and who
they share with it
-Confidentiality=information should not be shared with someone other than the client
without the client's permission
~not the same ass anonymity
~there are many situations in which it is necessary to share test results-but the test-
taker needs to know who will be given what information before they are tested(or before
the information is released)
~test results must be kept secure
2. Informed consent
-Does the test-taker know what he or she is getting into?
~applies to all testing situations, not just research
-Before they take the test, test takers must be told
~why they are being tested
-how the data will be used
-who will have access to the information
-This information needs to be presented in a way that is understandable to the test-taker
-Amount of detail varies by purpose of the test
3. Knowing and Understanding Results
-Test takers have a right to know the results of the test
~pass/Fail? Diagnosis? Score and how it compares to others
~honestly...not just telling the test-taker what they want to hear
~need to be communicated in an appropriate and sensitive manner
-What decisions or recommendations will be made based on the test
-Will the test results be thrown out
-Again amount of detail varies by purpose
Federal laws affecting testing-Discrimination - Answers - -Civil rights act 1964-prohibits
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, and gender
~applied to a wide variety of decisions-employment, education, housing
-Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-among other things, sets
guidelines for fair and appropriate employment testing
-Concerned with the results of testing-adverse impact against minority test-takers is
viewed as discrimination
~unless the test user can show that the test is valid and appropriate(and that there are
no better alternatives)
-Very very controversial
~if minority or majority group members get different scores, is the problem with the test?
-or is there a real difference with another cause
Federal laws affecting testing-Disability - Answers - -Education for all handicapped
children, 1975-requires appropriate, professional testing of children suspected to have a
disability
~Goal: to determine child's educational needs and meet them
-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997-required appropriate testing to
establish disability status and educational progress
~Educational progress tests must accommodate students with disabilities as far as is
reasonably possible
-Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990-prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities
~tests must accommodate persons with disabilities as far as is reasonably possible,
unless the testing method is essential for the job
Federal laws affecting testing-Education - Answers - -No Child Left Behind, 2001-holds
schools accountable for student improvement by assessing progress on standardized
tests
-Test-takers rights
~Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, 1974-parents and students have the right to
access school records, including tests
*May request a hearing to challenge test scores
,-Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 1996-individuals have the right to
know and control who has access to their medical information, including psychological
test results
Case Law and testing - Answers - Legislation is necessarily broad
-details of how to implement the law are often worked out over time
-When there is dispute about how to implement a law, it often ends up in court
A judge's ruling sets precedent that other cases must follow unless the ruling is
overturned
-within the same court level-state, appeals, supreme
This means that the judge's ruling essentially tells us what will be considered legal or
illegal in the future
Ethics - Answers - How do we know we are "doing the right thing"
-Not legally binding, but do carry professional consequences
American Psychological Association
-Psychologists use tests-members need guidance on how to use tests appropriately
Other groups develop ethical guidelines too
-American Educational Research Associations, Association of test publishers, Society
for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Aim to balance the needs and rights of:
-Person being assessed
-Person doing the assessing
-People who will use the results
-Person who developed the test
APA-General Ethical Principles - Answers - 1. Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
-Do good, avoid doing harm
-Consider the effects of your choices on others
-In testing, test with a purpose, be mindful of the consequences of test results
2. Fidelity and Responsibility
-Understand that you are in a position of trust
-Be accountable, address conflicts of interest
-In testing, use information carefully, be mindful that people are trusting you with
information about sensitive things
3. Integrity
-Encourage accuracy, honesty and truthfulness
-When its necessary to be deceptive, do so very carefully
, ~In testing we're not talking about research deception-we're talking about what we tell
our test-takers about what we are doing and why
~Deception by omission counts too
4. Justice
-Ensure that all people have equal access to services and equal quality of service
-In testing work to make your tests fair and appropriate for all people. Understand where
bias might affect test results and weight them appropriately
5. Respect for People's Rights and Dignity
-Acknowledge the dignity and worth of all people
-Respect all people's rights to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination
-Respect cultural, individual, and role differences
4 Basic Rights of test-takers - Answers - 1. Privacy/confidentiality
-People have a basic legal right to choose what they share about themselves and who
they share with it
-Confidentiality=information should not be shared with someone other than the client
without the client's permission
~not the same ass anonymity
~there are many situations in which it is necessary to share test results-but the test-
taker needs to know who will be given what information before they are tested(or before
the information is released)
~test results must be kept secure
2. Informed consent
-Does the test-taker know what he or she is getting into?
~applies to all testing situations, not just research
-Before they take the test, test takers must be told
~why they are being tested
-how the data will be used
-who will have access to the information
-This information needs to be presented in a way that is understandable to the test-taker
-Amount of detail varies by purpose of the test
3. Knowing and Understanding Results
-Test takers have a right to know the results of the test
~pass/Fail? Diagnosis? Score and how it compares to others
~honestly...not just telling the test-taker what they want to hear
~need to be communicated in an appropriate and sensitive manner
-What decisions or recommendations will be made based on the test
-Will the test results be thrown out
-Again amount of detail varies by purpose
