Ethics

Question 1

Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

Answer 1

Psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm. In their professional
actions, psychologists seek to safeguard the welfare and rights of those with whom they interact professionally and
other affected persons, and the welfare of animal subjects of research. When conflicts occur among psychologists’
obligations or concerns, they attempt to resolve these conflicts in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes
harm. Because psychologists’ scientific and professional judgments and actions may affect the lives of others, they
are alert to and guard against personal, financial, social, organizational, or political factors that might lead to
misuse of their influence.
Psychologists strive to be aware of the possible effect of their own physical and mental health on their ability to
help those with whom they work.

Question 2

Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility

Answer 2

Psychologists establish relationships of trust with those with whom they work. They are aware of their
professional and scientific responsibilities to society and to the specific communities in which they work.
Psychologists uphold professional standards of conduct, clarify their professional roles and obligations, accept
appropriate responsibility for their behavior, and seek to manage conflicts of interest that could lead to
exploitation or harm. Psychologists consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other professionals and institutions
to the extent needed to serve the best interests of those with whom they work. They are concerned about the
ethical compliance of their colleagues’ scientific and professional conduct.
Psychologists strive to contribute a portion of their professional time for little or no compensation or personal
advantage.

Question 3

Principle C: Integrity

Answer 3

Psychologists seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of
psychology. In these activities psychologists do not steal, cheat, or engage in fraud, subterfuge, or intentional
misrepresentation of fact. Psychologists strive to keep their promises and to avoid unwise or unclear
commitments. In situations in which deception may be ethically justifiable to maximize benefits and minimize
harm, psychologists have a serious obligation to consider the need for, the possible consequences of, and their
responsibility to correct any resulting mistrust or other harmful effects that arise from the use of such
techniques.

Question 4

Principle D: Justice

Answer 4

Psychologists recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the
contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the processes, procedures, and services being conducted by
psychologists.
Psychologists exercise reasonable judgment and take precautions to ensure that their potential biases, the
boundaries of their competence, and the limitations of their expertise do not lead to or condone unjust practices.

Question 5

Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity

Answer 5

Psychologists respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality,
and self-determination. Psychologists are aware that special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights
and welfare of persons or communities whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision making. Psychologists
are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender
identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and
socioeconomic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Psychologists try
to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or
condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.

Question 6

1. Resolving Ethical Issues

Answer 6

1. 1 Misuse of Psychologists’ Work
2. 2 Conflicts Between Ethics and Law, Regulations, or Other Governing Legal Authority
3. 3 Conflicts Between Ethics and Organizational Demands
4. 4 Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations
5. 5 Reporting Ethical Violations
6. 6 Cooperating With Ethics Committees
7. 7 Improper Complaints
8. 8 Unfair Discrimination Against Complainants and Respondents

Question 7

2. Competence

Answer 7

2. 1 Boundaries of Competence
3. 2 Providing Services in Emergencies
4. 3 Maintaining Competence
5. 4 Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments
6. 5 Delegation of Work to Others
7. 6 Personal Problems and Conflicts

Question 8

3. Human Relations

Answer 8

3. 1 Unfair Discrimination
4. 2 Sexual Harassment
5. 3 Other Harassment
6. 4 Avoiding Harm
7. 5 Multiple Relationships
8. 6 Conflict of Interest
9. 7 Third-Party Requests for Services
10. 8 Exploitative Relationships
11. 9 Cooperation With Other Professionals
12. 10 Informed Consent
13. 11 Psychological Services Delivered To or Through Organizations
14. 12 Interruption of Psychological Services

Question 9

4. Privacy And Confidentiality

Answer 9

4. 1 Maintaining Confidentiality
5. 2 Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality
6. 3 Recording
7. 4 Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy
8. 5 Disclosures
9. 6 Consultations
10. 7 Use of Confidential Information for Didactic or Other Purposes

Question 10

5. Advertising and Other Public Statements

Answer 10

5. 1 Avoidance of False or Deceptive Statements
6. 2 Statements by Others
7. 3 Descriptions of Workshops and Non-Degree-Granting Educational Programs
8. 4 Media Presentations
9. 5 Testimonials
10. 6 In-Person Solicitation

Question 11

6. Record Keeping and Fees

Answer 11

6. 1 Documentation of Professional and Scientific Work and Maintenance of Records
7. 2 Maintenance, Dissemination, and Disposal of Confidential Records of Professional and Scientific Work
8. 3 Withholding Records for Nonpayment
9. 4 Fees and Financial Arrangements
10. 5 Barter With Clients/Patients
11. 6 Accuracy in Reports to Payors and Funding Sources
12. 7 Referrals and Fees

Question 12

7. Education and Training

Answer 12

7. 1 Design of Education and Training Programs
8. 2 Descriptions of Education and Training Programs
9. 3 Accuracy in Teaching
10. 4 Student Disclosure of Personal Information
11. 5 Mandatory Individual or Group Therapy
12. 6 Assessing Student and Supervisee Performance
13. 7 Sexual Relationships With Students and Supervisees

Question 13

8. Research and Publication

Answer 13

8. 1 Institutional Approval
9. 2 Informed Consent to Research
10. 3 Informed Consent for Recording Voices and Images in Research
11. 4 Client/Patient, Student, and Subordinate Research Participants
12. 5 Dispensing With Informed Consent for Research
13. 6 Offering Inducements for Research Participation
14. 7 Deception in Research
15. 8 Debriefing
16. 9 Humane Care and Use of Animals in Research
17. 10 Reporting Research Results
18. 11 Plagiarism
19. 12 Publication Credit
20. 13 Duplicate Publication of Data
21. 14 Sharing Research Data for Verification
22. 15 Reviewers

Question 14

9. Assessment

Answer 14

9. 1 Bases for Assessments
10. 2 Use of Assessments
11. 3 Informed Consent in Assessments
12. 4 Release of Test Data
13. 5 Test Construction
14. 6 Interpreting Assessment Results
15. 7 Assessment by Unqualified Persons
16. 8 Obsolete Tests and Outdated Test Results
17. 9 Test Scoring and Interpretation Services
18. 10 Explaining Assessment Results
19. 11 Maintaining Test Security

Question 15

10. Therapy

Answer 15

10. 1 Informed Consent to Therapy
11. 2 Therapy Involving Couples or Families
12. 3 Group Therapy
13. 4 Providing Therapy to Those Served by Others
14. 5 Sexual Intimacies With Current Therapy Clients/Patients
15. 6 Sexual Intimacies With Relatives or Significant Others of Current Therapy Clients/Patients
16. 7 Therapy With Former Sexual Partners
17. 8 Sexual Intimacies With Former Therapy Clients/Patients
18. 9 Interruption of Therapy
19. 10 Terminating Therapy