Psychologist Leverages Tests From School to Assess Clients

Psychological tests and measurement techniques are much used in psychology, health education, and business in order to evaluate several capabilities and attributes, for example, intelligence, personality, behavior, and attitudes. Most of these tests are commercially published. This study involves a case study of a psychologist who has included tests that she learned in school on her website and planned to use the website instead of administering the testes herself.

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My Immediate Reaction To The Scenario, The Details That I Noticed Immediately And The Questions That The Scenario Raised About The Testing

I felt that such tests are the most convenient and normative because of the internet. It should be considered as a human advancement since it stimulates career development, individual development and maturity, and decision making in several contexts. I felt that it was a great idea since I believe that most people with psychological issues prefer being unknown, remaining at home rather than going to the health facility to visit a psychologist. Most of the patients prefer tests in which they do not have to meet in contact with an individual. Some of the details that I first noticed from this scenario is the fact that anyone could take the test involving intelligence tests, personality measures, and other psychological scales. People will have a chance to take up the tests for their exploration and self-awareness. Besides, people will have a chance to know themselves better, acquire answers to some private questions, and enable them to make meaningful decisions. Some of the questions that were raised from the scenario on the testing were: how would she inform people about the website? How effective would this be to the older people? How will she ensure that she serves each person effectively? Does this approach people for every age group?

Factors that performance on projective tests

The performance and reliability of projective tests rely on several factors. It relies on the extent to which identical personality evaluations can be attained by various evaluates using similar data tests and the extent to which these interpretations are supported by evaluation of personality from other sources such as the personality inventories and clinical observation. Another element that affects the performance of projective tests is that it relies on patient interpretation in an ambiguous image. It is more accurate since it is not transparent; thus, subjects cannot identify how their answers will be analyzed; thus, they do not have a chance to fake their personality traits on a projective test.

Similarly, it relies on nonverbal communication. The test does not rely on verbal details of the individual being tested. The result is confirmed based on what the individual tell spontaneously during the test. This makes it to be accurate since it identifies the actual personal behavior. Thus, it is a non-verbal communication mode in which individuals portray their nonverbal communication, and that may rely on behavior, reaction, and attitude (Masling, 1960).

Reliability And Validity Concerns With The Scenario

Some of the reliability and validity concerns with this scenario include, the respondent's attitude can be quickly impacted by the test set. Similarly, since there is no grading scale, the evaluation results may lack validity and reliability because the results differ from the examiners. Similarly, since this strategy is standardized, it requires a broad and sweeping evaluation of people's personalities and will not address individual eccentricities and personality types. It is as well standardized text that is rigid and generic, and thus it is easy to cheat (Paluchowski & Stemplewska-Zakowicz, 2013).

The reliability of the projective test is compromised when various evaluators, analyze the same examination data, and come up with different results. For reliability assurance, the results from each assessor should be similar to one another. The projective test assumes that the individual has a stable personality. This makes it unreliable since a person with a mental issue can be analyzed just like other normal individuals. The tests also do not consider the principle of beneficence since they offer outcomes that may impact how the client's therapy is carried out, as well as the way clients understand themselves and act in the days to come. There do not exist environments for believing that the results are valid. They stimulate the management of a patient based approach that is not more validated.

Ethical Concerns As Per The APA Ethical Codes And How To Resolve The Concerns

It is unethical to use projective tests that rely on a model of consciousness that has not been validated scientifically. This is because they have weak inter-rater reliability and their assumption to evaluate a wide range of psychological domains that have not been supported with any data. Their restrictions are more than a trial to add mystique and professional fees to their administration. Additionally, when the psychologist does not inform the client that the projective test does not have scientific validation, they breach the principle of autonomy by not providing them the information that they require in order to make up their mind on if to comply with the test or not. The projective use strategy can be misused and does not consider the probable negative effect of minorities and cultural bias. Similarly, there are concerns that the test is not reliable and valid since its outcomes are not consistent, thus making it hard to determine the right result since different evaluators have different outcomes (Erdman & Foster, 2008).

To resolve these issues, a psychologist should work together in ethics research, proceedings thus leading to needs of the APA or affiliated state psychological association where they should be, through this they may deal with confidentiality concerns. Not cooperating is as well a violation. Nevertheless, having a request for postponement of a judgment of an ethics complaint awaiting the result of the dispute may not alone comprise of constitute non-cooperation. Psychologists should inform the patients about the advantages and limitations of carrying out a specific test. This will help the patient to determine if they should continue using the type of test or use others that meet the needs of the client.

The psychologists should as well maintain respect for an individual's rights and dignity. This involves maintaining confidentiality on the information shared by the client through the test. This inspires and aids in understanding acceptance for differences, postulating that a psychologist is knowledgeable on and respect cultural, individual, and role distinctions. One should put into perspective these elements when collaborating with people from these groups (American Psychological Association, 2017).

In conclusion projective test lets an individual respond to address ambiguous stimuli, therefore bringing out hidden emotions and internal conflicts that are portrayed by an individual during the test, considering that for this scenario it is carried out on the internet then it will be easy to get people to enroll in the test since people prefer a test that hides their identity. However, the usefulness and reliability of these tests rely on several elements. For instance, the extent to which similar personality evaluation results can be attained by various evaluators that may take part in the study. Through this perspective, psychologists are much divided over the effectiveness of projective tests, despite their prominence in personality research and therapeutic practice.

References

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologist and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ethics/codeErdman Harlond & Foster Sharon. (2008). Ethical Issues in the Use of Computer-Based Assessment. Computer in Human Services, 3(2), 71-87

Masling, J. (1960). The influence of situational and interpersonal variables in projective testing. Psychological Bulletin, 57(1), 65-85. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0044057Paluchowski, J. & Stemplewska-Zakowicz, K. (2013). The Reliability of Projective Techniques as Tools of Psychological Assessment. Part 1: Why It Is Unjustified To Describe Some of them as projective. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 93, 421-437