Other APA Documents Flashcards
Question ID #12680: You have been seeing 11-year-old Debbie in therapy for conduct problems at school for the past three months. Both of her parents are pleased with Debbie’s progress in therapy but are now getting a divorce and Debbie’s mother asks you to conduct a child custody evaluation of Debbie for the custody hearing. You should:
Select one:
A.
refer Debbie to another psychologist for the evaluation.
B.
request that the judge decide if you should perform the evaluation.
C.
perform the evaluation if you are able to obtain consent from both parents.
D.
perform the evaluation since you are the best person to do so since you have been working with Debbie.
The correct answer is A.
This issue is addressed in APA’s Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Family Law Proceedings, which is one of the APA documents that you want to be familiar with for the exam. The Guidelines states that psychologists must avoid multiple relationships. For example, they should avoid an evaluative role in custody cases when they have already established a therapeutic relationship with the child and/or the child’s parent(s).
Answer B: The judge’s consent would not make the action any less unethical.
Answer C: Having the parent’s consent would not make the action any less unethical.
Answer D: The opposite is true. Having experience with the family decreases your objectivity.
Question ID #12704: You are asked by an attorney to evaluate the woman he is representing in a custody case and then recommend that she be granted custody in court. As an ethical psychologist, you should:
Select one:
A.
evaluate the woman only if you can do a thorough assessment before making a recommendation on her behalf.
B.
evaluate the woman only if you can do a thorough assessment and then make a recommendation on her behalf only if the results indicate that she is a good parent.
C.
evaluate the woman and testify about the results but do not make specific recommendations about custody without evaluating the other parent and children.
D.
refuse to make a recommendation about which parent should be granted custody under any circumstances.
The correct answer is C.
This issue is addressed in APA’s Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Family Law Proceedings. Any conclusions or recommendations about custody must be based on adequate information, which means that all parties should be evaluated before a recommendation is made. You could, however, evaluate the woman only and provide a summary of your results without making specific recommendations.
Answer A: The evaluation of one parent alone would not be adequate to make such a recommendation.
Answer B: An evaluation cannot determine whether someone is a “good” parent.
Answer D: This is an option but not the best answer as you have the option to evaluate the mother without providing a specific recommendation.
Question ID #12705: An organizational psychologist with a Ph.D. wants to become a clinical psychologist. According to APA guidelines, he must:
Select one:
A.
complete appropriate coursework.
B.
complete appropriate coursework, training, and clinical supervision.
C.
obtain supervision from a licensed psychologist.
D.
obtain a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in clinical psychology from an accredited school.
The correct answer is B.
This issue is addressed in Section 1.7 of the APA’s General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services. Section 1.7 states that “psychologists who change or add a specialty meet the same requirements with respect to subject matter and professional skills that apply to doctoral education, training, and experience in the new specialty.” In other words, the psychologist would have to complete relevant courses and requirements for supervised practice.
Answer A: This would not be the only requirement.
Answer C: This is only one of the requirements.
Answer D: Completing relevant educational requirements would not be sufficient on its own.
Question ID #12707: Dr. Paula Pang is hired to perform a court-ordered evaluation of a defendant in a criminal case. After describing the purpose of the evaluation to the defendant, he says that he is not willing to cooperate. According to the APA’s Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, Dr. Pang should:
Select one:
A.
remind the defendant that he has no choice since the evaluation is court-ordered.
B.
refuse to conduct the evaluation unless she obtains a signed consent from the defendant’s attorney.
C.
obtain as much information from the defendant as possible and, in her report, explain why it is incomplete.
D.
postpone the evaluation and inform the defendant that he should discuss this matter with his attorney.
The correct answer is D.
This situation is addressed in the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (APA, 2012). Paragraphs 6.03.02 of the Specialty Guidelines states: “If the examinee is ordered by the court to participate, the forensic practitioner can conduct the examination over the objection, and without the consent, of the examinee…. If the examinee declines to proceed after being notified of the nature and purpose of the forensic examination, the forensic practitioner may consider a variety of options including postponing the examination, advising the examinee to contact his or her attorney, and notifying the retaining party about the examinee’s unwillingness to proceed.”
Answer A: This is not the best answer as the exam results would undoubtedly be impacted by the defendant’s lack of cooperation.
Answer B: This is not the best option as the signed consent is not necessary to complete the evaluation and having such a consent does not mean that the defendant will cooperate.
Answer C: This is an option but not the best answer as the issue would still need to be addressed with the defendant’s attorney.
Question ID #12708: When hired as an expert witness by the attorney for a plaintiff in a criminal case, a psychologist:
Select one:
A.
may provide his/her services on the basis of contingent fees only if permitted to do so by the court.
B.
may provide his/her services on the basis of contingent fees only when doing so does not interfere with his/her objectivity.
C.
may provide his/her services on the basis of contingent fees as long the plaintiff consents to this arrangement.
D.
should ordinarily avoid providing his/her services on the basis of contingent fees.
The correct answer is D.
This issue is addressed in Paragraph 5.02 of APA’s Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (APA, 2012). This answer is most consistent with Paragraph 5.02, which states: “Forensic practitioners seek to avoid undue influence that might result from financial compensation or other gains. Because of the threat to impartiality presented by the acceptance of contingent fees and associated legal prohibitions, forensic practitioners strive to avoid providing professional services on the basis of contingent fees.”
Answer A: Having legal permission would not make such an action any more ethical.
Answer B: Objectivity is inherently compromised in such arrangements.
Answer C: The plaintiff’s consent would not make this arrangement any less unethical.
Question ID #12709: You recently evaluated the defendant in a murder trial at the request of her attorney. The purpose of the evaluation was to support the defendant’s claim that she was insane at the time she committed the crime. The case received a great deal of public attention and you would now like to write a book about it and include information about the results of your evaluation. According to the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology:
Select one:
A.
you may do so only with the consent of the defendant or the defendant’s legal representative.
B.
you may do so as long as the information you include in your book is in the public record or, if not, as long as you have obtained the consent of the defendant.
C.
you may do so only with the consent of the court.
D.
you may not do so under any circumstances.
The correct answer is B.
Because you conducted an evaluation of the defendant for the purpose of her defense, you may use information obtained from that evaluation for other purposes only under certain conditions. This situation is addressed in Paragraphs 8.04 and 11.07 of the Specialty Guidelines. Paragraph 11.07 states: “Forensic practitioners strive to address particular legal proceedings in publications or communications only to the extent that the information relied upon is part of a public record, or when consent for that use has been properly obtained from any party holding any relevant privilege.”
Answer A: The client rather than attorney’s permission is required.
Answer C: The court’s consent is not required.
Answer D: This is not true.
Question ID #12710: A couple who recently moved to the United States from Mexico brings their 9-year-old son for assessment to determine if he meets the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. The child speaks very little English but his mother speaks both Spanish and English fluently. You do not speak Spanish and are unable to find an interpreter for the boy. You should:
Select one:
A.
refuse to conduct the assessment and provide the family with appropriate referrals.
B.
conduct the assessment using only informal measures that do not depend on language.
C.
conduct the assessment but explain the limitations of the results in your report.
D.
conduct the assessment with the mother acting as the interpreter.
The correct answer is A.
In this situation, you are not qualified to conduct the assessment since you cannot communicate directly with the child in Spanish and are unable to find an interpreter. This issue is addressed directly and indirectly in several APA documents. For example, the Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Populations states that, when the linguistic skills of the psychologist do not match those of the client, the psychologist obtains an appropriate translator or refers the client to another professional.
Answer B: Using only measures that do not depend on language would not be the best course of action since doing so would limit your ability to conduct a thorough evaluation.
Answer C: Explaining the limitations in the report would not be adequate in this situation.
Answer D: The Guidelines also states that, when translation is necessary, psychologists do not retain the services of a translator who has a dual role with the individual in order to avoid jeopardizing the validity of the assessment.
Question ID #12711: During a court-ordered evaluation of a defendant to determine her competence to stand trial, she reveals information to you that confirms her guilt. As an ethical psychologist, you should:
Select one:
A.
maintain the client’s confidentiality.
B.
include information about the defendant’s confession in the report since privilege is waived in this situation.
C.
include only information relevant to the defendant’s competence in the evaluation report.
D.
not provide the court with any information obtained in the evaluation without a release from the defendant.
The correct answer is C.
This situation is addressed in the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (APA, 2012). This answer is most consistent with Paragraph 10.01 of the Specialty Guidelines. It states: “Forensic examiners seek to assist the trier of fact to understand evidence or determine a fact in issue, and they provide information that is most relevant to the psycholegal issue. In reports and testimony forensic practitioners typically provide information about examinees’ functional abilities, capacities, knowledge, and beliefs, and address their opinions and recommendations to the identified psycholegal issues.”
Answer A: General principles of confidentiality are not applied the same way in forensic cases of this nature.
Answer B: While privilege is waived in such cases, this does not mean that the client has no protections.
Answer D: Having a release would not change the clinician’s duty in this case.
