Ethics, Technology and Trends in Testing (Due Week 10)

Resources
Website icon Ethics, Technology and Trends in Testing (Due Week 10) Scoring Guide.
Website icon Capella Writing Center.
Website icon APA Style and Format.
Website icon Capella Library: Ask a Librarian.

This assignment is due at the end of week 10.

Assignment Preparation

Note: Before you submit this assignment, you must have completed:
•The minimum requirements for the discussion, “Test Bias in Test Development.”
•The Current and Future Trends module in the CogBooks Adaptive Learning tool.

Assignment Instructions

Ethical principles are part of everything psychologists do. Clinicians, researchers, academics, and any other area you can think of must perform ethically. We follow the code of ethics of our professional associations (i.e. the American Psychological Association). To prepare for this assessment, use the suggested resources and other scholarly sources to investigate the ethical implications of common psychometric issues related to errors in test administration, scoring, and interpretation; bias and fairness; and the role of technology in psychological testing. Based on your research, you will write a paper in three parts, as instructed below. You will examine the APA code of ethics (the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Ethics, linked in the Assignment Resources) in relation to these topics. You will develop a plan to avoid violating APA ethical principles in your current or future profession, and outline the steps you will take.

Assignment Preparation

Complete the following activities to prepare for this assignment:
•In the Salkind text read, Chapter 19, pages 306–330.
•In the Standards text read, Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, pages 123–168.
•Access and explore the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
•From the Capella Library read: ◾Scheu, I. E., & Lawrence, T. (2013). Considerations of translating psychological tests into digital mediums: A case study. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 49(2), 133–154.
◾Nicholson, I, R. (2011). New technology, old issues: Demonstrating the relevance of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists to the ever-sharper cutting edge of technology. Canadian Psychology, 52(3), 215–224.

Search the Capella databases for any additional, current, peer-reviewed research articles that will help you to complete this project.

Assignment Instructions

There are three parts to the assignment. You must complete them all. Your paper should be between 6-12 pages (excluding the title page, abstract, and reference section). There is no minimum or maximum number of pages for each section. However, be sure to cover everything required. Be sure to review the general, organizational, and literature requirements below.

Part One: Test Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation

Most of the standardized tests you use will be psychometrically sound, but problems can still occur during and after a psychological test is administered. This can happen during test administration, scoring, and interpretation. Based on your research, identify and evaluate issues related to errors in test administration, scoring, and interpretation. Include the following:
•Describe and evaluate common errors made in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests.
•Identify APA ethical principles that are directly related to the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests and provide examples of instance where these would apply. Begin with Section 9 of the APA code of conduct.
•Identify APA principles that are indirectly related to psychological assessment, such as those addressing competency, avoidance of harm, and informed consent. Evaluate how they are related to psychological assessment.
•Outline the steps you can take to minimize testing errors so you do not violate APA principles related to the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests.

Part Two: Test Fairness

Based on your research, discuss issues related to test bias and fairness. You may use the suggested resources to support your analysis in this section, but you are encouraged to reference additional scholarly sources related to test bias and fairness.
•Analyze how test norms and standardization can become sources of test bias. Explain how bias associated with normative procedures and standardization can impact the validity of results for an individual. Also address additional sources of test bias (such as administration, scoring, interpretation, test content, and differential validity).
•Analyze how these sources of bias can impact the validity of results for an individual.
•Identify and explain the APA principles that address test bias and fairness.
•Outline the steps you can take to minimize violation of APA ethical principles related to test bias and fairness.

Part Three: Technology and Psychological Testing

Based on your readings, discuss the role of technology in psychological assignment.
•Describe the role of technology in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests.
•Evaluate the strengths and limitations of technologies used in psychological testing.
•Surface potential ethical issues in the use of technology in psychological testing.
•Explain the APA principles related to the use of technology in psychological testing.
•Outline the steps you can take to minimize violations of APA ethical principles related to technology in psychological testing.

General Requirements
1.Do not copy or use quotes from your sources unless there is no other way of stating an idea. All writing must be your own; paraphrase your sources.
2.Your statements must be explained so readers know exactly what you mean; assume your readers have not studied the same things as you; your job is to help us understand what you are saying so we do not have to ask for an explanation;
3.Assignments should be in current APA Format (especially for citations, references, and headings); as long as you make an attempt and show improvement, you will be OK: Progress, not Perfection.
4.Written communication should be free of errors. The paper should be presented in third person, and should not contain universal and subjective statements.
5.Submit your work as a Microsoft Word document. •Double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman or Arial.

Organizational Requirements

All assignments must include:
•Title page.
•Abstract.
•References.
•Headings (It is best to use wording related to the scoring guide criteria).
•Page numbers.

Literature Requirements

Literature You Should use: current, peer-reviewed, scholarly research articles from the Capella Library databases. This means that your sources (articles) should be:
1.The most current information you can find.
2.No older than six (6–7) years-old.
3.You can use an older source if: •It is a classic study.
•It is used to show chronology.
•You have another good reason.

Literature You Should Not Use:
•Books or Web sites except to support the research articles.
•Wikipedia or sources like it.
•Any work you wrote in a previous course.