Ethics Quiz Questions

Question 1

Dr. Cecelia Cooper, a licensed psychologist, is planning a longitudinal study to identify environmental contributors to drug abuse. Her study will involve interviewing drug and non-drug users and their families several times over a five-year period and will require that she maintain participants’ names, addresses, and phone numbers in her files. Dr. Cooper is concerned about the confidentiality of her participants, especially if she is ever called to testify about any of them in court. Dr. Cooper

Answer 1

should inform her participants of the possible limits of confidentiality as part of the informed consent process.

Question 2

Which of the following accurately describes the requirements of the APA’s Ethics Code with regard to informed consents?

Answer 2

A written or oral consent must be documented.

Question 3

Your new clients are a family that consist of a husband, wife, and two adolescent girls. They began therapy because one of the girls has started using drugs and the other has signs of an eating disorder. You realize during the first session that you and the parents belong to the same country club. You should:

Answer 3

consider the situation, consulting if necessary, to determine if you can maintain your objectivity with this family.

Question 4

Sandy S. is considering filing a claim of sexual harassment against her boss, Bertrand B., because he frequently comments on her physical appearance by telling her how “great she looks” and often tells her that, “if I weren’t your boss, I’d be chasing after you.” Sandy decides to tell Bertrand that she finds his comments offensive and, when she does so, he apologizes and says he’ll stop if that’s what she wants. This situation:

Answer 4

does not represent a legal claim for sexual harassment as long as Bertrand actually stops making offensive comments.

Question 5

You have been seeing Sal Smythe in individual therapy for several months, and the work-related issues he originally sought therapy for are nearly resolved. During your current session with Sal, he mentions that his 14-year-old son has been getting into trouble in school lately and asks if you would be willing to see the boy in individual therapy. You should:

Answer 5

tell Sal that you cannot see his son in therapy and provide him with several referrals.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the requirements of the APA’s Ethics Code with regard to the use of animals in research?

Answer 6

Animals may be used as research subjects when they will be subjected to pain or stress but only when an alternative procedure is not available and the goal of the study is justified by its prospective value.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the provisions of the Ethics Code with regard to sexual relationships with students?

Answer 7

The Code prohibits relationships with students over whom a psychologist has or is likely to have evaluative authority.

Question 8

Your new client is a 37-year-old woman whose symptoms meet the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. After your third session with her, she tells you that she was in treatment with another psychologist but terminated therapy six weeks ago after the psychologist made sexual advances toward her. She does not want you to discuss this matter with anyone. The best course of action in this situation would be to:

Answer 8

discuss the client’s options with her and maintain her confidentiality unless she signs a release.

Question 9

You have been seeing Alonzo Alvarez in therapy for over six months and believe he is no longer benefitting from his sessions with you. However, when you discuss the possibility of ending therapy, he says he’s very happy with the progress he is making and wants to continue. As an ethical psychologist, you:

Answer 9

see if additional goals for treatment can be identified but, if not, set a date for termination and provide Alonzo with referrals if appropriate.

Question 10

Part of your job as a licensed psychologist at a mental health clinic is to administer intelligence, personality, and other tests to child, adolescent, and adult clients. To reduce your workload, you train an employee of the clinic to administer many of the tests and to write interpretive reports. The employee is one semester away from a B.A. in psychology and has already been accepted into a Psy.D. program for the following year. Which of the following is true about this situation?

Answer 10

You are acting unethically because the employee is not qualified to interpret psychological tests.

Question 11

To compare the impact of two or more interventions on patients’ duration and quality of life, you would conduct which of the following types of cost analysis?

Answer 11

Cost utility

Question 12

A psychologist is subpoenaed to testify at a deposition about a current therapy client. This means that the psychologist:

Answer 12

must appear at the deposition as requested.

Question 13

A psychologist has received a subpoena duces tecum requesting that she testify in court about a former client and provide the court with records related to the client’s treatment. The psychologist does not have a release from the client to do so. She should:

Answer 13

appear in court but claim the privilege on behalf of the client.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the status of professional (therapy) records?

Answer 14

The physical record belongs to the therapist, but the information contained therein belongs to the client.

Question 15

Dr. Bettina Browne, a licensed psychologist, undertakes a child custody evaluation at the request of the child’s mother. The father agrees to be evaluated also, and Dr. Browne obtains signed informed consent from both parents before beginning her assessment. Dr. Browne administers the MMPI and Rorschach tests to both parents. The mother obtains significantly elevated scores on the MMPI’s K and L scales, suggesting that she tends to lie and to be excessively defensive, and these tendencies are confirmed by her Rorschach responses. No significant abnormality is suggested by the father’s MMPI and Rorschach results. Based on the test results, Dr. Browne recommends that the mother not be awarded custody of the child. Dr. Browne ______________________.

Answer 15

has acted unethically because of her use of the MMPI and Rorschach tests as methods of evaluating the mothers parental suitability

Question 16

Following the retirement of his business partner, Dr. Sheldon Smith is the only psychologist in a small town with the closest mental health professional over 100 miles away. Several of Dr. Smith’s new clients have problems for which he has limited training and experience. Dr. Smith should ____________________.

Answer 16

see the clients and obtain supervision or consultation by telephone

Question 17

Farris F. terminated therapy with Dr. Pamela Prince several months ago but calls to request an appointment due to feeling lonely and depressed. Farris also feels “like he wants to die.” In the past two months, Dr. Prince has been reducing her caseload due to retirement. The best course of action in this situation is for Dr. Prince to ______________________________.

Answer 17

see Farris in therapy until the crisis has passed and then provide him with appropriate referrals

Question 18

Dr. Jacob Mansfield receives a subpoena requiring him to testify about a current therapy client. Dr. Mansfield contacts the client who states that she does not want him to release any confidential information to the court. Dr. Mansfield should _____________________.

Answer 18

notify the attorney who issued the subpoena that the client has asserted the privilege and request that he be released from subpoena

Question 19

You receive a letter from Mrs. Bisque’s attorney asking you to testify on behalf of Mrs. Bisque in a divorce settlement regarding the custody of her children. You are aware that Mrs. Bisque’s husband was recently admitted to a psychiatric hospital in another city. You should _____________________________________.

Answer 19

refuse to make a specific recommendation about custody unless you can evaluate the entire family

Question 20

Dr. Calvin Claymore, a licensed psychologist, regularly waives the co-payment for low-income clients whose therapy fees are covered by insurance. This practice is:

Answer 20

ethical only if the insurance company has agreed to this arrangement

Question 21

A psychologist should be aware that information contained in client records _________________________________.

Answer 21

is not free from disclosure all of the time, regardless of the wishes of the client or the psychologist (military situations/waived privilege in certain legal situations)

Question 22

A ___________ is a person appointed by the court to represent and make decisions in a legal proceeding for a minor or another person legally incapable of doing so.

Answer 22

guardian ad litem

Question 23

In general, which of the following is considered the “best defense” for a psychologist who is being sued for malpractice?

Answer 23

adequate records

Question 24

Dr. Karen Kempfer, a licensed psychologist who specializes in couples and marriage therapy, has a confirmed stage 4 cancer diagnosis. She is incredibly upset by this diagnosis. In terms of ethical requirements, Dr. Kempfer _____________________.

Answer 24

should refrain from participating in any professional activities that might be adversely affected by her medical condition

Question 25

Dr. Amanda Alto’s long-term client is suddenly fired from her job and can no longer afford Dr. Alto’s fee. The client suggests that she babysit for Dr. Alto’s children in exchange for therapy. In terms of ethical guidelines, this exchange would be __________________________________.

Answer 25

unethical (multiple relationships)

Question 26

Dr. Kay Klein, a licensed psychologist, is preparing a brochure for her weekend workshop on “Effective Parenting Strategies for Single Parents.” Included in the brochure are several testimonials from former workshop participants. According to ethical guidelines, the use of testimonials is ____________________________.

Answer 26

ethical if certain conditions are met (no current clients/no undue influence/no exploitation)

Question 27

Malpractice is a tort involving which of the following?

Answer 27

negligence

Question 28

Which of the following is most likely a violation of ethical guidelines?

• A brochure containing client testimonials mailed to potential attendees at a conference for adult children of alcoholics.
• Uninvited in-person solicitations for therapy of individuals whose homes were destroyed several months prior by a hurricane.

Answer 28

• Uninvited in-person solicitations for therapy of individuals whose homes were destroyed several months prior by a hurricane.

Question 29

As defined in the APA’s General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services and the CPA’s Practice Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services, “psychological services” include all of the following except?

Answer 29

the conduct of scientific research

Question 30

A psychologist realizes that one of her therapy clients is a co-owner of a company that just hired her as a consultant. To be consistent with ethical requirements, the psychologist should _____________________________.

Answer 30

remedy the situation in a way that takes the client’s best interests into account (don’t necessarily quit either)

Question 31

Dr. Leonard, a licensed psychologist, has been seeing a prison inmate in group therapy for several months and is asked by the parole board to evaluate the inmate to assist with their decision. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Leonard should:

Answer 31

agree to evaluate the inmate (multiple relationships issues don’t apply in forensic settings/parole evals)

Question 32

Dr. Brian Bertram, a licensed psychologist, is hired by the owner of a company to evaluate employees who are underperforming. The determination would assist in identifying additional training needs or counseling for employees. In this situation, Dr. Bertram should _______________.

Answer 32

inform each employee prior to the evaluation of the potential limits on confidentiality

Question 33

Which of the following techniques would be most useful in evaluating the impact of an intervention on a patients’ quality of life?

Answer 33

cost-utility analysis

Question 34

A psychologist’s behavior as a private citizen _______________________.

Answer 34

may serve as grounds for a charge of unethical conduct if it compromises his/her professional responsibilities

Question 35

You receive a court order requesting that you provide information about a 19-year-old client who is currently the defendant in a court case. You discuss the request with the client, but he refuses to sign a waiver of confidentiality. You should __________________________.

Answer 35

provide the court with the requested information.

Question 36

It would be acceptable to include client testimonials in an advertisement or brochure for your services as long as ________________________.

Answer 36

the testimonials have not been solicited from current clients or from others who are vulnerable to undue influence.

Question 37

Dr. James is conducting a study to investigate the effectiveness of a brief behavioral treatment for reducing self-mutilation in young women. The treatment involves 20 hourly sessions that will be administered once a week for 20 weeks Dr. James randomly assigns 40 women with a history of self-mutilation to either the treatment group or the no-treatment control group. After women in the treatment group have completed only six sessions, he finds that the treatment has nearly eliminated their self-mutilating behaviors. In contrast, nearly all of the women in the control group report multiple incidents of self-mutilation since the study began. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. James’s best course of action would be to _________________.

Answer 37

discontinue the study and offer the treatment to the women in the control group immediately.

Question 38

An insurance company is conducting a peer review and requests that you provide it with information about a current client whose fee is being paid by the company. In this situation, you are best advised to ____________________.

Answer 38

provide the company with relevant information after ensuring that it is aware of the need to maintain confidentiality.

Question 39

Except under certain conditions, psychologists are ethically obligated to maintain a client’s confidentiality. Potential limitations on confidentiality should be _______________.

Answer 39

discussed at the onset of the professional relationship and when feasible thereafter as needed.

Question 40

In the context of managed health care, “gatekeeper” refers to the _______.

Answer 40

primary care physician.

Question 41

A colleague at the mental health clinic where you are employed tells you that one of his clients has admitted to sexually abusing his 10-year old daughter. The colleague says he is not going to report the abuse since it was mild in nature and the client has expressed remorse, promised not to do it again, and is willing to continue therapy. In addition, he feels that reporting the abuse would be detrimental to the community since the client is a widely-known, well-respected person. You should ______________.

Answer 41

contact the appropriate child abuse reporting authority and provide them with information about the abuse and with the colleague’s name.

Question 42

Murphy, DeBernardo, and Shoemaker’s (1998) survey of psychologists about the effects of managed care on their professional practice found that the most frequently cited negative effect was ________.

Answer 42

increased demands due to utilization review.

Question 43

The review process used by managed care organizations (MCOs) to ensure that providers meet and maintain the requirements to participate in a health plan is referred to as ___________.

Answer 43

credentialing

Question 44

Dr. Stilwell receives a letter from the Ethics Committee stating that the Committee has received a complaint from a current client who is concerned about Dr. Stilwell’s office staff and procedures. The client has found two members of the staff to be consistently rude, and they have made comments to her that imply they have access to confidential information. Dr. Stilwell should _______________________.

Answer 44

Reply to the committee in writing

Question 45

A psychologist acts as both a consultant to the court and a fact witness for the defense in a criminal case. This __________________________.

Answer 45

may be acceptable as long as the psychologist clarifies her roles with the court and the defense

Question 46

A client reveals to you that he and a friend robbed a convenience store six months ago. He says he knows that what he did was wrong and will never do it again. He also says that he notices that you “make notes” while he is talking, and he asks that you not keep any written record of the robbery. You should ____________________________.

Answer 46

determine whether the robbery is clinically relevant before deciding whether or not to include information about it in his file

Question 47

During her first therapy session, a client tells you that she wants to pay for her sessions in cash and that she doesn’t want you to keep a record of her sessions or payments. If you agree to this arrangement _______________________.

Answer 47

you are acting unethically and possibly illegally

Question 48

According to the APA’s “General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services,” a “user” of clinical and counseling psychological services includes _______________________________.

Answer 48

direct users, third-party purchasers, sanctioners, and public/private facilities and organizations receiving psychological services

Question 49

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the requirements of the APA’s Ethics Code with regard to the use of deception in research?

Answer 49

Psychologists may not deceive participants about possible risks that may affect their willingness to participate.

Question 50

When conducting group therapy, you should remind group members ____________________________.

Answer 50

of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of statements made during group sessions (“importance of”not legally or ethically bound, though)

Question 51

Quality assurance is least concerned with ________________.

Answer 51

cost-effectiveness of services

Question 52

Mental health professionals are sometimes called upon to assist the court in assessing a person’s potential for violent behavior. In general, the predictions made by psychologists and psychiatrists yield an abundance of _________________.

Answer 52

False positives (they predict someone will become violent when they do not)