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Assessment Resource - Internal
Level 2 Psychology
27692, Analyse ethical standards in psychological practice
Credits: 4
Teacher guidelines:
The following guidelines are supplied to enable teachers to carry out valid and consistent assessment using this internal assessment resource.
Context/setting:
In this activity students will analyse ethical standards in psychological practice.
A range of activities needs to be offered in class, which will help students to understand why ethics are an essential part of psychological research and practice.
You will also give students opportunities to study several Codes of Ethics for psychologists (See resource requirements for a list).Codes of Ethics may be in a summary or précis form.
As part of the teaching programme you will work through standards in a code of ethics and analyse them in relation to two or more areaswithinpsychological practice. This could be, but is not limited to, the scientific, educational, or professional work of psychologists.
Conditions:
The assessment task as outlined in this support material will be a written assessment done at school under teacher supervision. It should not be taken home in either written or electronic form.
Teachers should not ‘teach to the assessment’ as they discuss ethical standards in psychological practice in class. It is essential that, as part of the assessment, students make their own explanations and understandings independently.
Resources may be oral, visual and/ or written and may be selected from one or several text types. Texts should be appropriate to Level 7/8 of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), or have characteristics that enable students to meet the expected level of understanding. Assessment of this standard also provides opportunities for students to develop aspects of the key competencies of the NZC.
Resource requirements:
1.)Code of Ethics For Psychologists Working in Aotearoa/New Zealand, is available from the New Zealand Psychological Society,
2.)Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) is available from,
3.)The Code of Ethics and Conduct of the British Psychological Society (BPS) is available from
4.)The Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) is available from
5.)The Code of Ethics of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) is available from
6.)Scientific psychological practice examples, which may derive from published research, historical or contemporary; topical social issues. Possible studies could include:
- Milgram, S. (1963) Behavioural study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 67. pp. 371–378
- Haney, C., Banks, C. and Zimbardo, P. (1973) A study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison. Naval Research Reviews. 26. 9. pp. 1–17
- Rosenhan, D. (1973) On being sane in insane places. Science. 179. pp. 250–258
- Bandura, A., Ross, D. and Ross, S. (1961) Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 63. pp. 375–382
- Piliavin, I., Rodin, J. and Piliavin, J. (1969) Good Samaritanism; an underground phenomenon? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 13(4). pp. 289–299
8.)Examples of professional psychological practice may be hypothetical, drawn from historical or contemporary published case studies or taken from movies/TV shows. Possible examples could include:
a.The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales. Oliver Sacks. 1985. Touchstone.
b.Anna ‘O’. Studies on Hysteria (1895), Josef Breuer & Sigmund Freud.
c.House. TV show. FOX.
d.Lie to me. TV show. FOX.
e.The Sopranos. TV show. HBO.
f.In Treatment. TV show. HBO.
g.Analyze This. Movie.1999.
h.Good Will Hunting. Movie.1997.
9.)Examples of educational psychology in practice may be hypothetical, drawn from published research, personal interviews with teachers/educational psychologists etc. References could include:
a.Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, Robert E. Slavin. 2009.
b.Educational Psychology Journal. Routledge.
Additional information:
Teaching and learning guidelines that inform psychology as it is taught in New Zealand can be found at
Information on psychology as it is practiced in New Zealand is available from the New Zealand Psychological Society,
Information on Maori-focussed psychological research available through Maori and Psychology Research Unit
27692, Analyse ethical standards in psychological practice
Credit: 4
Oops, I did it again! Analysis of ethical standards in psychological practice
Student Instructions Sheet
During your Psychology programme in class, you will do a range of activities in class, which will help you understand why ethics is an essential part of psychological research and practice. Your teacher will work with you through a number of different Codes of Ethics for psychological practice. Some of these codes of ethics might include:
- Code of Ethics for Psychologists Working in Aotearoa/New Zealand,
- Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA)
- The Code of Ethics and Conduct of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Your teacher will also provide you with the opportunity to analyse how these standards have been met (or not) in different areas of psychological practice such as scientific research, education and professional practice. This might mean examining published research, reading case studies, analysing TV shows/movies or carrying out interviews.
Assessment guide
For achieved / For merit / For excellenceIdentify ethical standards in psychological practice and explaintheir effectiveness in ensuring compliance with a named code of ethics / The analysis includes a discussion and explanation of the key issues of compliance relevant to ethical standards within psychological practice. The discussion shows clear understanding of the ethical standards and considers more than one view of the issues of compliance. / The analysis includes a comprehensive discussion and explanation of the issues of compliance relevant to ethical standards within psychological practice. The discussion includes, with reasons, one or more suggested improvements to psychological practice to enable compliance with a code of ethics, and considers the implications of these improvements.
Sample Assessment
Your assessment task will be an in class written assessment.
For achievement your responses should:
- involve you identifying and explaining the effectiveness of ethical standards within psychological practice in ensuring compliance with a named code of ethics.
For merit or excellence your responses may also include:
- discussions and explanations of key issues of compliance
- suggestions of improvements to enable ethical compliance
- implications for psychological practice.
Task One
From an identified Code of Ethics, explain four ethical standards for psychological practice. (Note that between the different codes of ethics the language for standards may differ).
Name of Code:
Organisation:
Guideline / ExplanationTask Two
An ethics board has received complaints about three different psychologists who may have breached a number of ethical standards related to the Code of Ethics for Psychologists working in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
For each of the case studies identify which ethical standards have been breached and explain what each psychologist should have done to comply with the code of ethics, what improvements they could make to their practice to comply with the code of ethics and what the implications these improvements may have.
Psychologist 1Client A had been seeing Psychologist 1 for treatment regarding her severe, debilitating fear of birds. Client A contacted the board with a complaint after her regular G.P. alerted her to an article in the magazine ‘Psychology Today’ written by Psychologist 1 that gave intimate details about Client A’s case. She had not given permission for the details to be used, nor had any knowledge of the article prior to her G.P. pointing it out.
Ethical standard(s) breached:
Explanation:
Implications
Psychologist 2
Psychologist 2 is interested in carrying out research on how people deal with grief in Māori communities. Psychologist 2 intends to attend a number of tangi with the aim of observing behaviour and interviewing members of the community present. Psychologist 2 has not gained the permission of any whanau, nor learnt about appropriate tikanga in regards to tangi. (Note: tangi = funeral, whanau = family, tikanga = customs/traditions)
Ethical standard(s) breached:
Explanation:
Implications:
Psychologist 3
Client C is a 7 year old boy who was referred to Psychologist 3 after experiencing difficulties during his parent’s separation. Client C’s parents contacted the board after they discovered that Psychologist 3 had used the boy as a participant in an experiment, without their knowledge.
Ethical standard(s) breached:
Explanation:
Implications:
New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018
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Task Three
Use either the description of Milgram’s experiments on obedience to authority or the description of the Stanford Prison Simulation to answer the questions that follow.
Milgram’s Obedience studies (1974)
Milgram was interested in how events such as the holocaust in Nazi Germany could take place – why would people follow orders to perform such atrocities. TheMilgram experiment was a series of scientific experiments of Social Psychology which began in 1961 as described by Yale UniversitypsychologistStanley Milgram in his 1974 book Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. It was intended to measure the willingness of a subject to obey an authority who instructs the subject to do something that may conflict with the subject's personal conscience.
The method of the experiment was as follows:
The subject and an actor claiming to be another subject were told by the experimenter that they were going to participate in an experiment to test the effectiveness of punishment on learning behaviour. Two slips of paper marked "teacher" were handed to the subject and actor, and the actor claims that his says "learner", so the subject believed that his role has been chosen randomly. Both were then given a sample 45-voltelectric shock from an apparatus attached to a chair into which the actor is strapped. The "teacher" was taken to another room and given simple memory tasks to give to the "learner" and instructed to administer a shock by pressing a button on a shock machine each time the learner makes a mistake.
The "teacher" is then told that the voltage is to be raised by 15 volts after each mistake. The shock machine is labelled with waords ranging from “mild shock” to “danger severe shock” and “XXX”. He is not told that there are no actual shocks being given to the actor, who fakes discomfort. At "150 volts", the actor requests that the experiment end, and is told by the experimenter, "The experiment requires that you continue. Please go on." or similar words. He continues, and the actor fakes greater discomfort, considerable pain, and concerns for his own safety as the shocks continue. If the teacher subject becomes reluctant, he is instructed that the experimenter takes all responsibility for the results of the experiment and the safety of the learner, and that the experiment requires that he continue.
Before the experiment was conducted, Milgram polled fellow psychiatrists as to what the results would be. They unanimously believed that all but a few sadists would refuse to give the maximum voltage.
In Milgram's first set of experiments, 65% of experimental subjects administered the experiment's final "450-volt shock", though many were quite uncomfortable in doing so. (One participant found the experience so stressful that they had a seizure after the experiment had finished).No subject stopped before the "300 volt" level. The experiment has been repeated by other psychologists around the world with similar results. Variations have been performed to test for variables in the experimental setup. For example, subjects are much more likely to be obedient when the experimenter is physically present than when the instructions are given over telephone.
After the experiment, the participants were reunited with the ‘electrocuted’ confederates and reassured that no electric shock had actually been given. Participants were also reassured that others had behaved in a similar way and that their actions could be considered ‘normal’. One year later, the participants were assessed by a psychiatrist. 84% stated that they were glad that they had participated in the experiment. Only 1.3 % were ‘sorry’ or ‘very sorry’ that they had taken part.
Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)
In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues set out to create an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. Zimbardo, a former classmate of Stanley Milgramwas interested in expanding upon Milgram's research. He wanted to further investigate the impact of situational variables on human behavior. The question the researchers asked was “how would the participants react when placed in a simulated prison environment?”
The method of the experiment was as follows:
The researchers set up a mock prison in the basement of StanfordUniversity's Psychology building, and then selected 24 undergraduate students to play the roles of both prisoners and guards. The participants were selected from a larger group of 70 volunteers because they had no criminal background, lacked psychological issues and had no major medical conditions. The volunteers agreed to participate for a one- to two-week period in exchange for $15 a day.
The simulated prison included three six by nine foot prison cells. Each cell held three prisoners and included three cots. Other rooms across from the cells were utilized for the prison guards and warden. One very small space was designated as the solitary confinement room, and yet another small room served as the prison yard.
The 24 volunteers were then randomly assigned to either the prisoner group or the guard group. Prisoners were to remain in the mock prison 24-hours a day for the duration of the study. Guards, on the other hand, were assigned to work in three-man teams for eight-hour shifts. After each shift, guards were allowed to return to their homes until their next shift. Researchers were able to observe the behavior of the prisoners and guards using hidden cameras and microphones.
While the Stanford Prison Experiment was originally slated to last 14 days, it had to be stopped after just six days due to what was happening to the student participants. The guards became abusive and forced the prisoners to carry out demeaning tasks, the prisoners began to show signs of extreme stress and anxiety.
While the prisoners and guards were allowed to interact in any way they wanted, the interactions were generally hostile or even dehumanizing. The guards began to behave in ways that were aggressive and abusive toward the prisoners, while the prisoners became passive and depressed. Five of the prisoners began to experience such severe negative emotions, including crying and acute anxiety, that they had to be released from the study early.
Even the researchers themselves began to lose sight of the reality of the situation. Zimbardo, who acted as the prison warden, overlooked the abusive behavior of the prison guards until a colleague voiced objections to the conditions in the simulated prison and the morality of continuing the experiment.
Questions
Both of these studies have been criticised on ethical grounds. Some compliance issues have been the subject of discussion. For your chosen study, identify issues of compliance relevant to three ethical standards. Discuss and explain any arguments around the issues. Make suggestions for improvements and note any implications for psychological practice (i.e. how changes might have an effect in the ‘bigger picture’ of Psychology).
New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018
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Assessment schedule
27692, Judgement Statements: Analyse ethical standards in psychological practice.Achieved / Achieved with Merit / Achieved with Excellence
Identify three ethical standards fromtwo areas of psychological practice and explaintheir effectiveness in ensuring compliance with a named code of ethics. / Includes a discussion and explanation of the key issues of compliance relevant to three ethical standards within two areas of psychological practice. The discussion shows clear understanding of the ethical standards and consider more than one view of the issues of compliance / Includes a comprehensive discussion and explanation of the issues of compliance relevant to three ethical standards within two areas psychological practice. The discussion includes, with reasons, one or more suggested improvements to psychological practice to enable compliance with a code of ethics, and considers the implications of these improvements.
- Identify a Code of Ethics.
- Identify and explain three ethical standards (these can be taken from any of the tasks).
- Explanations are coherent and relevant.
- As for Achieved, plus:
- Issues of compliance have been discussed showing clear understanding of the ethical standards.
- Discussions show more than one view related to the issues of compliance.
- As for Merit, plus:
- One or more improvements have been suggested, with reasons, to enable ethical compliance within psychological practice and the implications of these improvements are considered.
New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018
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27692, Evidence statements: Analyse ethical standards in psychological practiceAchieved / Achieved with merit / Achieved with excellence
Task One
From one code, three standards are explained correctly.
Example:
Code of Ethics for Psychologists working in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Sample answer for twoethical standards:
Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples: This standard or ‘principle’ in the NZ code covers a number of values and gives guidelines for the use of these in practice. The values cover things such as ‘general respect’, which simply means that in professional practice, people should be treated with respect at all times (this covers points such as people should not be harmed/exploited/ harrassed or spoken to disrespectfully) to ‘informed consent’ (which covers points about research and scientific practice such as; before participating in research people need to be informed fully about the intent of the research/know what they are agreeing to/not be misinformed).
Responsible Caring
Promotion of wellbeing
Integrity in Relationships
Social Justice and Responsibility to Society.
12 A.3.Informed consent
13 A.4. Privacy
14 A.5. Confidentiality
The Code of Ethics of the Australian Psychological Society
Justice
Respect
Informed consent
Privacy
Confidentiality