My EPPP Practice Questions: Ethics Big 6

Vicarious liability is most likely to be an issue when a psychologist is acting in the role of:

a. supervisor.

b. faculty member.

c. advocate.

d. mentor.

Of the cases processed by the APA’s Ethics Committee as the result of revocation of a psychologist’s license by a state licensing board, the most common underlying cause for the loss of licensure is which of the following?
a. nonsexual dual relationship
b. sexual misconduct
c. confidentiality
d. practicing outside the boundaries of one’s competence

Dr. A. T. Tester, a licensed psychologist, is scheduled to testify on behalf of the prosecution in a criminal case. He receives a request from the defendant to act as a fact witness. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Tester should:
a. explain to the defendant’s attorney that he cannot do so since this would constitute a dual role, which is prohibited by ethical standards.
b. agree to do so only if he is able to get permission from the defendant and the plaintiff (or their attorneys) or from the court.
c. agree to act as a fact witness only after clarifying his responsibilities and role expectations with all parties.
d. agree to act as a fact witness since this does not conflict with his other role.

During a court-ordered evaluation of a defendant to determine her competence to stand trial, she reveals information to you that confirms her guilt. You should:

a. use your discretion in determining what to include in the evaluation report.

b. include the information in the evaluation 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 from the evaluation until the defendant signs a release.

Which of the following best describes the provisions of the APA’s Ethics Code regarding pro bono services?
a. The Ethics Code advises against providing free services to clients.
b. The Ethics Code recommends providing free services to clients.
c. The Ethics Code requires psychologists to provide free services to clients-in-need.
d. The Ethics Code does not address providing free or low-cost services to clients.

Which of the following best describes requirements regarding the acceptance of contingent fees as provided in the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (APA, 2011)?
a. Psychologists may provide services to a party in a legal proceeding on the basis of contingent fees.
b. Psychologists may provide services to a party in a legal proceeding on the basis of contingent fees only when the amount of the fees is “reasonable and consistent with current standards.”
c. Psychologists should seek to avoid providing professional services to a party in a legal proceeding on the basis of contingent fees.
d. Psychologists are prohibited from providing professional services to a party in a legal proceeding on the basis of contingent fees only when doing so represents an unacceptable dual relationship.

A psychologist has received a subpoena from an attorney 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. The
psychologist should:
a. testify and release the records as requested.
b. testify but refuse to release the records without a court order.
c. not appear in court without a signed release from the client.
d. appear in court and claim the privilege on behalf of the client.

An expert witness is recognized by the court to be qualified to offer opinions on a specific issue. To qualify as an expert witness, a psychologist must:

a. have a valid professional license.
b. have a relevant doctoral degree from an accredited school.
c. have appropriate education, training, and experience.
d. be certified as a forensic psychologist by the ABPP.

Dr. Opt assists with hiring decisions at the mental health clinic where he works. He recommends that an applicant for a staff psychologist position not be considered because of an unresolved charge of sexual harassment that has been filed against her with the
Ethics Committee. Dr. Opt’s recommendation about the psychologist is:

a. consistent with the provisions of the Ethics Code.
b. a violation of the provisions of the Ethics Code.
c. ethical as long as the psychologist is considered when she is acquitted of the charge.
d. not addressed by the Ethics Code.

A licensed psychologist who provides individual and group therapy to adolescents and adults learns that she is HIV+. In terms of ethical requirements, the psychologist:

a. should refrain from initiating any professional activities that might be adversely affected by her medical condition.
b. should obtain supervision to ensure that her medical condition does not impair her ability to provide effective services to clients.
c. should inform her clients of her medical condition “as early as is feasible.”

d. is not obligated to take any special actions or precautions in this situation.

A client you have been seeing in therapy for several sessions tells you that her former therapist made repeated sexual advances toward her and that is why she stopped seeing him. She also says that she doesn’t want you to say anything about it to anyone. The
psychologist is someone you see frequently at professional meetings. As an ethical psychologist, you:
a. inform the client that you are ethically required to report the psychologist to the Ethics Committee or state licensing board.
b. attempt to resolve the issue informally by talking to the psychologist.

c. convince the client that it is in her best interests to file a report with the state licensing board herself.
d. tell the client that you will maintain confidentiality.

Dr. S. Towne is the only mental health professional in Micropolis, population 912, and the next town is 105 miles away. She finds that some of her clients have problems that are outside her area of training. Dr. Towne should:
a. see the clients only if they are in a crisis situation.
b. use only interventions that she already has experience using.
c. refuse to see the clients until she receives adequate training.
d. obtain supervision or consultation by telephone.

During the initial session with a therapy client, the client tells Dr. Goodenough that she and her husband are having “marital problems” and that she thinks they may need couples counseling. As the client describes her husband, Dr. Goodenough realizes that she had an affair with him 15 years ago in graduate school, long before he married the client. Dr. Goodenough’s best course of action would be to:
a. make an appointment with the husband to discuss the matter with him before setting up a couples session.
b. see the wife in individual therapy and refer them to another therapist for marital counseling.
c. see the couple in therapy only if she feels her previous relationship will not interfere with her objectivity.
d. not see the wife or the couple in therapy and make a referral to another therapist.

A colleague at the mental health clinic where you are employed tells you that one of his clients has admitted to sexually abusing his 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:
a. attempt to discuss the matter further with the colleague and encourage him to make a report to the appropriate child abuse reporting authority but do not make a report yourself.
b. file a complaint against the colleague with APA or the state licensing board.
c. contact the appropriate child abuse reporting authority and provide them with information about the abuse and with the colleague’s name.
d. contact the appropriate child abuse reporting authority and provide them with information about the abuse but refuse to give them the colleague’s name if they request it.

The police arrive at your office with an arrest warrant for one of your clients. They tell you that they need the client’s most recent address and telephone number. You should:
a. provide them with the information they request since they have a warrant.
b. make a copy of the warrant for your files before providing them with the information they request.
c. tell them you will have to get a signed waiver from the client before you can release any information about him.
d. not give them any information about the client.

You have just evaluated a child at the request of his mother. The child’s mother and father are separated and have joint custody. You receive a call from the father who says that he and his new girlfriend will be joining the mother when you meet with her to discuss
the results of the evaluation. You call the mother, but she says she doesn’t want the girlfriend to be present at the meeting or to have information about the evaluation. You should:
a. comply with the mother’s request since she is the one who paid for the evaluation.
b. explain to the mother that you have to do what the husband requests since they have joint custody.
c. tell the father that you will meet with him and his girlfriend at another time.

d. meet with the mother and father either together or separately but don’t include the girlfriend.

You are a psychologist in private practice. In response to your growing caseload, you decide to bring in a second psychologist. The psychologist will be provided with office space and some secretarial services, and you will charge him 50% of fees collected from the patients you refer to him. This is:
a. unethical because referral fees are prohibited by the Ethics Code.
b. unethical because 50% is exploitative.
c. ethical as long as 50% is standard in your area of practice.
d. ethical as long as the 50% reflects your actual expenses.

A new client says that she wants to pay for her therapy sessions with cash and that she
doesn’t want you to keep a record of the sessions or of her payments. If you agree to this
arrangement:
a. you have acted ethically as long as you ascertain that her reasons for making this
request are valid.
b. you have acted ethically since it is up to you to decide what to include in your records.
c. you have acted ethically and legally as long as you include her payments as income on
your income tax forms.
d. you have acted unethically and possibly illegally.

Dr. S. Swapper is starting a program for adolescents who are experiencing peer
problems. She tells the editor of the local newspaper that his adolescent daughter (who is
unpopular with her peers) can attend the program for free if the editor writes an article
about the program for the paper. This is:
a. ethical as long as the arrangement doesn’t compromise Dr. Swapper’s objectivity
when working with the editor’s daughter.
b. ethical as long as Dr. Swapper doesn’t tell the editor what to put in the article.
c. unethical because the Ethics Code explicitly prohibits this type of arrangement.
d. ethically dubious but not covered by the Ethics Code.

Requiring students in an introductory psychology class to participate in a university
sponsored research project as a requirement for the class is ethical only when:
a. the research is conducted by or under the guidance of a faculty member.
b. the research exposes students to “minimal risk.”
c. students are given a choice of an alternative assignment.
d. students are made aware of the requirement prior to enrolling in the class.

When a research study might cause participants pain, deception:

a. is prohibited if the pain is physical but not if it is psychological in nature.
b. is ordinarily prohibited whether it is physical or psychological in nature.
c. is acceptable only if no alternative methods for obtaining the data are available.
d. is acceptable only if it is justified by the study’s “prospective value.”

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the requirements of the Ethics
Code regarding publication credit for publications that are substantially based on a
student’s doctoral dissertation?
a. Authorship credit must reflect each individual’s relative contribution to the research
project.
b. Authorship credit must be “mutually agreed upon” by all individuals who contributed
substantially to the project.
c. The student must be listed as first author except under “exceptional circumstances.”
d. The student must always be listed as first author.

The Ethics Code requires that a psychologist discuss with a new therapy client the
issue of fees and policy regarding the provision of information to an insurance company:
a. prior to the first consultation.
b. during the first session.
c. when the psychologist deems it appropriate.
d. as early as is feasible.

A client who terminated therapy with Dr. Jones several months ago calls to request an
appointment because she is now very depressed and is feeling suicidal. In the past couple
of months, Dr. Jones has been reducing his practice because he is starting another
business. The best course of action in this situation is for Dr. Jones:
a. to see the woman until the crisis has passed and then provide her with appropriate
referrals.
b. to explain to the former client that he is no longer accepting clients and refer her to a
colleague.
c. to provide the woman with several referrals and ask her to call him if none of those
turn out to be satisfactory.
d. to provide the woman with several referrals but let her know that he is available by
phone in case of an emergency.