Ethical issues surrounding psychometric assessment and its usage in the modern workplace are increasingly relevant topics. The Australian Psychological Society’s most extensive set of ethical guidelines pertains to psychological testing and assessment, indicating this topic's extreme relevance and importance (Shum et al., 2017). Psychometric assessment is a unique form of psychological service. It differs from typical services psychologists provide, such as psychotherapy, in which individuals seek out assistance to find help for their problems. When undergoing psychometric assessment, individuals are often referred for this by a third party seeking to establish suitability for potential employment or other relevant outcomes (Koocher & Rey-Casserly, 2003). The referring party seeks answers to a set of questions with varying specificity, which the psychometric tests available may or may not have the scientific capabilities to address (Koocher & Rey-Casserly, 2003).
Importantly, it is common that people being tested may either benefit (e.g., gain a job offer) or suffer (e.g., be declined an offer of employment) as a consequence of the assessment, irrespective of the competency of the deployment (Koocher & Rey-Casserly, 2003). This ethical concern of the potential for discrimination must underpin the decision to utilise specific tests on individuals based on their gender, race, or other protected characteristics. A crucial aspect of the psychometric assessment process is the decision about whether a test should be used in the first place, including a comprehensive analysis as to how the test score is to be interpreted against the background of complete knowledge of the person, including their cultural experiences (Shum et al., 2017).
An essential aspect of psychometric assessment is ensuring that the individual providing the assessment maintains some degree of awareness regarding their level of competency to avoid ethical dilemmas (O’Donohue & Ferguson, 2003). Any psychologist registered by the Psychology Board of Australia administering these tests and assessments will be automatically bound by the society's code of ethics and held accountable to the profession's standards (Shum et al., 2017). This is a significant advantage of employing a psychologist for conducting psychometric testing and assessment, as this professional code of ethics binds them (Shum et al., 2017).
A critical issue regarding the ethical usage of psychometric tests and assessment is informed consent. It is essential that the purposes and uses of their assessment techniques are fully disclosed and clearly indicate the limits of the assessment techniques and their applicability (Shum et al., 2017). Clients have a right to be fully informed about the assessment procedures and use of the results before the assessment process. All clients must give legally informed consent before an assessment can begin (O’Donohue & Ferguson, 2003). Confidentiality must be maintained by ensuring that the results are not published or disclosed in any manner that will expose their contents to persons unauthorised or unqualified to receive such information (Australian Psychological Society, n.d.)
In conclusion, psychometric testing has limitations and ethical concerns that must be considered in any context. Psychometric testing can provide valuable information about an individual's cognitive abilities and personality traits by selecting reliable and valid tests and administering them consistently and in a culturally sensitive manner. Guidelines such as maintaining the confidentiality and obtaining informed consent must be followed to ensure the ethical usage of psychometric tests. Increased awareness surrounding the ethical concerns of psychometric assessment will remain essential to its future use in the modern workplace.
References
Australian Psychological Society. (n.d.). APS Code of Ethics. https://psychology.org.au/about-us/what-we-do/ethics-and-practice-standards/aps-code-of-ethics
Koocher, G.P., & Rey-Casserly, C.M. (2003). Ethical Issues in Psychological Assessment. In J. R. Graham & J. A. Naglieri (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology: Assessment Psychology (pp. 166-179). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
O’Donohue, W. T., & Ferguson, K. E. (2003). Handbook of professional ethics for psychologists issues, questions, and controversies. SAGE.
Shum, D. H. K., O’Gorman, J., Creed, P., & Myors, B. (2017). Psychological testing and assessment (Third edition.). Oxford University Press.
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