Application of Ethical Principles of Psychology in an Academic Training Exercise on the Design, Validation, and Application of a Psychometric Instrument

Abstract

The ethical and responsible training of professionals in psychology implies recognizing that the understanding and application of ethical principles should not only be carried out in professional practice but also during the development of academic and practical activities in various courses of the curriculum of psychology programs. In Colombia, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, autonomy, and integrity have been established as the five most important decision criteria that should guide professional work. The present study seeks to know how a sample of psychology students understands and puts into practice the ethical principles in the development of an academic exercise of the design, application, and analysis of the psychometric properties of an instrument. A qualitative study was carried out with 200 psychology students who were taking the psychometry course during the second semester of 2020. In some cases, there was a lack of knowledge of ethical principles and, therefore, difficulties in their appropriation and application, which led to the reflection of these aspects’ learning from the perspective of the macro-and microcurriculum in psychology programs. In addition, this type of research allows raising awareness about the ethical management of psychological tests both in their design and application.