Dr. Philip Schatz
Ethics in Psychology (Psy 2361)
Saint Joseph's University
Fall, 2009
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 1:00 – 1:50 PM
Course Description: Ethical issues in psychology will be addressed, as related to
ethical principles, psychological assessment and diagnosis, psychotherapy and
clinical judgment, and clinical research. In addition, the relationship of clinical
psychology to other disciplines will be discussed.
Faculty Information:
Dr. Philip Schatz, Professor of Psychology,
222 Post Hall, Office hours T 10-11, WF 10-12
Phone: 610.660.1804,
email: pschatz@sju.edu; AOL/Yahoo IM: schatzsju
Class Web Site: http://schatz.sju.edu/issues/
Assigned Readings:
Ethics in Plain English, by Thomas F. Nagy. American Psychological Association
ISBN: 1591472016
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
(in course packet, and online at: http://www.apa.org/ethics/)
Course Packet # S-3 Available from the University Press
Course Objectives:
1. To familiarize the student with the field and theories of clinical psychology,
including clinical research, clinical assessment and intervention, and ethical and
professional issues.
2. To re-introduce students to the basic concepts of moral philosophy, upon which
all ethics codes are based to a greater or lesser extent. Ethics codes are
applications of moral philosophy.
3. To introduce students to the APA ethics code, a common set of values upon
which psychologists build their professional and scientific work
4. To provide students with a more sophisticated understanding of the
complexities, ambiguities, and implications of ethical problems in psychology
5. To strengthen students’ ability to discuss concepts in clinical psychology orally
and in writing, using APA publication style, proper referencing and avoiding
plagiarism.
Attendance Policy: Classroom attendance will be monitored. You are expected
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to attend class and to be responsible for all of the materials covered in both lecture
and the readings. Lectures are designed to complement but NOT review the
assigned reading materials, and your exams will emphasize lecture materials.
Neither your lectures nor your exams will be “straight from the text”. If you are
unable to attend class it will be advisable for you to make arrangements with
another student to acquire and review the lecture notes; I will not re-teach
material to compensate or “catch you up” for missed lectures. Do not contact me
if you will be unable to attend a single class. In the event that you will be absent
for a significant portion of class lectures, contact me.
Please arrive to class on time. I will generally begin class promptly at 1:00, and
allow a few minutes for open discussion and questions. Given the layout of the
room, it is disruptive to enter the classroom once the class has started. Once in
class, please make sure all computers, cell phones and other
telecommunication devices are turned off. Finally, this is not an environment
for sleeping. I do not encourage or appreciate naps during class, so if you feel the
need to catch up on lost sleep, please do so elsewhere.
Grading:
During the semester you can earn up to 500 points.
Two exams (100 points each)
Case analyses (50 points each)
Article review
Participation, attendance
200
200
50
50
points.
points
points
points
Extra credit will not be available.
Make-up exams will only be given under extreme circumstances; the reason for
your absence must be documented (i.e., a note from a doctor). Make-up exams
will be essay/short answer exams. Any unexcused exam absence will result in the
score of 0%. Excused make-up examinations must be scheduled within one week
of the original examination date. There is no opportunity for extra-credit projects.
Assignments and Evaluations: You are expected to be familiar with the
readings assigned for a given topic prior to class lectures, as well as participate in
the discussions of the topics. Numerous exercises, including study guides, journal
readings, and Internet-based materials will be provided to enhance the classroom
experience.
Two non-cumulative examinations will be scheduled. Each examination will
typically consist of multiple-choice, true-false, short-answer, and/or brief essay
questions, which will cover materials from both lecture and text. Exams will
comprise 40% of your grade, or 200 points.
Assignments: You are required to complete the following assignments:
Article Review: You will write one review paper of a published research
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article. This will provide exposure to the scientific aspects of clinical
psychology, provide an opportunity to pursue more detailed investigation of
a particular aspect of clinical psychology, and to enhance your ability to
critically evaluate clinical research. You will summarize and critique an article
from a clinical psychology journal. The study must be experimental and from
a peer-reviewed journal. Studies with clinical samples are ideal. Below are
some examples of acceptable journals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Psychological Assessment
If you would like to use a journal that is not on this list, check with me for
approval. A copy of the article must be included with your review paper.
Only articles published in the last five years will be accepted. Papers must be
1 to 2 pages and must be typed in 12-point font and double-spaced with 1”
margins on all sides. The review paper will be due in class on December 3rd.
Late papers will be accepted for one week after the due date with a 5%
penalty per day late. Below is an outline for the research review papers:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Reference the article according to APA style
Summarize article using your own words (½ page to 1 page)
Describe strengths of the study (1-2 paragraphs)
Describe weaknesses of the study (1-2 paragraphs)
Describe clinical implications of the study (1-2 paragraphs)
This will comprise 10% of your grade, or 50 points.
Case Analyses: You will be required to submit 4 case analyses, throughout
the semester. These will be due on Fridays and will be in response to a case
that is provided that week. The case analyses will outline specific ethical
code violations, suggest alternate behavior that should have occurred, and
suggest appropriate action. Case analyses are not to be more than 1-2
pages. Case analyses will be 50 points each, with the total comprising 40%
of your grade. Note: you are required to submit all 4 case analyses.
Participation/Attendance: This will be a subjective score based on the
number of absences, contribution to classroom discussions, and quality of
interaction. This will comprise 10% of your grade, or 50 points.
Academic Honesty: Any student who is caught cheating on any examination or
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assignment will automatically fail the course and will be reported to the Academic
Honesty Board. Please make sure that you are familiar with the recently adopted
Academic Honesty Policy of Saint Joseph’s University, which is published in the
annual academic catalog. If you are unsure of what violates this policy, please
contact me before submitting your paper.
Additional Resources
For those who have a documented learning, physical or psychological disability
who are requesting reasonable academic adjustments, you are encouraged to
contact Services for Students with Disabilities, Room 113, Science Center, 610660-1774 or 610-660-1620 early in the semester. If you suspect that you have
an undiagnosed disability (learning, physical, psychological), please contact
Services for Students with Disabilities to discuss this concern.
It is important to discuss instructional needs and accommodations with me early in
the semester. All requests for extended-timed testing must be discussed with me
at a minimum of one week prior to the date of each exam.
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Fall 2009– Page 5
Lecture Syllabus: PSY 2361-101; Fall, 2009
Week of
Topic/Reading
Sept 1
Intro / Moral Ethical Philosophy
Nagy: Intro; Course Packet: McCall
Sept 8
The Nature of Ethical Violations
Course Packet: Pope et al. (1987)
Sept 15
History of Ethics/Research
Ethical Code: Preamble, General Principles, Resolving Ethical Issues
Web Site: Nuremburg Code, Belmont Report
Nagy: Chapter 8
Case 1: A Rush to Judgment – Due Sept. 22
Sept 22
Competence / Record Keeping / Public Statements / Fees
Nagy: Chapter 2, 5
Course packet: Overholser & Fine (1990)
Sept 29
Informed Consent
Nagy: Chapter 4
Course packet: NAN Statement, Pomerantz & Handelsman (2004),
Johnson-Green et al. (1997), Tyson case
Oct 6, 13
Confidentiality & Duty to Inform (Tarasoff)
Nagy: Chapter 4, 9
Web: Tarasoff.pdf
Course packet: Fulero (1988), Appelbaum & Rosenbaum (1989),
Treadway (1988), Ewing (2005)
Case 2: Researcher’s Duty to Warn – Due Oct. 16
Oct 20
(No Class Tuesday) Exam #1 (Wednesday Oct 21st)
Oct 27
Professional Relationships
Nagy: Chapter 3, 10
Course Packet: Younggren & Gotleib (2004), APA Statement (1989),
Gottleib (1990)
Nov 3
Student-Teacher Relationships
Course Packet: Goodyear (1992), Biaggio (1997), Tabachnick (1991)
Case 3: Old Friends – Due Nov. 17
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Fall 2009– Page 6
Nov 9
Good Will Hunting
Nov 17
Therapy: Transference
Course Packet: Arachtingi & Lichtenberg (1998), Connolly (1996)
Nov 12
Therapy
Nagy: Chapter 10;
Nov 24
Therapy (No Class Wednesday/Thursday)
Dec 1
Assessment
Nagy: Chapter 9, TBA
Case 4: NCAA Tournament – Due Dec. 9
Dec 8
Legal Issues
TBA
Finals Week
Final Examination:
Date to be announced during the semester.