CHA Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A prospective client asks a CHA analyst to provide an analysis of a CEO's handwriting obtained from a publicly signed document to assess suitability for a business partnership. This is:
- Unethical because any analysis without consent is prohibited
- Potentially acceptable if conducted objectively and the purpose is lawful (Correct answer)
- Always acceptable since the signature was publicly displayed
- Unethical only if the CEO learns about the analysis
Correct answer: Potentially acceptable if conducted objectively and the purpose is lawful
Analysis of publicly available handwriting for lawful business purposes may be permissible when conducted objectively and without misrepresentation.
Question 2: According to professional CHA standards, when an analyst is uncertain about a particular conclusion, they must:
- Omit the uncertain finding entirely from the report
- State the degree of certainty or uncertainty explicitly in the report (Correct answer)
- Present the finding as definitive to avoid appearing incompetent
- Ask the client to decide which conclusion to include
Correct answer: State the degree of certainty or uncertainty explicitly in the report
Reporting must reflect the actual level of confidence the analyst has in each finding, including areas of uncertainty.
Question 3: A CHA analyst working for a corporation is pressured by management to alter their findings about a job applicant's handwriting analysis. The analyst should:
- Alter the findings since the employer has authority over work product
- Refuse to alter findings and document the pressure they received (Correct answer)
- Submit both the original and altered findings and let management choose
- Withdraw from the analysis without documenting the reason
Correct answer: Refuse to alter findings and document the pressure they received
Analysts must refuse to falsify findings and should document any improper pressure as a professional protection measure.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the CHA analyst's duty when they realize a previously submitted report contained a significant error?
- Leave the report unchanged to avoid embarrassment
- Issue a corrected report promptly and notify the client of the error (Correct answer)
- Issue a correction only if the client discovers the error independently
- Delete all records of the original report before issuing a correction
Correct answer: Issue a corrected report promptly and notify the client of the error
Prompt correction of errors and transparent notification to the client is required by professional standards.
Question 5: In the context of CHA professional ethics, 'scope of competence' means that analysts should:
- Only accept cases they find personally interesting
- Only perform analyses within the areas they are trained and qualified in (Correct answer)
- Expand their practice to any area where clients request services
- Refer all complex cases to law enforcement automatically
Correct answer: Only perform analyses within the areas they are trained and qualified in
Analysts must limit their practice to areas where they have adequate training, experience, and knowledge.
Question 6: A CHA analyst is asked to compare two questioned documents but only one original is available. The most ethical approach is to:
- Proceed and present conclusions as if both originals were available
- Disclose the limitation and explain how it affects the reliability of findings (Correct answer)
- Refuse to analyze altogether unless both originals are provided
- Use a photocopy as if it were an original without disclosure
Correct answer: Disclose the limitation and explain how it affects the reliability of findings
Any limitations in the materials available must be disclosed because they directly impact the reliability of the conclusions.
Question 7: Which ethical principle requires that a CHA analyst treat all clients consistently regardless of their social status, race, or gender?
- Confidentiality
- Non-discrimination (Correct answer)
- Competence
- Informed consent
Correct answer: Non-discrimination
Non-discrimination requires that professional services be provided equally regardless of the client's or subject's personal characteristics.
CHA Professional Standards & Ethics 3
A prospective client asks a CHA analyst to provide an analysis of a CEO's handwriting obtained from a publicly signed document to assess suitability for a business partnership.
This is: