WAIS Ethical and Clinical Application 3

Question 1

A school psychologist uses the WAIS-IV to evaluate a 17-year-old for special education eligibility. Who must provide informed consent for this evaluation?

Accepted Answer

The student's parent or legal guardian, with assent from the student

Answer

For minors, informed consent must be obtained from the parent or guardian, while the student should be provided assent appropriate to their developmental level.

Question 2

Which factor most threatens the ecological validity of a WAIS-IV assessment conducted in an unfamiliar clinical setting?

Accepted Answer

Test anxiety and environmental stressors that may suppress actual performance

Answer

Environmental and psychological factors like anxiety can cause scores to underestimate an individual's true cognitive abilities.

Question 3

A forensic psychologist administers the WAIS-IV to determine intellectual disability in a death penalty case. The primary ethical obligation unique to this context is:

Accepted Answer

Recognizing the adversarial nature of the context and maintaining objectivity rather than advocacy

Answer

Forensic psychologists must remain objective and not become advocates for either side, even in high-stakes capital cases.

Question 4

The 'Flynn Effect' has significant ethical implications for WAIS-IV interpretation in forensic settings primarily because:

Accepted Answer

Older test norms inflate current IQ scores, potentially misclassifying individuals near diagnostic cutoffs

Answer

As population IQ scores rise over time, older norms make current scores appear lower, which can affect diagnoses like intellectual disability.

Question 5

A client asks to see their WAIS-IV raw data and completed answer booklet after an evaluation. According to APA ethical guidelines, the psychologist should:

Accepted Answer

Provide a copy of the report but protect raw test data from direct release to prevent misuse

Answer

APA ethics balance client access rights with test security obligations by releasing reports to clients while protecting raw protocols.

(WAIS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Practice Test

(WAIS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Practice Test

WAIS Ethical and Clinical Application 3