What ethical and legal concerns does the use of behavioral assessments raise? Co

Question

What ethical and legal concerns does the use of behavioral assessments raise? Conduct the necessary research to identify the legal parameters that exist in using these tools.

b) Do you believe these assessments might be more subject to bias than skill and knowledge tests might be? Might they screen out viable candidates too early in the screening process? Explain with reasons for your point of view.

c) How do you think applicants might react to being asked these questions; and would they might hesitate to answer these questions before they even saw or spoke to a recruiter? Many times these behavioral assessments are included in the software application process online.

Explanation / Answer

a. Behavioral assessment is one of the key mechanisms through which psychologists understand, study, and predict human behavior. However, the field of psychological testing and behavioral assessment requires judicious decision-making skills on the part of the psychologist, the client and the psychological test-publishers. A few of the ethical and legal concerns are mentioned below:

1. The competence of the test administrator and his professional qualifications – The test administrator should have the necessary qualifications, the breach of which is not only professionally unethical but also subject to legal ramifications.

2. The test publishers should sell the tests to those who meet the minimum eligibility criteria. In cases of most psychological tests, the eligibility is having a Masters degree in Psychology. Restricting the purchase of psychological tests or other behavioral assessment tools has a two-fold objective: to prevent misuse and to ensure the security of the test materials (Anastasi & Urbina, 1994).

3. Client confidentiality and protection of his privacy – It is the obligation of the test administrator and the psychologist to ensure that the confidentiality of the client is maintained. Moreover, before embarking on administering a test to him, his consent needs to be taken. This is technically termed as ‘informed consent’. In case the assessment is being carried out as part of a research, he should be debriefed at the end of data collection or as and when the researcher deems fit. However, it has to be done and is an essential ethical responsibility of the researcher. Moreover, the data should not be leaked to a third party without the consent of the client. This is especially sensitive when a firm which has rejected an applicant based on his behavioral assessment is asked by a potential employer of the participant to hand over his test results, in lieu of money.

4. The client should be provided or communicated the outcome of his assessment – This should be done in simple words which he understands rather than confusing him with jargons. The communication should be done in simple and meaningful words, and should not emotionally injure the client.

For more information: Reference: Anastasi and Urbina, 1994, page – 544 to 550. It would really help you understand if you need more information because I am not sure how many words is expected of you from this answer.

b. They do have a greater potential of being subject to bias as compared to performance tests, skill and knowledge tests. It is easy to fake good or bad - protray oneself as an extrovert and agreeable indivdual if one is applying for the job of an air hostess, and protray oneself as conscientious if one is applying for the role of a research associate. However, in skill and knowledge tests, the motive to fake bad or good does not get served. One would not want to fake bad and lose a potential job (unless he has been forced to appear for the interview). Similarly, one cannot fake good. If a particular skill is lacking in the participant he cannot, at that point of time, fake that he has it. A participant who lacks a particular skill simply does not have the aptitude. Someone who is applying for the post of a musician in a band and does not have the musical ability will eventually get rejected. The likelihood of socially desirable responses is higher on tests of personality, interest, values and other non-performance, non-skill based behavioral assessment tools.

c. Although there lies a high possibility of the potential job incumbent being hesitant to respond to a particular assessment tool, he eventually will. Behavioral assessment has become increasingly popular among recruiters and job applicants are all too aware of this trend. Hence, although hesitant, a job applicant will respond positively to such a demand. However, he has every right to be debriefed and may, at the end of the interview seek greater clarity about the confidentiality of the assessment, the procedure, and their obligations of protecting his privacy. Apart from his rights to gain greater clarity, he himself has an obligation to respond honestly to the assessment tools. Herein lies a high probability of giving socially desirable responses. This is the chief drawback of objective psychological tests. It therefore becomes crucial for the potential employers to explain the concept of the "right man for the right job" to the job applicant. He may give socially desirable responses and get the job, however, within a few weeks of starting his job, he may feel a void, experience job dissatisfaction and eventually leave the job. This not only impacts the company but also has an effect on the emotional well-being of the employee. To put an end to this vicious cycle, the Human Resources Team needs to play a proactive role by hiring an organizational psychologist, keeping him/her as part of the interview panel and incorporating a social desirability scale as part of the assessment package.

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