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Comparison of perceptions of ethical and unethical behaviour of psychologists

thesis
posted on 2025-05-09, 00:23 authored by Joshua Caban
Objective: Improved understanding of how the ethical behaviour of psychologists is perceived by the general public, psychology students and registered psychologists could hold implications for how regulatory agencies manage complaints, as well as for education and professional training. The current study explored how different populations perceived psychologist behaviours and aimed to identify predictors of accuracy in recognising ethical behaviours. Method: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 738 participants, including 104 psychologists, 118 psychology students and 516 members of the public. Participants provided demographics and completed measures of personality and personal values. Participants then read ten vignettes outlining ethical dilemmas, rating whether the psychologist’s behaviour presented in each vignette was ethical or unethical. Results: Psychologists performed better than psychology students and general public on measures of overall accuracy. Agreeableness and emotional stability were significant predictors of overall accuracy. Emotional stability and security were significant predictors for psychology students, whereas age and hedonism were positive and negative predictors respectively for the general public. Conclusion: Psychologists were more accurate in rating ethical behaviours compared to psychology students and the general public. Whereas the students and public performed reasonably well, further education could improve awareness of the ethical principles that guide psychologist behaviour.

History

Year awarded

2021

Thesis category

  • Masters Degree (Coursework)

Degree

Masters of Clinical Psychology (MClinPsych)

Supervisors

Halpin, Sean (University of Newcastle)

Language

  • en, English

College/Research Centre

College of Engineering, Science and Environment

School

School of Psychological Sciences

Rights statement

Copyright 2021 Joshua Caban

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