Teaching and learning

Guidance on Teaching and Assessment of Ethical Competence in Psychology Education (2015)

This document has been designed to provide a framework for good practice in the teaching and assessment of ethical competence in psychology education.

07 May 2015

BPS Guidance

By Ethics Committee

The aim of this document, which has been produced by The Ethics Committee of the British Psychological Society, is:

to enable approrpiate ethical knowledge and practice at all levels of study in psychology;
to provide guidance that cultivates an ethical mindset in psychology students;
to provide practical resources to aid in the teaching of ethics.

The guidance which this document provides is based on the Four Component Model (Rest, 1982) which identifies the sequence of thoughts and actions which result in ethical behaviour:

Ethical Sensitivity
Ethical Reasoning
Ethical Motivation
Ethical Implementation

This model provides a good foundation for educators to assess and improve the ethical competency of their students, at varying levels of study.

Download the guidance