E-5: Identify and comply with requirements for making public statements about professional activities (e.g., social media activity, misrepresentation of professional credentials, behavior analysis, and service outcomes) ©
Our downloadable PDF review guides have an expanded Ethics section, including the full Ethics Code items, along with multiple ethical decision making models. Click here!
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Target Terms: public statements, social media
Definition: The rules and requirements regarding the use of public statements is found within our Ethics Code. Please make sure you are reading the actual code items! They include information about the responsible use of social media and how we should represent ourselves and our profession. (Notably, for a whole host of reasons, it’s really not a good idea to seek or provide clinical advice in a public forum – such as social media.)
Some basic ethics concepts apply here. We respect people’s privacy. We tell the truth. We take other people’s perspectives into account. We don’t give people false hope. We respect the clinical relationship, and only provide consultation within a specific role. We treat others the way we would like to be treated.
Please note some super important FAQs about the Ethics part of the TCO:
Is the Ethics Code part of the Task List or Test Content Outline? Well..not really. Unlike the rest of the TCO, which is its “own thing,” Part E is really a highlight reel of a separate and longer document. That document is called the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (link here). Remember that the TCO reflects the parts of the Ethics Code that will show up on the certification exam.
If I go through the TCO items in section E, do I really need to read the actual code? Seems long and boring. YES, you totally and absolutely DO need to read the entire Ethics Code for our profession. Prepping to be a professional is not just about passing a test.
How do I interpret the Ethics Code in specific situations? That’s not for us to tell you. The ethics sections were trickier for us to put together than the other items in the review section. That’s because the items having to do with the science of behavior are straightforward, in a factual sense. Ethics codes are subject to interpretation, cultural influence, and changes over time. We have done our best to help you understand without telling you what to think. Our best advice? Become familiar with ethical problem solving models, and talk to colleagues, supervisors, and mentors.