Perception of Ethical Misconduct by Neuropsychology Professionals in Latin America

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 30 (2015) 413– 423 Perception of Ethical Misconduct by Neuropsychology Professionals in Latin America Ivan S. Panyavin1, Lisa D. Goldberg-Looney2, Diego Rivera 1, Paul B. Perrin2, Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla 1,3,* 1 University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA 3 IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundations for Science, Spain 2 *Corresponding author at: University of Deusto, Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Avda de las Universidades 24, 48007 Bilbao, Spain. Tel.: +34 94 413 9003 (ext. 3261); fax: +34 94 457 854. E-mail address: (J. C. Arango-Lasprilla). Accepted 2 April 2015 Abstract To date, extremely limited research has focused on the ethical aspects of clinical neuropsychology practice in Latin America. The current study aimed to identify the frequency of perceived ethical misconduct in a sample of 465 self-identified neuropsychology professionals from Latin America in order to better guide policies for training and begin to establish standards for practitioners in the region. Frequencies of neuropsychologists who knew another professional engaging in ethical misconduct ranged from 1.1% to 60.4% in the areas of research, clinical care, training, and professional relationships. The most frequently reported perceived misconduct was in the domain of professional training and expertise, with nearly two thirds of participants knowing other professionals who do not possess adequate training to be working as neuropsychologists. The least frequently reported perceived misconduct was in the domain of professional relationships. Nearly one third of participants indicated that they had never received formal training in professional ethics. Keywords: Professional issues; Cross-cultural; Ethics; Neuropsychology; Latin America; Survey Introduction Neuropsychology is an applied branch of the psychological sciences concerned with the behavioral expression of brain dysfunction (Lezak, Howieson, Loring, Hannay, & Fischer, 2004). Although neuropsychology as a discipline is relatively new, its roots can be traced back a few thousand years (Finger, 2000). Described as having a long history but a short past, neuropsychology extends back to the use of trepanations in South America (Verano, 2003), and the observations made by the ancient Greeks and Romans about anatomic localizations of functions in the brain (Hartlage & Long, 2009). The contributions of European physiologists in the mid-19th century laid the foundation for the development of neuropsychology as a discipline in the first part of the 20th century in Europe, North America, and the Soviet Union (Hallett, 1993; Puente, 1989). The development of neuropsychology in Latin America dates to the turn of the 20th century, when the first manuscripts and dissertations on the topic of brain– behavior relationships were published in psychiatry and neurology journals in the region. Progress in the development of neuropsychology in Latin America has been substantial in the last 60 years, reflected by the exponential increase of publications and journals related to the topic in the region (Ardila, 1990; Vera-Villarroel, López-López, Lillo, & Silva, 2011). The seminal contributions to the theoretical argument of neuropsychology as a distinct field of professional activity within psychology in Latin America were pioneered in the first half of the 20th century by scientists from multiple countries. Researchers from Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Cuba, and Bolivia led the way (Cáceres Velásquez, 2009). Many of these individuals worked within the theoretical paradigms of such established neuropsychologists as A. R. Luria (Soviet Union), H. Hecaen and J. de Ajuriaguerra (France), and A. Benton, H. Goodglass (USA) # The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: . doi:10.1093/arclin/acv026 Advance Access publication on 4 May 2015 414 I. S. Panyavin et al. / Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 30 (2015); 413–423 (Ardila, 1990; Dansilio, 2009; Garcia de la Cadena et al., 2009). The translation and publication of A. R. Luria’s neuropsychology texts into Spanish in the late 1970s made many of his classic contributions to the field more accessible and helped to support the study of brain – behavior relationships in Latin America (Galeano Toro, 2009). Around the same time, further collaborative relationships developed between Latin American neuropsychology researchers and their international colleagues (Fernández Garcia et al., 2009), culminating in the pivotal meetings of the Pan-American Congress of Neuropsychology in Bogota, Colombia, in 1981, and the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society in Mexico City in 1983 (Ardila, 1990). Historically, the development of clinical neuropsychology in Latin America has been hindered by a number of factors. Political turmoil and armed conflict, lack of economic and instrumental resources, paucity of educational and clinical training opportunities (resulting in too few qualified professionals), and lack of regional coordination with regard to research and regional standardization of programs for professional training acted as barriers for progress (Cáceres Velásquez, 2009; Garcia de la Cadena et al., 2009; Ocampo Barba, 2009; Rosas Diaz, Tenorio Delgado, & Gárate Maudier, 2009). Nevertheless, the practice of neuropsychology has flourished in the region in recent decades, and professional neuropsychological societies have been created in many Latin American countries (Galeano Toro, 2009; Garcia de la Cadena et al., 2009; Hazin, Bizarro, & de Almeida, 2011; Labos, 2009). Given lack of standardization of the practice of neuropsychology across Latin American countries (Garcia de la Cadena et al., 2009), neuropsychologists in this region of the world possess a diverse training and educational profile. Traditionally, neuropsychological work was conducted in Latin America by professionals with training in not only psychology, but also medicine (e.g., neurology, neurophysiology, neurosurgery, pediatrics, gerontology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry), and other fields such as speech pathology, biology, and education (Fernández Garcia et al., 2009; Garcı́a de la Cadena et al., 2009; Rosas Diaz et al., 2009). Additionally, the academic level of training among practicing neuropsychology professionals may include those with bachelor’s-level degrees. Some Latin American neuropsychologists have master’s degrees, but few have doctoral qualifications (Fernández Garcia et al., 2009; Garcı́a de la Cadena et al., 2009). Most countries in Latin America have laws which regulate the practice of psychology, and all countries have ethics codes. These codes are documents which were developed via expert consensus by professional psychological organizations, associations, and societies and apply to all (...truncated)