Research on a Psychological Construct

Who may conduct research on a psychological construct?

1. This matter is guided by the Health Professions Act of 1974.
2. The HPCSA and its Professional Boards are empowered by the Health Professions Amendment Act (No.29 of 2007) to regulate the scope of the professions.
3. The latter regulations are described in two documents dated September 2008 and September 2011.
   • The 2008 regulations speak to those acts which pertain to the scope of the profession of psychology in general.
   • The 2011 regulations speak to those acts which pertaining specifically to each category of psychological professional (registered counsellor, psychometrist, clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, educational psychologist, and research psychologist).
4. The 2008 regulations defining the scope of the profession of psychology:
   • Lists acts which ‘specially pertain’ to the profession of psychology
   • Indicates that these acts include the evaluation, assessment, and measurement of psychological constructs,
   • Includes development, use ,and interpretation of psychological measures designed to collect data on these constructs,
   • States that psychological constructs include: intellectual abilities / aptitude, interests, temperament, personality makeup or functioning, emotional functions, neuropsychological disorders, mental functioning, psychophysiological functioning, personnel career selection, or psychopathology.
   • Indicate that these acts range from the developmental / preventative / wellness approaches to the treatment of psychopathology.
   • Specifies that ‘any person who wishes to perform any of the acts …shall apply in the prescribed manner to the board for registration and submit proof of having complied with the prescribed requirements for such registration.
5. The DSM-5 provides information on psychological disorders or conditions, their symptoms, and treatment, for accurate diagnosis and treatment. The DSM-5 is not a list of psychological constructs.
6. Test developers are encouraged to submit new measures to the HPCSA Professional Board for Psychology’s Psychometrics Committee for classification and evaluation as a psychological test. However not all test developers do so. Many measures are published for sale or made available for free, and yet are nevertheless psychological in nature. The HPCSA List of Classified and Certified Tests is the result of a classification exercise conducted by the Psychometrics Committee in response to measures submitted to them for classification. This means that it is NOT a comprehensive list of all measures / tools / assessments which assess psychological constructs.

In sum, research into ANY kind of psychological construct (even those not to do with pathology) must be conducted by a health professional registered with the HPCSA’s Professional Board of Psychology, or one who is in training and under appropriate supervision.