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Sikolohistas!
PRELIM 1. Definition and
Nature

1.1 Definition of
Psychological Testing
and Assessment
 psychological assessment
the gathering and integration of
psychology-related data for the purpose
of making a psychological evaluation
that is accomplished through the use of
tools such as tests, interviews, case
studies, behavioral observation, and
specially designed apparatuses and
measurement procedures.
psychological Testing
• educational test is a set of items
that are designed to measure
characteristics of human beings
that pertain to behavior.

• the process of measuring

psychology-related variables by means
of devices or procedures designed to
obtain a sample of behavior.
psychological Testing
• Overt behavior is an individual’s
observable activity.

• Some psychological tests attempt

to measure the extent to which
someone might engage in or “emit”
a particular overt behavior.
psychological Testing
• covert—that is, it takes place
within an individual and cannot be
directly observed.

• For example, your feelings and

thoughts are types of covert
behavior.
 Basic Elements of the Definition of Psychological Tests
Defining Element Explanation Rationale

Psychological tests are They are characterized by Tests must be demonstrably

systematic procedures. planning, uniformity, and objective and fair to be of use.
thoroughness.

Psychological tests are They are small subsets of a Sampling behavior is efficient
samples of behavior. much larger whole. because the time available is
usually limited.

The behaviors sampled by The samples are selected for Tests, unlike mental games,
tests are relevant to their empirical or practical exist to be of use; they are
cognitive, affective, or psychological significance. tools.
interpersonal functioning.
 Basic Elements of the Definition of Psychological Tests
Defining Element Explanation Rationale

Test results are evaluated Some numerical or category There should be no question
and scored. system is applied to test about what the results of tests
results, according to are.
preestablished rules.

To evaluate test results it There has to be a way of The standards used to evaluate
is necessary to have applying a common yardstick test results lend the only
standards based on or criterion to test results. meaning those results have.
empirical data.
 TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Basis of the Difference Psychological Testing Psychological Assessment

Degree of Complexity Simpler; involves one uniform More complex; each

procedure, frequently assessment involves various
Unidimensional procedures (interviewing,
observation, testing, etc.) and
dimensions.

Duration Shorter, lasting from a few Longer, lasting from a few

minutes to a few hours. hours to a few days or more.
TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
ASSESSMENT
Basis of the Difference Psychological Testing Psychological Assessment

Focus How one person or group The uniqueness of a given

compares with others individual, group, or
(nomothetic). situation
(idiographic).

Sources of data One person, the test taker. Often collateral sources,
such as relatives or teachers,
are used in addition to the
subject of the assessment.
TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Basis of the Difference Psychological Testing Psychological Assessment

Qualifications for use Knowledge of tests and Knowledge of testing and

testing procedures. other assessment methods as
well as of the specialty area
assessed (e.g., psychiatric
disorders, job requirements).

Procedural basis Objectivity required; Subjectivity, in the form of

quantification is critical. clinical judgment, required;
quantification rarely possible.
TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Basis of the Psychological Testing Psychological
Difference Assessment

Cost Inexpensive, especially Very expensive; requires

when testing is done in intensive use of highly
groups. qualified professionals.

Purpose Obtaining data for use in Arriving at a decision

making decisions. concerning the referral
question or problem.
TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Basis of the Psychological Testing Psychological
Difference Assessment

Degree of structure Highly structured. Entails both structured

and unstructured aspects.

Evaluation of results Relatively simple Very difficult due to

investigation of variability of methods,
reliability and validity assessors, nature of
based on group results. presenting questions, etc.
 TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Psychological Testing Basis of the Psychological Assessment
Difference

Typically, to obtain some gauge, usually Objective Typically, to answer a referral question,
numerical in nature, with regard to an solve a problem, or arrive at a decision
ability or attribute. through the use of tools of evaluation.

Testing may be individual or group in Process Assessment is typically individualized. In

nature. After test administration, the contrast to testing, assessment more
tester will typically add up “the number typically focuses on how an individual
of correct answers or the number of processes rather than simply the results of
certain types of responses . . . with that processing.
little if any regard for the how or
mechanics of such content” (Maloney &
Ward, 1976, p. 39)..
 TYPICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Psychological Testing Basis of the Psychological Assessment
Difference

Role of Evaluator The tester is not Role of The assessor is key to the process of
key to the process; practically Evaluator selecting tests and/or other tools of
speaking, one tester may be evaluation as well as in drawing
substituted for another tester conclusions from the entire evaluation.
without appreciably affecting the
evaluation.

Testing typically requires technician Skill of Assessment typically requires an educated

like skills in terms of administering Evaluator selection of tools of evaluation, skill in
and scoring a test as well as in evaluation, and thoughtful organization
interpreting a test result. and integration of data.
 Varieties
of
assessment
educational assessment
the use of tests and other
tools to evaluate abilities
and skills relevant to
success or failure in a
school or pre-school
context.
 retrospective assessment
• defined as the use of evaluative tools to
draw conclusions about psychological
aspects of a person as they existed at some
point in time prior to the assessment.

• There are unique challenges and hurdles to

be overcome when conducting retrospective
assessments regardless if the subject of the
evaluation is deceased (Reyman et al.,
2015) or alive (Teel et al., 2016).
Remote assessment
refers to the use of tools of
psychological evaluation to
gather data and draw
conclusions about a subject who
is not in physical proximity to
the person or people
conducting the evaluation.
 ecological momentary assessment (EMA)
• refers to the “in the moment” evaluation of
specific problems and related cognitive and
behavioral variables at the very time and place
that they occur.

• Using various tools of assessment, EMA has been

used to help tackle diverse clinical problems
including post-traumatic stress disorder (Black
et al., 2016), problematic smoking (Ruscio et
al., 2016), and chronic abdominal pain in
children (Schurman & Friesen, 2015).
The process
of
assessment
collaborative psychological
assessment
• more of a collaboration between the assessor
and the assessee.

• For example, in one approach to assessment,

referred to (logically enough) as
collaborative psychological assessment, the
assessor and assessee may work as “partners”
from initial contact through final feedback
(Finello, 2011; Fischer, 1978, 2004, 2006).
 collaborative psychological
assessment
• more of a collaboration between the assessor and
the assessee.

• the assessor and assessee may work as “partners”

from initial contact through final feedback
(Finello, 2011; Fischer, 1978, 2004, 2006).

• One variety of collaborative assessment includes

an element of therapy as part of the process.
Therapeutic psychological
assessment
• In this approach,
therapeutic self-discovery
and new understandings are
encouraged throughout the
assessment process.
dynamic assessment
• refers to an interactive approach to
psychological assessment that usually
follows a model of
• (1) Assessment,
• (2) intervention of some sort, and
• (3) evaluation.
• Dynamic assessment is most typically
employed in educational settings, although
it may be employed in correctional,
corporate, neuropsychological, clinical,
and most any other setting as well.
 The Tools of
Psychological Assessment
Basic
concept
 A test is a test
measurement device or
technique used to
quantify behavior or
aid in the
understanding and
prediction of behavior.
item • An item is a specific stimulus to
which a person responds overtly;
this response can be scored or
evaluated (e.g., classified, graded
on a scale, or counted).

• In simple terms, items are the

specific questions or problems that
make up a test. The problems
presented at the beginning of this
chapter are examples of test items.
 content
• The content (subject
matter) of the test
will, of course, vary
with the focus of the
particular test.
format
• pertains to the form, plan, structure,
arrangement, and layout of test items as
well as to related considerations such as
time limits.

• Format is also used to refer to the form in

which a test is administered: computerized,
pencil-and-paper, or some other form.

• When making specific reference to a

computerized test, the format may also
involve the form of the software: PC- or
Mac-compatible.
administration procedures
• INDIVIDUAL
TESTING
• GROUP TESTING
• TIME
• UNTIMED
score • score as a code or summary
statement, usually but not
necessarily numerical in
nature, that reflects an
evaluation of performance
on a test, task, interview,
or some other sample of
behavior.
 • the process of SCORING
assigning such
evaluative codes or
statements to
performance on tests,
tasks, interviews, or
other behavior samples.
• Strictly speaking, the term test
should be used only for those test
procedures in which test takers’
responses are evaluated based on
their correctness or quality.

• Such instruments always involve

the appraisal of some aspect of a
person’s cognitive functioning,
knowledge, skills, or abilities.
personality • On the other hand,
tests instruments whose responses
are neither evaluated nor
scored as right-wrong or
pass-fail are called
inventories, questionnaires,
surveys, checklists, schedules,
or projective techniques
 • method of gathering
information through direct INTERVIEW
communication involving
reciprocal exchange.

• Interviews may be used by

psychologists in various
specialty areas to help make
diagnostic, treatment,
selection, or other decisions.
 panel • also referred to as a board
interview
interview
• An interview may be used to
help professionals in human
resources to make more
informed recommendations
about the hiring, firing, and
advancement of personnel.
 panel • A presumed advantage of this
personnel assessment technique is
interview that any idiosyncratic biases of a
lone interviewer will be minimized
(Dipboye, 1992).

• A disadvantage of the panel interview

relates to its utility; the cost of
using multiple interviewers may not
be justified (Dixon et al., 2002)
• Some interviewing, especially in the context
of clinical and counseling settings, has as
Motivational
its objective not only the gathering of
information from the interviewee, but a
interviewing
targeted change in the interviewee’s
thinking and behavior.

• A therapeutic technique called motivational

interviewing, for example, is used by
counselors and clinicians to gather
information about some problematic
behavior, while simultaneously attempting
to address it therapeutically (Bundy, 2004;
Miller & Rollnick, 2002).
• Motivational interviewing may be defined as
a therapeutic dialogue that combines
Motivational
person-centered listening skills such as
openness and empathy, with the use of
interviewing
cognition-altering techniques designed to
positively affect motivation and effect
therapeutic change.

• Motivational interviewing has been

employed to address a relatively wide range
of problems and has been successfully
employed in intervention by means of
telephone, Internet chat , and text
messaging.
portfolio • Students and professionals in many
different fields of endeavor ranging
from art to architecture keep files of
their work products. These work
products—whether retained on paper,
canvas, film, video, audio, or some
other medium—constitute

• As samples of one’s
• ability and accomplishment, a portfolio
may be used as a tool of evaluation.
 • Case history data refers to records,
transcripts, and other accounts in
Case History
written, pictorial, or other form that
preserve archival information, official
Data
and informal accounts, and other data and
items relevant to an assessee.

• Case history data may include files or

excerpts from files maintained at
institutions and agencies such as schools,
hospitals, employers, religious
institutions, and criminal justice agencies.
 • Other examples of case history data are
letters and written correspondence,
Case History
photos and family albums, newspaper and
magazine clippings, home videos, movies,
Data
audiotapes, work samples, artwork,
doodlings, and accounts and pictures
pertaining to interests and hobbies.

• In a clinical evaluation, case history data

can shed light on an individual’s past and
current adjustment as well as on the
events and circumstances that may have
contributed to any changes in adjustment.
 • School psychologists rely on case
history data for insight into a
Case History
student’s current academic or
behavioral standing. Case history data is
Data
also useful in making judgments
concerning future class placements.

• We may formally define a case study (or

case history) as a report or
illustrative account concerning a
person or an event that was compiled on
the basis of case history data.
Behavioral others or oneself by visual or electronic
• defined as monitoring the actions of

Observation qualitative information regarding those

means while recording quantitative and/or

actions. Behavioral observation is often

used as a diagnostic aid in various settings
such as inpatient facilities, behavioral
research laboratories, and classrooms.

• Behavioral observation may be used for

purposes of selection or placement in
corporate or organizational settings.
naturalistic • Sometimes researchers venture
outside of the confines of clinics,

observation classrooms, workplaces, and research

laboratories in order to observe
behavior of humans in a natural
setting—that is, the setting in which
the behavior would typically be
expected to occur.

• This variety of behavioral

observation is referred to as
naturalistic observation.
• Role play may be defined as acting an Role-Play
improvised or partially improvised
part in a simulated situation. Tests
• A role-play test is a tool of
assessment wherein assessees are
directed to act as if they were in a
particular situation. Assessees may
then be evaluated with regard to their
expressed thoughts, behaviors,
abilities, and other variables.
 Participants in the Testing Process and Their Roles
Participants Their Roles in the Testing Process

Test authors and They conceive, prepare, and develop tests. They also find a
developers way to disseminate their tests by publishing them either
commercially or through professional publications such
as books or periodicals.

Test publishers They publish, market, and sell tests, thus controlling
their distribution.

Test reviewers They prepare evaluative critiques of tests based on their

technical and practical merits.
 Participants in the Testing Process and Their Roles
Participants Their Roles in the Testing Process

Test users They select or decide to take a specific test off the shelf
and use it for some purpose. They may also participate in
other roles, for example, as examiners or scorers.

Test sponsors Institutional boards or government agencies who contract

test developers or publishers for various testing services.

Test administrators They administer the test either to one individual at a time
or examiners or to groups.
 Participants in the Testing Process and Their Roles
Participants Their Roles in the Testing Process

Test takers They take the test by choice or necessity.

Test scorers They tally the raw responses of the test taker and
transform them into test scores through objective or
mechanical scoring or through the application of evaluative
judgments.

Test score They interpret test results to their ultimate consumers,

interpreters who may be individual test takers or their relatives, other
professionals, or organizations of various kinds.
Types of Tests
Individual • Individual tests are instruments
that by their design and purpose
tests must be administered one on one.

• An important advantage of
individual tests is that the
examiner can gauge the level of
motivation of the subject and
assess the relevance of other
factors (e.g., impulsiveness or
anxiety) on the test results.
• Group tests are largely pencil-
and-paper measures suitable to
group
the testing of large groups of
persons at the same time.
test
• A group test, can be administered
to more than one person at a time
by a single examiner, such as when
an instructor gives everyone in
the class a test at the same time.
 The Main Types of Psychological Tests
TEST DEFINITION

Intelligence Tests: Measure an individual's ability in relatively global

areas such as verbal comprehension, perceptual
organization, or reasoning and thereby help
determine potential for scholastic work or certain
occupations.

Aptitude Tests: Measure the capability for a relatively specific task

or type of skill; aptitude tests are, in effect, a
narrow form of ability testing.
 The Main Types of Psychological Tests
TEST DEFINITION

Achievement Tests: Measure a person's degree of learning,

success, or accomplishment in a subject or
task.

Creativity Tests: Assess novel, original thinking and the

capacity to find unusual or unexpected
solutions, especially for vaguely defined
problems.
 The Main Types of Psychological Tests
TEST DEFINITION

Personality Measure the traits, qualities, or behaviors that

Tests: determine a person's individuality; such tests include
checklists, inventories, and projective techniques.

Interest Measure an individual's preference for certain

Inventories: activities or topics and thereby help determine
occupational choice.
 The Main Types of Psychological Tests
TEST DEFINITION

Behavioral Objectively describe and count the frequency

Procedures: of a behavior, identifying the antecedents and
consequences of the behavior.

Neuropsychological Measure cognitive, sensory, perceptual, and

Tests: motor performance to determine the extent,
locus, and behavioral consequences of brain
damage.
Uses of Testing
• Classification
• Diagnosis and treatment
planning
• Self-knowledge
• Program evaluation
• Research
classification
• The term classification
encompasses a variety of
procedures that share a
common purpose: assigning
a person to one category
rather than another.
• is the sorting of persons into
different programs appropriate
Placement
to their needs or skills.

• For example, universities often

use a mathematics placement
exam to determine whether
students should enroll in
calculus, algebra, or remedial
courses.
Screening • refers to quick and simple tests or
procedures to identify persons who might
have special characteristics or needs.

• Ordinarily, psychometricians
acknowledge that screening tests will
result in many misclassifications.
Examiners are, therefore, advised to do
follow-up testing with additional
instruments before making important
decisions on the basis of screening tests.
• Certification and selection both
have a pass/fail quality. Passing a Placement
certification exam confers
privileges. Examples include the
right to practice psychology or to
drive a car.

• Thus, certification typically

implies that a person has at least a
minimum proficiency in some
discipline or activity.
diagnosis and treatment
planning • Diagnosis consists of two intertwined
tasks: determining the nature and
source of a person’s abnormal
behavior, and Classifying the behavior
pattern within an accepted diagnostic
system.

• Diagnosis is usually a precursor to

remediation or treatment of personal
distress or impaired performance.
diagnosis and treatment
planning
• Psychological tests often play an
important role in diagnosis and
treatment planning.

• intelligence tests are absolutely

essential in the diagnosis of mental
retardation. Personality tests are
helpful in diagnosing the nature and
extent of emotional disturbance.