1) Use white A4 inter leaf sheets for the file (one side ruled, one side blank)

2) Only headings should be in bold, black ink

3) All other text in blue ink only

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST
A psychological test is an objective and standardized measurement instrument which is used to assess an
individual’s standing in relation to others or some mental or behavioral characteristics.

 It is a structured technique used to generate a carefully selected sample of behaviour. This behaviour
sample is used to make inferences about the psychological attributes of the people who have been tested.

 Assessment of psychological tests are considerably more formal and informative than the
assessment based on general observations on someone’s behaviour .

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST

For a test to be trustworthy and informative, the characteristics of reliability, validity , objectivity and norms are
important, which are major elements of standardization.

(Figure to be drawn on the facing blank page.)

RELIABILITY

NORMS STANDARDIZATION VALIDITY

OBJECTIVITY
Standardization refers to a method of establishing standards/ norms and uniform procedures for a test, by
administering it to a large group of representative individuals.

RELIABILITY: Refers to consistency in measurement. It refers to consistency of scores obtained by an individual

on the same test on 2 different occasions. For example, a test is administered to a group of students today and
re-administered on the same group after about 25 days. If the test is reliable, the scores obtained on both
occasions should be matching.

Types of reliability-

Test-Retest reliability:
1. Indicates temporal stability or stability of test scores over time
2. It is calculated by finding out coefficient of correlation between 2 sets of scores on the same set of
persons
Split half reliability:
1. Indicates the degree of internal consistency of a test.
2. Is based on the assumption that if items of a test are from the same area/filed/domain, then they should
correlate with each other.

Reliability of a test may improve if:

 It is ensured that the test was administered and scored by a truly standard procedure.
 The test procedures are uniform

Validity
Validity refers to whether a test measures what it claims to measure. It refers to the fact whether a test fulfills
the purpose which it has been constructed for. Eg. A test of musical aptitude should measure only that, then
only is it a valid test .If a test of musical aptitude measures verbal ability, it is not valid.
Assessing the validity of any tests requires careful selection of appropriate criterion measures. If we are to
check the validity of a test, we must settle on one or more criterion measures of the attributes that the test is
designed to measure.

Relationship between Reliability and Validity

It is not possible to have a measure that has low reliability and high validity. There cannot be validity without
reliability but, it is possible to have a test with high reliability and low validity.

Objectivity
Objectivity means to take the psychological test and make it free from any subjective or personal judgments. It
refers to the fact that if two or more researchers administer a psychological test on the same group of people,
both of them would come up with more or less the same values for each person in the group.
For a psychological test to become an objective measure, the following conditions need to be met:
 The items should be worded in such a manner that they communicate the same meaning to different
readers (objectivity of items.)
 The instructions to test taker about how to answer the test items should be specified in advance
 The procedure to administer the test (such as environmental conditions, time limit, and mode of
administration) should be specified.
  The procedure to score the participant’s responses needs to be standardized so that uniformity can be
maintained when test is scored by different experts (objectivity of scoring system)

Norms
Norms refer to scores of a large group of individuals to which scores of an individual can be compared to. They
refer to the normal or average performance of the group. They help us to compare the performance of an
individual with others of the same group.

 A subject’s raw score (the number of answers that agree with the scoring key) has no meaning. A test
score must be interpreted as indicating the subject’s position relative to others , in some group.
 They provide a basis for interpreting an individual’s score.
 A score without any basis for comparison is not very useful. If an individual obtains a certain score,
unless and until there are norms, it can’t be said whether the score is good or bad.

Types of Tests

On the basis of stimuli/items used: Structured/Direct, Un-structured/In-direct /Projective, Semi- structured tests
 Structured tests are also known as direct techniques. Such tests use structured stimuli, such as well-
formed sentences, mathematical equations and the like. Such tests tend to rely on information directly
obtained from the person who clearly knows that he/she is being assessed. Eg. Sixteen Personality
Factor Questionnaire (16 PF), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory (MMPI).

 Un-structured tests are also known as In-direct/Projective techniques. Such tests use un-structured
stimuli, such as words, inkblots, story writing around pictures, and some require expression through
drawings. They are used to as assess unconscious motives and feelings. Eg. The Rorschach Inkblot Test,
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Rosenzweig’s Picture-Frustration Study (P-F Study).

 Semi-structured tests are tests which use partially structured stimuli as test items. Eg. Sentence
Completion Test

On the basis of language usage: Verbal, Non-Verbal and Performance tests.

 Verbal tests are tests which emphasize on reading, writing and oral expression. Literacy is required to
answer such tests. These use language in both instructions and in the test items. Eg. Sixteen Personality
Factor Questionnaire (16 PF).

 Non-Verbal tests are tests in which language is used only to give instructions but not used in items. The
Test items are presented with the help of symbols and figures. E.g. Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM)
Test, Dr. Atmanand Sharma’s Non Verbal test of Intelligence.

 Performance tests are tests which require subject to do a task. No language is used in items. Instructions
are given by gestures or orally, at times. E.g. Kohs’ Block Design Test
On the basis of administration: Individual and Group Tests
  Individual tests are administered to one person at a time. The Researcher administers the test face to face
and remains seated before the test taker and notes down responses. One of the main advantages of such
tests is that they help to get information from children and from those who don’t know the language.
However, these tests are time consuming.

 Group tests can be administered to a large no. of people at the same time. The instructions about
answering test items are written on the test. The Test takers read and answer the questions accordingly.
The Instructions are explained to the entire group. These tests are easy to administer and consume less
time. However, the respondent may not be motivated enough to answer questions and may give false
answers.

On the basis of time taken: Speed and Power Tests

 Speed tests are the ones in which there is a time limit within which the test taker has to answer all items.
These tests evaluate individuals on the basis of time taken to answer the items accurately. All items in
the test are of same degree of difficulty.
 Power tests are the ones where ample time is given to subject to complete test items. These tests don’t
have a time limit. They evaluate an individual’s underlying ability. The test items are arranged in
increasing order of difficulty.

Culture Fair and Culture Biased Tests

 Culture Fair tests are the ones that do not discriminate against individuals belonging to different
cultures. In such tests, items are constructed in a manner that they assess experiences common to all
cultures or have questions in which language usage is not required. Non-verbal and performance tests
help reduce the cultural bias usually associated with verbal tests.
 Culture Biased tests are biased towards the culture in which they are developed.
 Culture Free tests are the ones which have no influence of the culture in which they have been
developed in. They can be used in every culture .

Difference between Psychological Test and Experiment

An experiment is used to establish a cause and effect relationship between different variables. On the other
hand, a psychological test is used to assess psychological attributes. A test can be used as part of an experiment.

Misuses of Psychological Testing

Psychological tests, unless used by trained investigators, may be misused, intentionally or unintentionally.

 Poor performance on a test may attach a stigma to individuals and thereby adversely affect their
self-respect and performance.
 The tests results may invite discriminatory practices from parents, teachers and the society at large.
 Individuals coming from disadvantaged sections of the society may face biased interpretations.
That is, administering a test biased in favor of the middle class and higher class populations may
underestimate the attributes of children coming from disadvantaged sections of the society.