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The course on Psychological Testing and Measurement covers fundamental concepts of psychological testing, including terminology, test types, and development procedures. It aims to equip students with an understanding of psychometric principles, test construction, and the impact of social and cultural factors on assessment. Ethical considerations and the importance of supplementing tests with additional data sources are also emphasized throughout the course.

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20 views

Lesson 01

The course on Psychological Testing and Measurement covers fundamental concepts of psychological testing, including terminology, test types, and development procedures. It aims to equip students with an understanding of psychometric principles, test construction, and the impact of social and cultural factors on assessment. Ethical considerations and the importance of supplementing tests with additional data sources are also emphasized throughout the course.

Uploaded by

Majeed Mehmood
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPSX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Psychological Testing and

Measurement

Dr. Sarah Shahed


Course Description
• The course will encompass basic concepts
of psychological testing and
measurement.
• The main focus of the course will be on
introducing essential terminology,
concepts, varieties of tests, their purpose
and procedures, and steps involved in test
development.
• Understanding and practical application
of knowledge, besides a know how of
theoretical constructs, will be encouraged.
Course Objectives
• To introduce the students to the basic psychometric
concepts and use of psychological tests.
• An understanding of the basic principles of
psychological measurement and the techniques of
test construction, administration, and validation.
Test rationale, construction, characteristics and the
use of evaluation are emphasized.
• To understand statistical concepts, including scales
of measurement, used in psychological
measurement. To understand reliability, and
validity.
• To understand social and cultural factors related to
the assessment and evaluation of individuals,
groups, and specific populations.
• An understanding of the techniques of test
construction, administration, and validation. Test
rationale, construction, characteristics and the use
of evaluation are emphasized.
Why Do We Need Tests???

• “Psychology is the scientific study of


behavior and mental processes” …. (Human
or Animal) (Feldman,…..)
• psychologists use carefully designed tools of
data collection. Psychological tests are one
of those tools.
Psychological tests help and assist
psychologists in attaining all of these
goals of psychology:

• Observation
• Description
• Understanding
• Explanation
• Prediction, and
• Control of human behavior and mental
processes.
In all of the professional settings, where
psychologists work, some form of testing
and assessment is used:

• Education/teaching
• Research
• Hospitals/clinics
• Recruiting/screening agencies
• Specialized professional settings
e.g. armed forces, social welfare etc.
What Is A Test?

• “A test is a measurement device or


technique used to quantify behavior or aid
in the understanding and prediction of
behavior” ( Kaplan, & Saccuzzo, 2001).
• Tests are a part of the assessment
package and procedure
Difference Between Testing
And
Assessment
• Assessment includes more than just tests.
• A typical assessment plan may include a
single test or a battery of tests, interview,
behavioral observation, and case history
data.
• In many cases even more sources of
information regarding a person’s behavior
and mental processes are also used e.g.
portfolios containing samples of a person’s
(mostly a student or a job candidate) skill or
work such as photographs, drawings, stories,
or essays.
Remember!!!

• A test is just one tool. In order to make more


precise and accurate predictions one should
supplement tests with other sources of data
as well
• Psychological tests do not, and they can not,
always present a 100% accurate picture of
behavior and/or mental processes.
• Tests present a picture of only those
characteristics or variables that have been
covered in the content of the test.
• The precision of test results or conclusions
depends, to a great extent, on the subjects’
state of mind and attitude toward the test as
well as the testing process.
Types Of Tests

Tests can be categorized on the basis of:


• The purpose or the type of
behavior/characteristics to be measured:
personality, aptitude, intelligence, achievement
etc.
• The administration procedure: individual versus
group tests
• Speed versus ability tests
• Aptitude tests, achievement tests, or intelligence
tests
• Ability versus personality tests
• Structured/objective tests versus projective tests
Original Versus Translated
And Adapted Tests
Essential Characteristics Of
Psychological Tests
• A good psychological test should have
these qualities:
• Validity: A test should measure what it is
intended to measure.
• Reliability: A test should give consistent
results. It should give same or similar
results every time it is administered to the
same subjects in same conditions.
• Norm development and standardization
Ethics In Psychological
Testing
• Just like in psychological research and
psychotherapy, we have to keep in mind the
ethical standards while using psychological
tests for assessing people’s behavior,
personality, or other characteristics.
• Ensure confidentiality, respect for the
client/subject’s privacy, and use of test
results only according to their will and
ethicality.
• The testing processes, interpretation, or
reporting should in no way harm the subject.
Some Sources Of Information
On Tests
• See APA ( American Psychological Association)
Divisions by Number and Name: Division
5, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics
http//www.apa.org/about/division/div5.html
See APA Divisions by Topic: Division
5, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics, and
division
14, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psycholo
gy
http//www.apa.org/about/division/div14.html
• Test manuals and catalogues
• Internet sites

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