Psychological Testing and Assessment Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering the major types of psychological tests, primary uses of assessment, examiner influences, test anxiety, and standardization based on lecture notes.

Individual test

A test given to one person at a time.

Group test

A test administered to many people together.

Intelligence tests

Tests that estimate broad cognitive abilities.

Aptitude tests

Tests that estimate potential for future learning or performance.

Achievement tests

Tests that measure what someone has already learned.

Creativity tests

Assessments designed to measure original or novel thinking.

Personality tests

Assessments that measure traits, qualities, or typical behavior.

Interest inventories

Instruments that identify preferred activities or topics, often used for career guidance.

Behavioral procedures

Assessment methods used to observe and record specific behaviors.

Neuropsychological tests

Assessments that evaluate cognitive, emotional, or behavioral effects associated with brain functioning.

Classification

A major use of testing that involves assigning an individual to a category.

Placement

A major use of testing focused on choosing an appropriate setting.

Screening

A major use of testing that involves briefly identifying possible concerns.

Certification

A major use of testing that serves to verify qualifications.

Diagnosis

A major use of testing directed at identifying a problem.

Examiner influence

The impact that rapport, gender, experience, ethnicity, expectations, or behavior of the examiner can have on responses, administration, and scoring.

Test anxiety

A state of worry that can distract attention, interfere with memory and problem-solving, and reduce performance, causing a score to reflect anxiety in addition to tested ability.

Standardization

The practice of giving everyone the same instructions, materials, timing, and scoring procedures to make scores comparable and aid interpretation against appropriate norms.