Psychological Assessment

A: 1905

Q: In what year did Alfred Binet publish a test specifically designed to help place Paris school children into appropriate classes?

A: Testing

Q: What is the broad term that refers to everything from the administration of a test to the interpretation of its scores?

A: Screening

Q: For what purpose was testing once used on thousands of military recruits?

A: Psychological assessment

Q: What is the name for the process of gathering and integrating psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation?

A: Educational assessment

Q: What type of psychological assessment is used to evaluate abilities and skills that are relevant to success or functioning in a school context?

A: Retrospective assessment

Q: What type of psychological assessment aims to draw conclusions about a person's psychological aspects as they existed at some point in time prior to the assessment?

A: Remote assessment

Q: What is the term for a psychological assessment where the subject is not in physical proximity to the person conducting the evaluation?

A: Ecological Momentary Assessment

Q: What is the term for an "in the moment" evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the very time and place that they occur?

A: Therapeutic assessment

Q: What type of psychological assessment encourages therapeutic self-discovery and the development of new understanding throughout the process?

A: Dynamic assessment

Q: What is the term for an interactive approach to psychological assessment that typically follows a model of evaluation, then an intervention, followed by another evaluation?

A: Psychological testing

Q: What is the process of measuring psychology-related variables by using devices or procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior?

A: Testing

Q: What term describes an evaluation method that is usually numerical in nature and can be administered to a single person or to a group?

A: They are interchangeable

Q: In the context of testing, why can administrators often be interchanged without affecting the outcome of the evaluation?

A: Technician-like skills

Q: What level of skill is primarily required for the administration and scoring of tests, often compared to the skills of a technician?

A: A test score or series of test scores

Q: What is the primary output or result generated from the process of testing?

A: To answer the referral question

Q: What is the overarching purpose of the process of assessment, which distinguishes it from simple testing?

A: Individually

Q: How is assessment typically administered, in contrast to tests which can be given to groups?

A: The assessor

Q: In the process of assessment, who is the essential figure responsible for selecting the appropriate tests and other evaluation tools?

A: Skill in evaluation, thoughtful organization and integration of data

Q: What three key elements does the process of assessment require: the careful selection of tools, expertise in their evaluation, and the skillful synthesis of information?

A: Logical problem-solving

Q: What type of approach does assessment entail, one that uses logical problem-solving to synthesize many data sources to answer a specific question?

A: Test

Q: What is the general term for a measuring device or procedure used in evaluation?

A: Psychological test

Q: What is a device or procedure specifically designed to measure variables related to psychology, such as cognitive functions or emotional states?

A: Content

Q: In the context of a psychological test, what term refers to the subject matter or the specific topics that the test's questions or tasks are based on?

A: Format

Q: What aspect of a psychological test describes its form, plan, structure, arrangement, and overall layout?

A: Item

Q: What is the term for a specific stimulus within a test, such as a question or task, to which a person responds overtly, and that response is then scored or evaluated?

A: Administration procedures

Q: What term describes the methods by which a test is given, which can include administration on a one-to-one basis or to a group?

A: Score

Q: What is the term for a code or summary statement, often but not always numerical, that reflects an evaluation of a person's performance on a test?

A: Scoring

Q: What is the name for the process of assigning evaluative codes or summary statements, such as numbers, to a person's test performance?

A: Cut-score

Q: What is the term for a reference point, derived from judgment, that is used to divide a set of test data into two or more classifications, such as pass/fail?

A: Psychometric soundness

Q: What phrase describes the technical quality of a test, including its reliability and validity?

A: Psychometrics

Q: What is the name of the scientific field devoted to the study of psychological measurement?

A: Psychometrist or Psychometrician

Q: What is the professional title for an individual who uses, analyzes, and interprets psychological test data?

A: Achievement test

Q: What type of test is designed to measure a person's current knowledge or proficiency, reflecting what has been learned in the past?

A: Aptitude

Q: In psychological testing, what term refers to an individual's innate, general potential for learning or acquiring a specific skill in the future?

A: Intelligence

Q: What broad construct refers to a person's overall potential to solve problems, adapt to changing circumstances, engage in abstract thinking, and learn from experience?

A: Human ability

Q: What overarching term is used to describe the area of testing that includes achievement, aptitude, and intelligence tests due to their considerable conceptual and practical overlap?

A: Structured personality test

Q: What type of personality test provides a self-report statement and requires the subject to choose between two or more alternative responses, such as "True" or "False"?

A: Projective personality test

Q: What type of personality test is characterized by using unstructured, ambiguous stimuli and allowing for open-ended, ambiguous responses from the subject?

A: Interview

Q: What is the method of gathering psychological information th

A: Panel interview or Board interview

Q: What is the specific type of interview where more than one interviewer participates in the assessment of a single subject?

A: Motivational interview

Q: What interview technique is used by counselors to both gather information about a problematic behavior and attempt to address it therapeutically within the same session?

A: Portfolio

Q: What term describes a collection of samples, such as work products or projects, that is used to demonstrate an individual's ability and accomplishments?

A: Case history data

Q: What is the general term for records, transcripts, written accounts, pictorial records, and other archival information that preserves official and informal data relevant to an assessee's history?

A: Case study

Q: What is the term for a detailed report or illustrative account about a person or an event that has been compiled using case history data as its foundation?

A: Groupthink

Q: In the context of group decision-making, what term describes the psychological phenomenon that is the result of varied forces driving group members to reach a consensus, often at the expense of critical evaluation?

A: Behavioral observation

Q: What is the name for the assessment method that involves monitoring the actions of others or oneself, using visual or electronic means, and recording quantitative or qualitative information about those actions?

A: Naturalistic observation

Q: What specific type of behavioral observation involves monitoring and recording the actions of humans or animals in their natural, real-world environment rather than in a laboratory setting?

A: Role play

Q: What assessment technique involves an individual acting an improvised or partially improvised part in a simulated, hypothetical situation?

A: Role play test

Q: What is the name for a type of test in which assessees are specifically directed to act as if they were in a particular situation, requiring them to improvise their behavior based on the role they are given?

A: Computers and physiological devices (or biofeedback devices)

Q: Beyond traditional tests and interviews, what are two other categories of tools used in psychological assessment, including electronic machines and instruments that measure bodily functions?

A: Test developers

Q: In the context of psychological testing, who are the individuals or entities responsible for creating tests and other methods of assessment?

A: Clinicians, counselors, psychologists, HR personnel, consumer psychologists, experimental psychologists, and social psychologists

Q: Which professionals are considered typical test users and can include clinicians, counselors, psychologists, HR personnel, consumer psychologists, experimental psychologists, and social psychologists?

A: Test taker

Q: Who is the individual that is the subject of the evaluation and is directly involved in the process of taking a test?

A: Amount of test anxiety

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to the level of nervousness or apprehension they experience in relation to the testing situation?

A: Extent to which they understand and agree to the rationale for the assessment

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to their level of comprehension and acceptance of the reason or justification for why the assessment is being conducted?

A: Capacity and willingness to cooperate

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to their ability and readiness to participate helpfully and follow instructions during the assessment process?

A: Amount of physical or emotional distress

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to the degree of physical pain or emotional suffering they may be experiencing at the time of the test?

A: Amount of physical discomfort

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to feelings of physical unease or pain, such as being too hot or cold, which could affect performance?

A: Alertness level

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to their state of wakefulness and ability to maintain attention during the assessment?

A: Predisposed to agree or disagree when presented with stimulus statements

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to their inherent tendency to respond "yes" or "true" (acquiescence) or "no" or "false" when presented with statements on a test?

A: Received prior coaching

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to whether they have received advance training or instruction on how to perform on a specific test before taking it?

A: Portraying themselves in good or bad light

Q: In what way can test takers vary, specifically in relation to their motivation to present a favorable (socially desirable) or unfavorable image of themselves in their test responses?

A: "Luckiness" or have "bad luck"

Q: In what way can test takers vary on multiple-choice achievement tests, specifically in relation to a perceived tendency to guess answers correctly or incorrectly consistently?

A: Psychological autopsy

Q: What is the term for a specialized form of assessment conducted after a person's death, which uses archival records, artifacts, and interviews with those who knew the deceased to reconstruct their psychological state prior to death?

A: Organizations, companies, government (that sponsor test development)

Q: Besides test developers, users, and takers, who are other potential parties involved in testing, such as institutions that may fund or commission the creation of a test?

A: Educational setting

Q: In what primary setting are achievement tests used to evaluate a student's accomplishment or the degree of learning that has taken place?

A: Diagnostic test

Q: What type of test is specifically designed as an assessment tool to help narrow down and identify specific areas of deficit that should be targeted for educational intervention?

A: Diagnosis

Q: What is the term for a description or conclusion about the nature of a problem, which is reached on the basis of evidence and professional opinion, often following diagnostic testing?

A: Informal evaluation

Q: What is the term for a nonsystematic, often subjective assessment that leads to the formation of an opinion or attitude, rather than a formal diagnosis?

A: Clinical settings

Q: In what primary setting are tests such as intelligence, personality, and neuropsychological instruments used to help screen for or diagnose behavior problems?

A: Usually individualized

Q: What is a key characteristic of how tests are often administered in clinical settings, as opposed to group administrations in other contexts?

A: Counseling settings

Q: In what primary setting does psychological assessment occur in diverse environments like schools, prisons, and governmental or private institutions, with the goal of improving a client's adjustment or productivity?

A: Improve the client

Q: What is the overarching goal of assessment within counseling settings, which aims to better the client's life in terms of adjustment, productivity, or other related variables?

A: Geriatric settings

Q: In what primary setting is psychological assessment focused on the elderly, with a particular emphasis on variables related to well-being?

A: Quality of life

Q: In geriatric assessment, what broad construct encompasses variables such as perceived stress, loneliness, sources of satisfaction, personal values, and the quality of living conditions and social support?

A: Dementia

Q: What is the term for a loss of cognitive functioning, including memory and reasoning abilities, that occurs as a result of damage to or loss of brain cells

A: Pseudodementia

Q: What is the term for a condition involving severe depression whose symptoms, such as cognitive impairment, mimic those of dementia but have a different cause?

A: Hiring, promotions, transfers, and job satisfaction

Q: In business and military settings, for what range of human resource decisions—including the initial decision to employ a person as well as subsequent decisions about their career path—may a wide array of tests measuring achievement, aptitude, interests, and motivation be employed?

A: Engineering and design of products and environments

Q: In a business context, what specific application of psychological tests involves applying principles to the design of products and work environments to optimize human use and interaction?

A: Marketing

Q: In what business function, such as marketing, can psychological assessment principles be used to "diagnose" issues and identify areas for improvement for a brand or product?

A: Governmental and organizational credentialing

Q: What is the term for the process conducted by governmental and organizational bodies that involves the licensing, certification, or general credentialing of professionals to ensure they meet specific standards?

A: Academic research settings

Q: In what setting is a sound knowledge of measurement principles and assessment tools considered essential for conducting research and publishing findings, as all research typically entails some form of measurement?

A: Judiciary

Q: In what specific legal setting, encompassing the court system, is psychological assessment applied to inform decisions about competency, sentencing, or child custody?

A: Program evaluation

Q: In what specific application is psychological assessment used to evaluate the effectiveness, impact, and outcomes of programs, interventions, or policies?

A: Use only tests that are necessary and appropriate

Q: What is the ethical obligation of a test user regarding the selection of tests, ensuring they are only used when required and are a good fit for the specific individual being evaluated?

A: Be prepared and suitably trained

Q: What prerequisite must a test user meet, involving adequate training and readiness, to ensure a test is administered correctly and according to its standardized procedures?

A: Protocol

Q: What is the term for the physical form, sheet, or booklet on which a test-taker's responses are directly recorded during an assessment?

A: Rapport

Q: What is the term for the positive, cooperative, and understanding working relationship that an examiner strives to establish and maintain with an examinee during an assessment

A: Interpret scores in accordance with established procedures and ethical guidelines

Q: What is the professional and ethical obligation of test users who are responsible for explaining test scores, requiring them to follow established procedures and official guidelines in their interpretations?

A: Alternate assessment

Q: What is the general term for an evaluative procedure used for children who, due to a disability, cannot participate in standard state- and district-wide assessments?

A: The same variables

Q: How is an alternate assessment defined: as a procedure that varies from the standardized way a measurement is taken, either through special accommodations or by using alternative methods designed to measure what?

A: Accommodation

Q: What is the term for the adaptation of a test, its procedures, or the testing situation to make it more suitable for an assessee with exceptional needs, without changing the construct being measured?

A: Test catalogues

Q: Where can a test user find a resource that contains only a brief description of a test but typically lacks the detailed technical information a prospective user would require to evaluate it properly?

A: Test manuals

Q: Where should a test user look to find comprehensive, detailed information concerning the development of a specific test, as well as all the essential technical data and guidelines for its use?

A: Professional books, journals, online databases

Q: Besides test catalogues and manuals, what are three other types of resources where information on psychological tests can be found, including scholarly publications and electronic resources?

A: China

Q: In which country were the first known standardized testing programs held as early as 2200 B.C.E. for the purpose of civil service selection?

A: 1733

Q: In what year did Abraham De Moivre introduce the fundamental statistical concept that is the basic notion of sampling error?

A: 1859

Q: In what year did Charles Darwin publish his argument that chance variations in species are selected by nature based on adaptivity and survival value, a concept foundational to understanding individual differences?

A: Ape

Q: According to Charles Darwin's theory, from which species did humans descend as a result of chance genetic variations and natural selection?

A: 1869

Q: In what year did Francis Galton begin his systematic exploration and quantification of individual differences among people?