PSYC 360 L4: Assessment

for categories to be useful there must be

reliability and validity

reliability

freedom of error/to what extent something is being measured without error

• we assume category is reliable if the same label is given to phenomenon each time it occurs

inner rater reliability

agreement between observers/ rater that a phenomenon has occured. confirms that there is reliability. EX: tape measure is reliable because it produces same measurement every time/ does not change

validity

the degree to which a category is an accurate reflection of reality. have we measured what we said we measured? EX: tape measure is valid measurement for height

possible for diagnostic category to be reliable but not valid

TRUE

• reliable: we agree 5 ft 10 i height because tape measure does not change/have error

• not valid: height change cannot be valid measure of intellect —> tall people are smart is not valid

possible for something to be valid but not reliable

FALSE

• not reliable: sometimes anxiety for person during day is high sometimes low so not reliable

• valid: bc measurement jumps around you CANNOT say the test is truly measuring anxiety

reliability and validity are equivalent across groups

FALSE

clinical interviews

the first step in making diagnostic decision and can be influenced by clinicians theoretical orientation (paradigm preference)

unstructured clinical interview

interview is determined by clinician based on experience/training

• clinician choses what to ask/how to follow up

• more common

structured clinical interview

every clinician asks the same question in the same order. more reliable and takes a lot of training. clinicians check off responses/follows decision tree to determine if dsm criteria are met

psychological testing

stnadardized procedures that are used to assess an individuals attributes, abilities, or level of functioning in some domain of interest

• involves quetionaires, structured activities, perceptual tasks based on normative group

normative group

a representative group of individuals that can be used for cooperative statements. (observations are quantified relative to norative group)

normative sample

obtained by test maker for purpose of comparison

• IQ of 100= 50th percentile half of population above you and half below

• we would not be able to interpret relative vaue of score without normative group

2 types of tests

objective and subjective

objective test

structured questionaires/ inventories

• questions tap different classess of symptoms of personality attributes

• profile of individual score on each type of attribute can be produced

• like MMPI2- lends themselves to interpreations by diff/more than 1 paradigm

• some norms on mmpi2 can be biased

subjective test

like Rorschach, projective test, tied to specific paradigm

MMPI-2

minnesota multiphasic personality inverntory

• personality- objective

• designed to access personality structure/ detect psychological disorder

• T/F questions

• 9 clinical scales, 3 validity scales

• objective because people will answer. what they put is reality- how you answer item not subjective to interpretation

projective test

subjective and involves ambiguous stimuli than individual asked to interpret.

projective hypothesis

because stimulus is not structured an individuals response will be based on subconscious processes

projective controversies

• scoring is subjective/not reliable

• underlying data/research not good

• some reject since freudian paradigm no longer influential

• however some instances where useful

behavioral assessment

structured observations (objective)/ behavior checklists that give insight into relations between environment and behavior

behavioral checklist

can create scale/ count # of times kid does behavior/ then score against the behavioral norm

• good with mathematical data + structured through observation

• observation is expensive so use radar/informant embedded in situation like a teacher for checklist