Psychological Assessment

Testing

Term used to refer to everything from administration to the interpretation of a test

Psychological Assessment

Gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation

Psychological Testing

Process of measuring psychology-related variables by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior

Retrospective Assessment

Use of evaluation tools to draw conclusions about psychological aspects of a person as they existed at some point in time prior to the assessment

Remote Assessment

Evaluation to gather data and draw conclusions about a subject who is not in physical proximity to the person or people conducting the evaluation

Ecological Momentary Assessment

In the moment evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the very time and place that they occur

Collaborative Psychological Assessment

Assessor and assessee work as partners from initial contact through final feedback

Therapeutic Psychological Assessment

Self-discovery and new understandings are encouraged throughout the assessment process

Dynamic Assessment

Interactive approach that follows a model of evaluation, intervention of some sort, and evaluation

Content

Subject matter of the test

Format

Form, plan, structure, arrangement and layout of test items

Score

Code or summary statement that reflects evaluation of performance

Scoring

Process of assigning such evaluative scores

Cut Score

Reference point used to divide a set of data into two or more classifications

Case History Data

Records, transcripts and other accounts in other forms and other data and items relevant to an assessee

Simple Scoring Report

Mere listing of scores

Extended Scoring Report

Includes statistical analyses of the test taker's performance

Interpretive Report

Inclusion of numerical or narrative interpretative statements in the report

Consultative Report

Appropriate for communication between assessment professionals

Integrative Report

Employ previously collected data into test report

Computer-assisted Psychological Assessment (CAPA)

Use of assistance computers provide to the test user

Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)

Computer's ability to tailor the test to the test taker's ability or test-taking pattern

Psychological Autopsy

Reconstruction of a deceased individual's psychological profile based on records, artifacts, and interviews previously conducted

Diagnostic Test

Tool of assessment used to help narrow down and identify areas of deficit to be targeted for intervention

Informal Evaluation

Typically nonsystematic assessment that leads to the formation of an opinion or attitude

Protocol

Refers to the form, sheet or booklet on which a test taker's responses are entered

Accommodation

Defined as the adaptation of a test, procedure or situation or substitution of one test for another to make the assessment more suitable for an assessee with exceptional needs

Alternate Assessment

Evaluative or diagnostic procedure by means of alternative methods designed to measure the same variables

Mental Measurements Yearbook

Authoritative compilation of test reviews currently updated about every three years

Christian von Wolff

Anticipated psychology as a science and psychological measurement as specialty within that science

James Cattell

Coined mental test

Charles Spearman

Proponent of test reliability and factor analysis

Victor Henri

Collaborated with Binet suggesting that mental tests for higher thinking processes

Emil Kraepelin

Word association technique as a formal test

Lightner Witmer

Little-known founder of clinical psychology

Robert Woodworth

Developed a personality test for civilian use that was based in the Personal Data Sheet

Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory

First widely used self-report measure of personality

Projective Test

Individual is assumed to project onto some ambiguous stimulus their own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation

Cultural Formulation Interview

16 questions covering cultural identity in patients' lives and in relation to the presenting problem

Affirmative Action

Voluntary and mandatory efforts to combat discrimination and promote equal opportunity in education and employment

Standard of Care

Levels at which the average, reasonable and prudent professional would provide diagnostic or therapeutic services under the same or similar conditions

Truth-in-Testing Legislation

Give test takers a way to learn the criteria by which they are being judged

Reverse Discrimination

Practice of making distinctions in employment that systematically tend to favor members of a minority group

Disparate Treatment

Consequence of an employer's hiring or promotion intentionally devised to yield discriminatory result or outcome

Disparate Impact

Consequence of an employer's hiring or promotion unintentionally devised resulting in discriminatory result or outcome

Level A Tests

Tests or aids that can be administered with the aid of the manual and general orientation to the institution or organization

Level B Tests

Tests or aids that require technical knowledge of test construction and of supporting psychological and educational fields

Level C Tests

Tests and aids that require substantial understanding of testing and supporting psychological fields, together with supervised experience in the use of these devices

Error

Collective influence of all factors beyond those specifically measured by the test or measurement

Nominal Scales

Simplest form of measurement, involve classification or categorization based on one or more distinguishing characteristics

Ordinal Scales

Rank ordering with no absolute zero point

Interval Scales

Contain equal intervals between numbers but also no absolute zero point

Ratio Scales

Has all the properties of other scales but has a true zero point

Distribution

Set of test scores arrayed for recording or study

Raw Score

Straightforward, unmodified accounting of performance that is usually numerical

Frequency Distribution

Indicates the number of times each score occurred

Arithmetic Mean

Sum of observations divided by number of observations

Median

Middle score in a distribution

Mode

Most frequently occurring score in a distribution of scores

Variability

Indication of how scores in a distribution are scattered or dispersed

Range

Equal to the difference between the highest and the lowest scores

Quartiles

Dividing points between the four quarters in the distribution

Interquartile Range

Measure of variability equal to the difference between Q3 and Q1

Semi-interquartile Range

Interquartile range divided by 2

Average Deviation

• Sum of all deviation scores divided by the total number of scores

• Shows you the distance that one specific variable is from the mean of a data set

Standard Deviation

A measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean

Variance

The degree of spread in your data set

Skewness

Nature and extent to which symmetry is absent

Positive Skew

Low end of the distribution/too difficult

Negative Skew

High end of the distribution/too easy

Kurtosis

Steepness of a distribution in its center

68%

What is the percent of all scores that occur between the mean and +-1 SD?

95%

What is the percent of all scores that occur between the mean and +-2 SD?

Standard Score

Raw score that has been converted from one scale to another scale

Z-score

How many standard deviation units is the raw score below or above the mean of the distribution?

T-scores

Mean: 50

SD: 10

Stanine

Mean: 5

SD: Approximately 2

Nonlinear Transformation

Data under consideration are not normally distributed yet comparisons with normal distribution need to be made

Normalizing Distribution

Involves stretching the skewed curve into the shape of a normal curve and creating a corresponding scale of standard scores

Correlation

Expression of the degree and direction of correspondence between two things

Pearson r

Used when relationship between variables is linear and when two variables being correlated are continuous

Coefficient of Determination (r2)

• Indication of how much variance is shared by the X and Y variables

• Number between 0 and 1 measures how well a statistical model predicts an outcome

Moment

Deviation about a mean of a distribution

Spearman's Rho

Coefficient of correlation frequently used when the sample size is small and when both sets of measurements are in ordinal form

Curvilinearity

Eyeball gauge of how curved a graph is

Trait

Relatively permanent characteristics that makes us unique individuals

States

Can also differentiate us from others but is less enduring

Construct

Concepts that are evidence and science-based developed to explain or describe behavior

Assumption 1

Psychological traits and states exist

Assumption 2

Psychological traits and states can be quantified and measured

Assumption 3

Test-related behavior predicts non-test related behavior

Assumption 4

Tests and other measurement techniques have strengths and weaknesses

Assumption 5

Various sources of error are part of the assessment process

Error

In this context, these are things that are more than expected and is a natural part of the measurement process

Error Variance

Part of a test score that can be attributed to other factors beyond what is being measured

Classical Test Theory

This proposes that test takers have a true score except for the effect of the measurement error

Assumption 6

Testing and assessment can be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner

Assumption 7

Testing and assessment benefit society

Norms/Normative Data

Provide a standard with which results of measurement can be compared

Norm-Referenced Testing & Assessment

Evaluating individual scores and comparing them to scores of a group