History of psychological assessment 2

Cattell, James McKeen

A psychologist who emphasized the necessity of psychological experiments and measurements to achieve reliability similar to physical sciences.

Phrenology

A now-discredited field in which people's personality traits were inferred from the structure of their skulls.

Wilhelm Wundt

Considered the 'father of experimental psychology' who studied the human mind's capabilities in the late 1800s.

Binet-Simon scale

The first modern intelligence test developed by Alfred Binet to identify children needing special education.

Mental age

A measure of a child's intellectual development compared to age norms, expressed as the age at which 80-90% of children would pass certain tests.

IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

A score derived from standardized tests to measure human intelligence, calculated as (mental age/chronological age) * 100.

Cultural bias

A flaw in intelligence testing where the assessment does not account for the diverse cultural backgrounds of test-takers.

Projective tests

Psychological assessments that require subjects to respond to ambiguous stimuli, used to reveal underlying personality traits or conflicts.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective psychological test consisting of ambiguous pictures where subjects create a narrative based on the image shown.

Big Five dimensions

A model for understanding personality comprising five traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience.

Neuroticism

A personality trait indicating the degree of emotional instability, anxiety, and moodiness in an individual.

Extraversion

A personality trait characterized by sociability, energetic behavior, and a tendency to seek social interaction.

Agreeableness

A personality trait reflecting a person's tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic.

Conscientiousness

A personality trait marking a person's level of discipline, organization, and dependability.

Openness to Experience

A personality trait denoting an individual's willingness to engage with novel experiences and ideas.