Getting to Know Psychological Assessment
a standardized procedure for sampling and describing behavior and unobservable psychological atttributes
must have these defining features
standardized procedure
behavior sample
scores or categories
norms or standards
prediction of non-test behavior
Norm-Reference Tests: compare individual’s test with a group
Criterion-Reference Tests: evaluated based on a certain standard
a process of appraising or estimating the magnitude of one or more attributes in a person
involves observations, interviews, checklists, inventories, projective techniques, and other psychological tests
an evaluation of an individual
Intelligence or Mental Ability Test
measured objectives of intelligence tests (general ability tests) are designed to provide an estimation of a person’s probable intellectual behavior; his innate potentials
2 Types of Forms
Verbal Test: question and answer
Nonverbal Test: choose to fit the pattern
Ex. mental age, IQ, EQ
Achievement Test
designed to measure the outcome of the instructional program and what a student has already learned in a particular subject area/s
measure what actual learning is rather than potential for learning
learned knowledge
Aptitude Test
attempt to measure an individual’s potentialities for future development and learning among individuals along certain lines or specific areas
Personality Test
not really tests at all, but rather attempt to inventory an individual’s feelings about himself and other people
measures used to account for behavioral phenomena by identifying the number of consistent patterns of traits
Interest Inventories
measure of a person’s preferences, his likes and dislikes at a given time, which may be influenced by his environment, his experience and perhaps his innate tendencies
a method designed to provide an individual with forced choices that he will like or dislike
Performance vs Pencil-and-Paper Tests
Performance Test
a test in which the examinee is required to manipulate objects or perform a task
Pencil-and-Paper Test
a test which represents questions or items to which a person responds by writing or marking answers
for economy and convenience of storing, separate answer sheets are often used
Objective vs Subjective Tests
Objective Test
require the person scoring the test to exercise little, or if any, judgment
An answer key is prepared when the test is constructed so as that no matter how many persons grade the test, the one who tool the test will receive the same numerical score for each item.
Subjective Test
require the scorer to use considerable judgment and training in evaluating the examinee’s responses
Standardized vs Teacher-Made Tests
Standardized Test
administered and scored according to specific instructions for uniformity
Norms: available for standard interpretation of scores
Teacher-Made Test
constructed by the teacher for the purpose of an informal evaluation of her classroom teaching
Speed vs Power Tests
Speed Test
required the examinee to complete as many test items or complete some tasks as possible in a specified time limit
Power Test
require the examinee to demonstrate the extent of his knowledge or depth of his understanding with the time factor eliminated as much as possible
Group vs Individual Tests
Group Test
tests designed to be administered to a group of examinees at a time; saves time, money, and effort
Individual Test
tests designed to be administered to one person at a time
allows the tester to observe carefully the examinee’s behavior
Classification: placement, screening and certification
diagnosis and treatment planning
self-knowledge
program evaluation
research
Testing was instituted as a means of selecting who, of many applicants, would obtain government jobs
Those who passed the examination were entitled to wear special garb; this entitled them to be accorded special courtesies by anyone they happened to meet, exemption from taxes, exempt one from government-sponsored interrogation by torture is the individual was suspected of committing a crime.
indicative of attempts to categorize people in terms of personality type
reference to an overabundance or deficiency in some bodily fluid (e.g., blood and phlegm) as a factor believed to influence personality
anticipated psychology as a science and psychological measurement as a specialty within that science
published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”
argued that chance variation in species would be selected or rejected by nature according to adaptivity and survival value
argued that humans had descended from the ape as a result of such chance genetic variations
aspired to classify people “according to their natural gifts” and to ascertain their “deviation from an average”
credited with devising or contributing to the development of many contemporary tools of psychological assessment including questionnaires, rating scales, and self-report inventories
pioneered the use of a statistical concept central to psychological experimentation and testing the coefficient of correlation
excited widespread interest in the measurement of psychology-related variables
first experimental psychology laboratory
tried to formulate a general description of human abilities with respect to variables such as reaction time , perception, and attention span
focused on questions relating to how people were similar
coined the term mental test
instrumental in founding the Psychological Corporation, which named 20 of the country’s leading psychologists as its directors
Goal: “advancement of psychology and the promotion of the useful applications of psychology
Alfred Binet
1905, Binet and Theodore Simon published a 30-item “measuring scale of intelligence” designed to help identify mentally retarded Paris schoolchildren
within a decade, an English-language version of Binet’s test was prepared for use in schools in the US
The Binet-Simon Scale (1905)
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (with Louis Terman)
David Wechsler
Wechsler Intelligence Scale (1930s)
introduced a test designed to measure adult intelligence
intelligence was “the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment
Robert S. Woodworth
Personality Testing (1918)
developed a personality test for civilian use that was based on the Personal Data Sheet called Woodworth Psychometric Inventory
Self-Report Test: a method of assessment that would soon be employed in a long line of succeeding personality tests
Hermann Rorschach
Rorschach Inkblot Test (1920s)
Projective Test: an individual is assumed to “project” onto some ambiguous stimulus his/her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation
College Admission Tests (1920s)
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, 1940s)
Army Alpha and Beta tests
WWI in 1917 military needed a way to screen large numbers of recruits quickly for intellectual and emotional porblems
WWII: the military would depend even more on psychological tests to screen recruits for service
After WWII, more and more tests purporting to measure an ever-widening array of psychological variables were developed and used
There were tests to measure not only intelligence but also personality, aspects of brain functioning, performance at work, and many other types of psychological and social functioning
an explosion of psychological and educational tests
Mental Measurements Yearbook
600 Personality Tests
400 Intelligence and Aptitude tests
People are not very good at judging other people objectively, and most “non-test” assessment procedures involves subjective judgment
Patients are notoriously poor historians and may present biased information
Many psychological tests are designed to assess a large number of characteristics or traits, and as a result they may help ensure that important clinical issues are not overlooked
Psychological tests typically provide quantitative information that allows more precise measurement of important characteristics
The process and content of clinical interviews and observations, helps ensure that multiple sources of data are included
a standardized procedure for sampling and describing behavior and unobservable psychological atttributes
must have these defining features
standardized procedure
behavior sample
scores or categories
norms or standards
prediction of non-test behavior
Norm-Reference Tests: compare individual’s test with a group
Criterion-Reference Tests: evaluated based on a certain standard
a process of appraising or estimating the magnitude of one or more attributes in a person
involves observations, interviews, checklists, inventories, projective techniques, and other psychological tests
an evaluation of an individual
Intelligence or Mental Ability Test
measured objectives of intelligence tests (general ability tests) are designed to provide an estimation of a person’s probable intellectual behavior; his innate potentials
2 Types of Forms
Verbal Test: question and answer
Nonverbal Test: choose to fit the pattern
Ex. mental age, IQ, EQ
Achievement Test
designed to measure the outcome of the instructional program and what a student has already learned in a particular subject area/s
measure what actual learning is rather than potential for learning
learned knowledge
Aptitude Test
attempt to measure an individual’s potentialities for future development and learning among individuals along certain lines or specific areas
Personality Test
not really tests at all, but rather attempt to inventory an individual’s feelings about himself and other people
measures used to account for behavioral phenomena by identifying the number of consistent patterns of traits
Interest Inventories
measure of a person’s preferences, his likes and dislikes at a given time, which may be influenced by his environment, his experience and perhaps his innate tendencies
a method designed to provide an individual with forced choices that he will like or dislike
Performance vs Pencil-and-Paper Tests
Performance Test
a test in which the examinee is required to manipulate objects or perform a task
Pencil-and-Paper Test
a test which represents questions or items to which a person responds by writing or marking answers
for economy and convenience of storing, separate answer sheets are often used
Objective vs Subjective Tests
Objective Test
require the person scoring the test to exercise little, or if any, judgment
An answer key is prepared when the test is constructed so as that no matter how many persons grade the test, the one who tool the test will receive the same numerical score for each item.
Subjective Test
require the scorer to use considerable judgment and training in evaluating the examinee’s responses
Standardized vs Teacher-Made Tests
Standardized Test
administered and scored according to specific instructions for uniformity
Norms: available for standard interpretation of scores
Teacher-Made Test
constructed by the teacher for the purpose of an informal evaluation of her classroom teaching
Speed vs Power Tests
Speed Test
required the examinee to complete as many test items or complete some tasks as possible in a specified time limit
Power Test
require the examinee to demonstrate the extent of his knowledge or depth of his understanding with the time factor eliminated as much as possible
Group vs Individual Tests
Group Test
tests designed to be administered to a group of examinees at a time; saves time, money, and effort
Individual Test
tests designed to be administered to one person at a time
allows the tester to observe carefully the examinee’s behavior
Classification: placement, screening and certification
diagnosis and treatment planning
self-knowledge
program evaluation
research
Testing was instituted as a means of selecting who, of many applicants, would obtain government jobs
Those who passed the examination were entitled to wear special garb; this entitled them to be accorded special courtesies by anyone they happened to meet, exemption from taxes, exempt one from government-sponsored interrogation by torture is the individual was suspected of committing a crime.
indicative of attempts to categorize people in terms of personality type
reference to an overabundance or deficiency in some bodily fluid (e.g., blood and phlegm) as a factor believed to influence personality
anticipated psychology as a science and psychological measurement as a specialty within that science
published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”
argued that chance variation in species would be selected or rejected by nature according to adaptivity and survival value
argued that humans had descended from the ape as a result of such chance genetic variations
aspired to classify people “according to their natural gifts” and to ascertain their “deviation from an average”
credited with devising or contributing to the development of many contemporary tools of psychological assessment including questionnaires, rating scales, and self-report inventories
pioneered the use of a statistical concept central to psychological experimentation and testing the coefficient of correlation
excited widespread interest in the measurement of psychology-related variables
first experimental psychology laboratory
tried to formulate a general description of human abilities with respect to variables such as reaction time , perception, and attention span
focused on questions relating to how people were similar
coined the term mental test
instrumental in founding the Psychological Corporation, which named 20 of the country’s leading psychologists as its directors
Goal: “advancement of psychology and the promotion of the useful applications of psychology
Alfred Binet
1905, Binet and Theodore Simon published a 30-item “measuring scale of intelligence” designed to help identify mentally retarded Paris schoolchildren
within a decade, an English-language version of Binet’s test was prepared for use in schools in the US
The Binet-Simon Scale (1905)
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (with Louis Terman)
David Wechsler
Wechsler Intelligence Scale (1930s)
introduced a test designed to measure adult intelligence
intelligence was “the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment
Robert S. Woodworth
Personality Testing (1918)
developed a personality test for civilian use that was based on the Personal Data Sheet called Woodworth Psychometric Inventory
Self-Report Test: a method of assessment that would soon be employed in a long line of succeeding personality tests
Hermann Rorschach
Rorschach Inkblot Test (1920s)
Projective Test: an individual is assumed to “project” onto some ambiguous stimulus his/her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation
College Admission Tests (1920s)
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, 1940s)
Army Alpha and Beta tests
WWI in 1917 military needed a way to screen large numbers of recruits quickly for intellectual and emotional porblems
WWII: the military would depend even more on psychological tests to screen recruits for service
After WWII, more and more tests purporting to measure an ever-widening array of psychological variables were developed and used
There were tests to measure not only intelligence but also personality, aspects of brain functioning, performance at work, and many other types of psychological and social functioning
an explosion of psychological and educational tests
Mental Measurements Yearbook
600 Personality Tests
400 Intelligence and Aptitude tests
People are not very good at judging other people objectively, and most “non-test” assessment procedures involves subjective judgment
Patients are notoriously poor historians and may present biased information
Many psychological tests are designed to assess a large number of characteristics or traits, and as a result they may help ensure that important clinical issues are not overlooked
Psychological tests typically provide quantitative information that allows more precise measurement of important characteristics
The process and content of clinical interviews and observations, helps ensure that multiple sources of data are included