Week 2 long Equity and Diversity in Psychological Assessment and Theory

Foundations of Equality, Equity, and Social Justice

  • Equality versus Equity:

    • Core Premise: Humans possess greater dissimilarity than similarity.

    • Equality:

      • Refers to the right of every individual to be provisioned with the same treatment within a community or society.

      • This treatment is applied uniformly, regardless of any individual-level disadvantage.

    • Equity:

      • Refers to the creation of just and inclusive conditions to ensure all individuals have fair and comparable opportunities to succeed and reach their full potential.

      • Equity explicitly accounts for individual-level disadvantage to level the playing field.

  • Social Justice:

    • Definition: Social justice occurs when there is a just, fair, and equitable distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

    • Criteria for Existence:

      • All individuals must share a common humanity.

      • Individuals must have access to equitable treatment and support for their human rights.

      • There must be a fair allocation of societal resources.

    • Achievement: It is achieved when systemic barriers are reduced or removed by large-scale institutions.

Understanding Diversity and Culture

  • Defining Diversity:

    • Diversity refers to any difference between individuals on any attribute that may lead to the perception that another person is different from the self.

    • Demographic Diversity: These are differences in observable attributes or characteristics visible on the "surface," such as ethnicity, age, and gender.

    • Psychological Diversity: These are "deep" differences in underlying attributes, including personality, values, and abilities.

  • Common Diversity Characteristics:

    • Ethnic culture and language.

    • Age, sex, gender, and sexuality.

    • Disability status.

    • Education and socioeconomic background.

    • Geographical location (e.g., rural vs. urban).

    • Religion and spirituality.

    • Family composition.

  • The Iceberg Model of Culture (X. Hall, 1976):

    • Conscious/Surface Culture (10%10\%): Visible elements including behaviors, language, traditions, customs, recognition days, food, music, and art.

    • Unconscious/Deep Culture (90%90\%): Hidden elements including values, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, assumptions, ideals, priorities, and aspirations.

    • Components of Deep Culture: Historical traditions, emotions, family structures, approaches to work, concepts of "self" and "other," relationship formation, non-verbal communication, conversational patterns, rules of conduct, cooperative practices, conflict resolution styles, and problem-solving strategies.

Sex and Gender Conceptualization

  • Defining Sex:

    • Refers to the biological, anatomical, and hormonal mechanisms of the human body at birth.

    • Examples include testosterone, oestrogen, genitalia, and reproductive organs.

  • Defining Gender:

    • Gender Identity: An individual's inner sense of who they are (e.g., female, male, feminine, masculine, neither, both, fluid, or outside the dichotomy).

    • Gender Expression: The way this identity is portrayed to the external world.

    • Note on Congruence: Gender identity is not synonymous with sex and is not always congruent with biological sex.

Intersectionality, Privilege, and Oppression

  • Diversity Dynamics: Diversity is not a neutral or binary concept (e.g., it is more complex than just male-female or young-old). It is dynamic, hybrid, and complex.

  • Intersectionality:

    • Refers to different aspects of an individual's identity exposing them to multiple, overlapping forms of prejudice, discrimination, or marginalization.

    • This leads to unique lived experiences based on how these identities intersect.

  • Defining Privilege:

    • Privilege stems from an absence of oppression based on diversity characteristics.

    • Privileged groups possess the power to create systems and social structures aligned with their specific values.

    • Characteristics of Privileged Groups: Normalcy, perceived superiority, cultural/institutional power, and societal privilege.

  • Oppression and Domination:

    • Occurs when privileged groups systemically control structures, opportunities, and resources.

    • The Five Faces of Oppression (Young, 1990):

      1. Exploitation: Using people's labor to produce profit without fair compensation; a transfer of labor from one group to benefit another (e.g., capitalist working conditions).

      2. Marginalization: Relegating a group to a lower social standing through exclusion.

      3. Powerlessness: When the dominant group holds inescapable power over another, preventing them from informing decisions that affect their lives.

      4. Cultural Imperialism.

      5. Violence.

  • Reasons for Persistent Individual Oppression (X. Goodman, 2011):

    • Reduced self-awareness and lack of knowledge.

    • Avoiding open dialogue (e.g., using phrases like "we're all the same" or "I don't see race").

    • Fragility and defensiveness when views are challenged.

    • The intersectionality of privilege itself.

Allyship in Practice

  • General Definition: Allies are members of privileged groups committed to creating equity and social justice for all.

  • Qualities of Effective Allies:

    • Knowledge of oppression and how to recognize/address it.

    • Self-awareness and reflection on personal experiences.

    • Humility and valuing others' lived experiences.

    • Openness to making mistakes and persevering through challenging discussions.

    • Ability to analyze situations and engage in collective action.

    • Conscious attention to inequities and interpersonal skills to build relationships with under-privileged groups.

Equity and Diversity in Assessment and Measurement

Chronological Age Diversity

  • Adjusted Age (Corrected Age):

    • Used for infants born preterm (< 37 weeks of gestation) as they face higher risks for neurodevelopmental difficulties.

    • Formula: Adjusted Age=Actual Age−Weeks Preterm\text{Adjusted Age} = \text{Actual Age} - \text{Weeks Preterm}

    • Case Example (Logan): Born at 3030 weeks gestation (1010 weeks early, assuming full term is 4040 weeks, or standardly calculated against 4040 weeks). Assessed at 1212 months actual age.

    • Logan's Actual Age: 1212 months.

    • Logan's Adjusted Age: 99 months (Calculated by subtracting the delay).

  • Age-Related Assessment Considerations:

    • Content: What is being assessed.

    • Communication: How questions are phrased.

    • Duration: Length of time allowed for completion.

    • Format: How the assessment is administered.

    • Assessor Skills: The interpersonal skills of the person conducting the test.

  • Anxiety Assessment Example:

    • Anxiety prevalence/nature changes across the lifespan; measures are not universal.

    • Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS): 3434 items for children aged 33 to 77. Example: "Becomes distressed about you leaving him/her at preschool/school."

    • Screen for Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): 4141 items for children aged 88 to 1818. Example: "My child doesn’t like to be away from his/her family."

  • Intelligence Testing Example (Wechsler Scales):

    • WPPSI-IV: Ages 22 to 77.

    • WISC-V: Ages 66 to 1616.

    • WAIS-IV: Ages 16+16+ years.

    • Variations exist in subtests, completion time (3030 minutes to 11 hour), and the use of play- or picture-based items.

Biological Sex Diversity

  • Sex-Normed Scoring:

    • Instrument Example: Social Responsiveness Scale Second Edition (SRS-2) for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    • Uses sex-normed scoring due to differences in standardisation samples, reporting/diagnosis rates, symptom presentation, and sociocultural factors.

    • Limitations: Current focus on dichotomous sex (male/female) excludes intersex, transgender, and gender-diverse individuals.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

  • Definitions:

    • Linguistics: The structure of language (grammar, syntax, phonetics).

    • Culture: Collective ideas and behaviors of social groups; not synonymous with ethnicity.

  • Assessment Barriers:

    • Knowledge of Norms: Scoring guidelines often come from WEIRD populations (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic), making them difficult to apply to other groups.

    • Item Understanding: Assumptions of English proficiency can bias results. Some concepts (e.g., "doona," "biscuits") do not exist across all cultures.

    • Rapport: Communication disconnects can create rapport ruptures, increasing test-taker anxiety.

Psychological Assessment in First Nations Communities

  • Context: First Nations peoples face unique lived experiences related to transgenerational trauma. Health is often viewed holistically (body, mind, and spirit).

  • Culturally Validated Tools:

    • WASC-Y / WASC-A: Identifies risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide while factoring in cultural resilience.

    • KICA (Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment): Cognitive/dementia screening for older Aboriginal Australians in rural/remote areas.

    • Strong Souls: Assesses social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) in youth.

    • Negative Life Event Scale: Measures exposure to stress.

    • Kearins' Visual Spatial Memory test: Based on research with Aboriginal children aged 66 to 1717.

    • AAVHTQ (Australian Aboriginal Version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire): Culturally competent measure for PTSD.

    • K-5 and K-10: Measures of psychological distress (K-5 is an adapted subset of K-10).

    • Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale: Adapted from the EPDS to screen for maternal depression.

    • Q Test: Language-free assessment of cognitive functioning.

  • Case Study: ASQ-TRAK:

    • Cultural adaptation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire.

    • Sample: 336336 First Nations children (22 to 4848 months) across 1010 sites in NT and SA.

    • Process: Community workers helped interpret items into local languages. Administrators received practical coaching.

    • Results: Scores showed a moderate positive correlation with the Bayley-3 and Battelle Developmental Inventory Second Edition. It was found highly acceptable by caregivers.