Testing and Assessment
History
- 1905: Alfred Binet and colleagues published a test for Paris school children’s placement in appropriate classes
- WWI in 1917: US military needed a way to screen large number of recruits → “testing”
- if a person is fit to go to war
- screening tool
- After the war: more psychological tests to measure other psychological variables
- WW2: distinction between “testing” and “assessment” began to emerge
Definition
- Testing: the process of measuring psychology-related variables by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior
- Assessment: the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation through tools such as tests, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and other methods
Objective
- Testing: typically to obtain some gauge, usually numerical in nature, with regard to an ability or attribute
- Assessment: typically to answer a referral question, solve a problem or arrive at a decision through the tools of evaluation
Process
- Testing: may be individual or group in nature; add up the number of correct answers or certain types of responses
- Assessment: typically individualized, focuses on how the individual processes
Role of Evaluator
- Testing: not key to the process, tester substitution won’t affect the evaluation
- Assessment: key to the process of selecting tests, tools of evaluation and drawing conclusions from the entire evaluation
Skill of Evaluator
- Testing: technician-like skills for administering, scoring, interpreting a test result
- Assessment: requires educated selection of tools, skill in evaluation, organization, and integration of data
Outcome
- Testing: yields a test score or a series of test scores
- Assessment: logical problem-solving approach using sources of data to shed light on a referral question
Process of Assessment
- Referral from a source, to answer a referral question.
- Assessor meets the assessee or others to clarify aspects of the reason for referral.
- Assessor prepares or selects the tools of assessment to be used
- Formal Assessment
- Write a report of the findings that is designed to answer the referral question.
- Feedback sessions with the assessee or third parties.
Types of Assessment
- Collaborative Psychological Assessment: the assessor and assessee work as partners
- Therapeutic Psychological Assessment: therapeutic self-discovery is encouraged through the assessment process
- Dynamic Assessment: typically employed in educational settings but also may be used in correctional, corporate, neuropsychological, clinical, and other settings
Evaluation → Intervention → Evaluation
Tools of Psychological Assessment
Test
- a device or procedure designed to measure variables related to psychology
- intelligence, attitudes, personality, interests, etc.
- vary by content, format, administration, scoring, interpretation, and technical quality
- Content
- subject matter of the test
- depends on the theoretical orientation of test developers and the unique way in which they define the construct of interest
- Format
- the form, plan, structure, layout of test items, and other considerations
- time limits
- Administration
- tests may require certain tasks to be performed, trained observation of performance, or little involvement by the test administrators
- self-report questionnaires
- Scoring and Interpretation
- scoring of tests may be simple, such as summing responses to items, or may require more elaborate procedures
- some tests results can be interpreted easily, or interpreted by computer, whereas other tests require expertise for proper interpretation
- Cut Score
- a reference point, usually numerical, used to divide data into two or more classifications
- pass or fail
- Technical Quality or Psychometric Soundness
- psychometrics is the science of psychological measurement
- the psychometric soundness of a test depends on how consistently and accurately the test measures what it purports to measure
- test users are sometimes referred to as psychometrists or psychometricians
Interview
- a method of gathering information through direct communication involving reciprocal exchange
- vary as to their purpose, length, and nature
- quality of information obtained in an interview often depends on the skills of the interviewer
- their pacing, rapport, and their ability to convey genuineness, empathy, and humor
Portfolio
- a file containing the products of one’s work
- may serve as a sample of one’s abilities and accomplishments
Case History Data
- information preserved in records, transcripts, or other forms
Behavioral Observation
- monitoring the actions of people through visual or electronic means
Role-Play Test
- assesses are directed to act as if they were in a particular situation
- useful in evaluating various skills
Computer as Tools
- Computers can assist in test administration, scoring, and interpretation
- Assessment is increasingly conducted via the internet
Advantages of Internet Testing
- greater access to potential test-users
- scoring and interpretation tends to be quicker
- costs tend to be lower
- facilitates testing of otherwise isolated populations and people with disabilities
Who are the Parties?
Test Developer
- tests are created for research studies, publications, or as modifications of existing tests
- Publication: commercially available instruments
Test User
- tests are used by a wide range of professionals
Test Taker
- anyone who is the subject of an assessment or evaluation is a test-taker
- may differ on a number of variables at the time of testing
- test anxiety, emotional distress, physical discomfort, alertness, etc.
Society at Large
- test- developers create tests to meet the needs of an evolving society
- law and court decisions may play a major role in test development, administration, and interpretation
Other Parties
- organizations, companies, and governmental agencies sponsor the development of tests
- companies may offer test scoring and interpretation
- researchers may review tests and evaluate their psychometric soundness
Main Use of Psychological Tests
- to evaluate individual differences or variations among individuals
Types of Settings
Educational Settings
- students typically undergo school ability tests and achievement tests
- diagnostic tests may be used to identify areas for educational intervention
- educators may also make informal evaluations of their students
Clinical Settings
- includes hospitals, inpatient and outpatient clinics, private-practice consulting rooms, schools, and other institutions
- assessment tools are used to help screen for or diagnose behavior problems
Counseling Settings
- includes schools, prisons, and governmental or privately owned institutions
- the goal of assessments in this setting is improvements in adjustment, productivity, or related variable
Geriatric Settings
- assessment primarily evaluates cognitive, psychological, adaptive, or other functioning
- at issue is quality of life
Business and Military Settings
- decisions regarding careers of personnel are made with a variety of achievement, aptitude, interest, motivational, and other tests
Government and Organizational Credentialing
- includes governmental licensing, certification, or general credentialing of professionals
- attorneys, physicians, and psychologists
How Assessments are Conducted
- there are many different methods used
- ethical testers have responsibilities before, during, and after testing
Obligations Include
- familiarity with test materials and procedures
- ensuring that the room in which the test will be conducted is suitable and conducive to the testing
- it it important to establish rapport during test administration
- Rapport: a working relationship between the examiner and the examinee
Assessment of People with Disabilities
- the law mandates “alternate assessment” -- the definition of this is up to states or school districts
- accommodations need to be made -- the adaptation of a test, procedure, or situation, or the substitutions of one test for another, to make the assessment more suitable for an assessee with exceptional needs