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
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. Low standard deviation means data are clustered around the mean, and high standard deviation indicates data are more spread out.
Variance
The degree of spread in your data set. The more spread the data, the larger the variance is in relation to the mean
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
Percent of all scores that occur between the mean and 1 SD
34%
Percent of all scores that occur between the mean and 2 standard deviations
95%
Standard Score
Raw score that has been converted from one scale to another scale
Z-score
How many standard deviation units the raw score is below or above the mean of the distribution
T scores
Scale with a mean set of 50 and standard deviation set at 10
Stanine
Standard score with a mean of 5 and standard deviation of 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 that 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
Standardized Test
When tests have clearly specified procedures for administration and scoring and commonly includes normative data
Standard Error of Measurement
How much an observed score deviates from a true score
Standard Error of Estimate
Degree of error involved in predicting the value of one variable from another
Standard Error of the Mean
Measure of sampling error
Standard Error of the Difference
How large difference between two scores should be before it is considered statistically significant
Percentile
Expression of the percentage of people whose scores falls below a particular raw score
Percentage Correct
Number of correct items multiplied by 100 divided by number of items
Equipercentile Method
Equivalency of scores on different tests is calculated with reference to corresponding percentile scores
Subgroup Norms
Segment of criteria used in selecting samples
Fixed Reference Group
Used as the basis for calculation of test scores for future administrations of the test
Anchoring
Conversion of raw scores on new version of the test into fixed reference group scores
Criterion-Referenced Testing and Assessment
Method of evaluation and a way of deriving meaning from test scores by evaluating them with reference set to a standard
Reliability Coefficient
Index of reliability that indicates ratio between true score variance on a test and the total variance
True Variance
Variance from true differences
Error Variance
Variance from irrelevant random sources
Measurement Error
Process of measuring some variable other than the variable being measured
Random Error
Unpredictable fluctuations and inconsistencies of other variables in the measurement process
Systematic Error
Source of error that is typically constant or proportionate to what is presumed to be the true value of the variable being measured
Item or Content Sampling
Refer to variation among items within a test as well as to variation among items between tests
Sampling Error
Extent to which the sample in the study was representative of their population
Test-Retest Reliability
Obtained by correlating pairs of scores from the same people on two different administrations of the same test
Coefficient of Stability
Estimate of test-retest reliability when interval between testing is greater than six months
Coefficient of Equivalence
Degree of relationship between various forms of a test
Parallel Forms
For each form of the test, means and variances of observed test scores are equal
Alternate Forms
Designed to be equivalent in content and level of difficulty
Internal Consistency Estimate of Reliability
Estimate of reliability without developing alternate forms or readministering but only evaluating the internal consistency of the test items
Split-Half Reliability
Correlating two pairs of scores obtained from equivalent halves of a single test administered once
Spearman-Brown Formula
Estimate internal consistency reliability from a correlation of two halves of a test; determine number of items needed to attain desired level of reliability
Inter-Item Consistency
Degree of correlation among all the items on a scale
Homegeneity
If test contains items that measure a single trait
Heterogeneity
Degree to which a test measures different factors or more than one trait
Kuder-Richardson Formula (KR20)
Statistic of choice for determining the inter-item consistency of dichotomous items such as multiple-choice items where they can be considered right or wrong
KR21 Formula
May be used if there is reason to assume that all the test items have approximately the same degree of difficulty
Coefficient Alpha (Cronbach's Alpha)
Mean of all possible split-half correlations corrected by the Spearman-Brown formula, appropriate for tests containing nondichotomous items
Inter-Scorer Reliability
Degree of agreement or consistency between two or more scorers with regard to a particular measure
Transient Error
Source of error from variations in the test taker's feelings, moods or mental state over time
Power Test
Long enough time limit and no test taker is able to obtain a perfect score
Speed Test
Contains items of uniform level of difficulty but with time limits
Generalizability Theory
Extension of true score theory, test scores vary from testing to testing because of variables in the testing situation
Universe Score
True score in the true score model
Decision Study
Developers examine the usefulness of test scores in helping the test user make decisions
Item Response Theory
Provides a way to model the probability that a person with X ability will be able to perform at a level of Y
Discrimination
In IRT, this is the degree to which an item differentiates among people with higher or lower levels of what is being measured
Confidence Interval
Range or band of test scores that is likely to contain the true score