History of Psychological Assessment

Collaborative Psychological Assessment

• Collaborative psychological assessment involves the assessor and assessee working as partners from initial contact to final feedback.
• Therapeutic psychological assessment encourages self-discovery and new understandings throughout the assessment process.
• Dynamic assessment follows a model of evaluation, intervention, and re-evaluation, providing insight into how the assessee processes or benefits from an intervention during the course of evaluation.

Tools of Psychological Assessment

• A psychological test is a device or procedure designed to measure variables related to psychology, such as intelligence, personality, aptitude, interests, attitudes, or values.
• Psychological tests and assessment tools vary in content, format, and administrative procedures.
• Format refers to the form, plan, structure, arrangement, and layout of test items, as well as related considerations such as time limits.
• Administrative procedures may require an active and knowledgeable test administrator, and can involve demonstration of tasks, one-on-one interaction, and observation of the assessee's performance.

Scoring and Psychometrics

• A cut score is a reference point used to divide a set of data into two or more classifications.
• Scores can be derived through judgement, such as teachers determining what is passing and what is failing.
• Scoring can be done by the test taker, a computer, or a trained examiner.
• Psychometrics is the science of psychological measurement, focusing on how consistently and accurately a psychological test measures what it claims to measure.

History of Psychological Assessment

• Alfred Binet published a test in 1905 to help place Paris school children, which was later used by the military in WW1 to screen recruits.
• The use of tests expanded during WW2 to screen recruits for service.

Types of Assessment

• Retrospective assessment involves using evaluative tools to draw conclusions about psychological aspects of a person at a prior point in time.
• Remote assessment uses tools of psychological evaluation to gather data and draw conclusions about a subject who is not physically present.
• Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves "in the moment" evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the time and place they occur.

The Process of Assessment

• The process begins with a referral for assessment from a source.
• The assessor meets with the assessee before the formal assessment to clarify aspects of the referral.
• The assessor selects the tools of assessment to be used, and then the formal assessment begins.