Psychological Testing and Assessment Overview

Historical Foundations

• In ancient China (2200 BC), public officials were tested every 3 years for proficiency in various subjects, including music, archery, horsemanship, writing, arithmetic, ceremonies, civil law, military affairs, agriculture, and revenue.
• The civil service examination began during the Chan Dynasty (1115 BC-1905) and was influenced by Confucius' teachings on striving for self-perfection.
• In ancient Greece and Rome, writings proposed various physiological bases for personality and temperament.
• During the Middle Ages, attempts were made to answer diagnostic questions of critical importance to society.
• In the Renaissance, measurement in the modern sense began to emerge.
• In the 18th century, Christian von Wolff anticipated psychology as a science and psychological measurement as a specialty within that science.

19th Century

• Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution (1859) led to scientific interest in individual differences.
• Francis Galton (1869) classified people according to their natural gifts and deviations from an average.
• Galton devised contemporary tools of psychological assessment, including questionnaires, rating scales, and self-report inventories.
• Galton pioneered the coefficient of correlation through experiments on heredity.
• Karl Pearson developed the product-moment correlation technique.
• Wilhelm Wundt founded the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.

Nature and Uses of Psychological Tests

• Psychological tests are used for assessment, setting goals, determining intervention, reviewing progress, and closure.
• Specific uses of psychological tests include assessment, education, geriatric, counseling, clinical and health, business and military, governmental and organizational credentializing, and legal/court related expert testimonies.

Key Differences

• Testing vs. Assessment:
  • Objective: Testing aims to obtain a numerical gauge, while assessment aims to answer a referral question, solve a problem, or arrive at a decision.
  • Process: Testing may be individual or group, while assessment is typically individualized.
  • Role of Evaluator: The tester is not key to the process, while the assessor is crucial in selecting and interpreting tests.
  • Skill of Evaluator: Testing requires technician-like skills, while assessment requires an educated selection of tools and thoughtful organization of data.
  • Outcome: Testing yields a test score, while assessment entails a logical problem-solving approach that integrates multiple sources of data.

Terms and Definitions

• Psychological Assessment: The gathering and integrating of psychological data for psychological evaluation through tests, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and specially designed apparatuses and measurement procedures.
• Psychological Testing: The measuring of psychology-related variables by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain samples of behavior.
• Psychological Construct: An informed, scientific idea developed or generated to describe or explain behavior (e.g., intelligence, personality, anxiety, job satisfaction).
• Psychometrics: The science of psychological measurement.
• Psychometric Quality: Norms, reliability, and validity.

Assumptions about Psychological Testing

• Psychological traits and states exist and can be measured.
• Traits are relatively enduring, while states are relatively less enduring.
• Psychological traits and states can be quantified and measured.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

• Rights of Testtakers: Right to privacy and confidentiality, right to the least stigmatizing label.
• Ethical considerations: Privilege of the client, disclosure of information to prevent harm, and respect for the rights of test-takers.