Psychometrics and Psychological Assessments

Psychometrics Defined

• Psychometrics involves psychological measurement through testing
• Objective tests in psychometrics measure educational achievement, knowledge, attitudes, or personality traits
• Psychometrics also includes statistical research on these measurements
• Validity ensures a test measures what it intends to, such as an IQ test measuring intelligence, not personality
• Reliability ensures consistent results when the same person takes the test multiple times
• Norming involves testing new psychometric tests and developing baseline scores before general use

Types of Assessments Used in Psychology

• Psychological assessment uses tests to reveal information about an individual
• Assessments can evaluate personality traits like introversion/extroversion
• Assessments can reveal skills, abilities, intelligence, and career aptitudes
• Projective tests involve interpreting images to uncover unconscious aspects of a person
• The Rorschach inkblot test and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) are common projective tests
• Projective tests are limited to subjective interpretation
• Inventory-type tests use surveys to measure characteristics or attitudes
• Examples are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Inventories are more standardized and objective than projective tests
• Inventories are prone to dishonesty or bias in self-reporting
• Aptitude tests gauge an individual's capabilities, like the SAT and ACT for college readiness
• Aptitude tests assess problem-solving, critical thinking, and perceptual speed
• Speed tests have easier questions with a time limit to see how many can be answered quickly
• Power tests have fewer, more complex questions, focusing on figuring out the correct answer

Types of Measurement

• Psychological measurement assesses traits, perceptions, feelings, and thoughts
• Direct observation involves directly looking at the trait being measured, like hair or eye color
• Direct observation gets tricky when measuring things like depression because inferences have to be made
• Indirect observation makes observations relying on the observation of another person
• If subjects self-report on surveys, assumptions become based on their own observations
• Indirect observation presents honesty concerns due to potential negative perception
• Constructs are abstract ideas that cannot be directly observed, like temperament
• Constructs rely on combined direct and indirect observations for measurement

Qualities of Good Assessments

• Reliability means an assessment yields consistent information about the knowledge, skills, or abilities being assessed
• Reliable assessments yield the same results each time the test is administered
• Reliability is important because assessments provide information about student achievement and progress
• Reliability is impacted by student factors like energy level, motivation, hunger, and stress
• Physical environment including classroom temperature, distractions, and outside noises influence reliability
• Validity refers to the the accuracy of the assessment and measures what it is intended to measure
• If a scale says you weigh 150lbs every time, it's reliable, but only valid if you actually weigh 150lbs
• Validity can be impacted by students' reading ability, self-efficacy, and test anxiety level
• Standardization includes similar assessments, administration, and scores for each students
• The more standardized the assessment, the higher the reliability
• Standardized assessments allow for equitable results
• Practicality considers ease of assessment and administering
• How long it will take to develop and administer the assessment
• How expensive the assessment materials are
• How much time will the assessment take away from instruction

Types of Psychological Tests

• Psychological tests measure psychological constructs to aid diagnosis
• Tests can assess traits like introversion, conditions like depression, or intelligence
• Tests evaluate attitudes, feelings, interests, abilities, knowledge and skills
• Tests require qualified professionals to administer and purchase
• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) PTSD Symptom Scale Interview (PSSI) all help diagnose patients more efficiently
• Intelligence tests measure a person's ability to understand and interact with their environment
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB)
• Personality tests such as Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and the Rorschach are designed to measure personality style and traits
• Attitude tests, like the Likert and Thurstone Scales, measure feelings towards events, people, or objects
• Achievement tests are used to measure how well you understand a particular topic
• Aptitude tests measure people's abilites in specific areas, like clerical skills
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) or the Peabody Individual Achievement Test ( PIAT) measure individual achievement
• Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT)
• Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
• Neuropsychological tests detect cognitive impairments resulting from brain damage through the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT)
• Vocational or career tests measure interests, values, strengths, and weaknesses to determine occupational fit
• the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)
• Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
• Direct observation tests involve observing test-takers performing specific activities, often at home or in clinical settings with children
• Parent-Child Interaction Assessment-II (PCIA-II)
• MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB)
• Dyadic Parent-child Interaction Coding System-II (DPICS II)
• Specific clinical tests measure clinical constructs like anxiety or PTSD through measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Hopelessness Scale for Children (HSC)

Aptitude vs. Achievement Tests

• Aptitude tests evaluate your ability to learn a skill, representing natural talent and capacity
• Aptitude tests are not measures of education, training, or intelligence, but one's ability to learn
• Training programs rely on aptitude tests to determine student success potential
• Schools use aptitude tests like the SAT and GRE to assess readiness for higher education
• Aptitude is broadened with exercise through methods like reading & puzzles
• Achievement tests evaluate learned information and skills
• Achievement testing is successfully learning AND retaining that information
• Standardized tests, such as the SAT II, are achievement tests to see education and mastery
• Aptitude is natural talent, achievement is learning and retention in relation skills, like studying to maximize long-term retention is essential

Performance Assessment

• Performance assessments demonstrate knowledge and skills in a non-written way, centered on demonstration
• Examples of performance assessments include playing instruments, lab work, or giving presentations
• Performance assessments provide an alternative method to assess students' knowledge and abilities, but must be used with specific purpose in mind
• Products are tangible creations like posters, drawings, and inventions that come from performance assessments
• Processes can be assessed through oral presentation or singing
• Teacher observes students' cognitive processes through students completing experiments
• Can be individual or in a group, in some scenarios they can asses peer assessment
• Restricted performances are short-time, such as a coach assessing a push-up forms
• Extended performanceds determine what students are capable of over time
• Static assessments focus on existing abilities, while dynamic tests will examine changing knowledge
• Consistent tasks are essential in order to ensure students understand

Factors Influencing Performance

• Test-taking anxiety is intense nervousness in examination and is common for some people
• Test anxiety includes increased heart rate, heightened stress hormones, and reduced cognitive performance
• Countering of the anxiety source may include deep breathing exercises
• Cautiousness involves excessive attention and doubtful movement which requires the student to check all the work repetitively
• Awareness of the anxiety and countering the active stress response can reduce harmful effects
• Timed tests and motivation influence performance, with timed tests worsening cautiousness and test anxiety
• Determine if the test period is actually necessary. It could just be stressing a student for no reason
• Cohort effects feature large group bonding or understanding
• Cohort can be anything like a generation or town
• Educational effects are systemic changes made by education, like knowing how to take a test better
• Cognitive reserve is when resistance to Alzheimer's increases or decreases based on lifestyle and education
• Use it or lose it to test cognitive/behavioral
• Terminal drop is a drastic cognitive decline up to 5 years before death
• If identified let family know because it is beyond researcher's control