Introduction To Psychological Assessment PDF

Introduction to Psychological Assessment What are tests used for? 1. Screening  Tests are used in determining whether deeper diagnostic assessment is necessary or warranted. For this purpose, usually a single measure is needed. It can be used in any setting. 2...

Introduction to Psychological Assessment What are tests used for? 1. Screening  Tests are used in determining whether deeper diagnostic assessment is necessary or warranted. For this purpose, usually a single measure is needed. It can be used in any setting. 2. Diagnosis  A diagnosis is a detailed analysis of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, with the general goal of arriving at a classification decision. Tests are used to identify if an individual has a disorder, and it usually Involves more than one measure and often includes a battery of tests (a series of tests). 3. Treatment Planning and Goal Identification  Tests are used to helps clients and students understand where they are and where they want to go. An example is the use of aptitude tests which will help determine where an individual may excel at. Tests Helps establish goals as information gathered from initial assessment can be helpful in planning a client’s treatment. The client’s or student’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and resiliency factors and resources are confirmed through tests. 4. Progress Evaluation  Progress must be measured to assess and evaluate whether the treatment or intervention is working. Failure to assess progress is unethical, unprofessional, and inefficient. An example is the use of achievement tests in schools to measure the learning of students. What are the varieties of assessment? The term “assessment” can be modified according to a special area. Commonly, the word before “assessment” defines that special area. 1. Educational assessment  Use of tests and other tools to evaluate the abilities and skills relevant to success or failure in a school or pre-school context  Examples: intelligence tests, achievement tests, reading comprehension tests 2. Retrospective assessment   Use of evaluative tools to draw conclusions about psychological aspects of a person as they existed at some point in time prior to assessment  This type of assessment focuses on the past of an individual. An example could be the diagnosis of Adolf Hitler as his behavior is assessed then. 3. Remote assessment  Use of tools of psychological evaluation to gather data and draw conclusions about a subject who is not in physical proximity to the person or people conducting the evaluation\  This type is commonly used during the pandemic since face-to-face interactions are prohibited. Think of it as assessing someone who lives in a faraway place using technology.  Sample approach: use of smartphones 4. Collaborative assessment  Assessment where assessor and assessee work as partners (collaborators) from initial contact through final feedback  The collaboration means the assessee provides feedback also to the whole process. The assessee can share insights which will be incorporated to the report like for example the assessee’s strengths and weakness. 5. Dynamic assessment  An interactive approach to psychological assessment that usually follows a model of (1) evaluation, (2) intervention of some sort, and (3) evaluation.  Example: Providing hints or feedbacks before answering the next question. Assessment is focused on how well an assessee can master tasks. 6. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA)  In the moment evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the very time and place they occur  Sample problems: post-traumatic stress disorder, smoking problems, chronic abdominal pain in children  Sample approach: use of smartphones Who are the parties involved in assessment? Assessment is a long and complex process which is why many parties, people, or communities are involved in assessment. These parties are as follows. 1. Test Developer The person who creates or develops tests and other methods of assessment. “The Standards” contains standard ethical behavior that addresses aspects of responsible test development and use. 2. Test User The assessor or the one who uses the test. This may include psychology practitioners, clinicians, counselors, school psychologists, human resources personnel, consumer psychologists, experimental psychologists, and social psychologists. Although several individuals can use a test, the table below outlines what tests individuals may or may not use. Certain tests require higher levels of competency and credibility 3. Testtaker The client or the assessee. This is anyone who is the subject of an assessment or an evaluation. Testtakers may also include deceased individuals through Psychological Autopsy where assessors reconstruct a deceased individual’s psychological profile based on archival records, artifacts, and interviews previously conducted with the deceased assessee or people who knew him or her. Testtakers may differ as we can also have different clients. Naturally, all individuals, even those subjected to assessment, differ. Listed below are some ways on how testtakers differ when it comes to assessment. a. Amount of anxiety experienced  b. Extent to which they understand and agree with the rationale for assessment c. Capacity and willingness to cooperate with the examiner or comprehend test instructions d. Amount of physical pain or emotional distress they are experiencing e. Amount of physical discomfort brought on by physical conditions f. Extent to which they are alert and wide awake as opposed to nodding of g. Extent to which they are predisposed to agree or disagree when presented with stimulus statements h. Extent to which they have received prior coaching i. Importance they may attribute to portraying themselves in a good or bad light j. Extent to which they are lucky on a multiple-choice achievement test 4. Society As society evolves and as the need to measure different psychological variables emerges, test developer must respond by devising new tests. Tests are commonly developed to adapt to the current trends, culture, and values of the society. For example, a happiness test in the 1980s may not be relevant now in the 2020s as happiness is defined differently then and now. 5. Other parties This may include organizations, companies, government agencies, sponsors of test development, independent companies and services offering test-scoring or interpretation services, or academicians testing psychometrics of tests. The table below summarizes some of the parties discussed about and adds other parties relevant to psychological assessment. In what type of settings are assessments conducted, and why? 1. Educational setting This includes schools, either elementary, high school, colleges, or universities. In this setting, the goal of assessment is to assess special needs of students, to assess learning of students, or to identify areas of weakness and strengths of the students. 2. Clinical setting This includes public and private hospitals, inpatient and outpatient clinics, or private-practice consulting rooms. The goal is to screen for or diagnose behavioral problems or disorders. 3. Counseling setting This may include schools, prisons, government, or privately owned institutions which have counselling services or options. The goal is for the improvement of the assessee in terms of adjustment, productivity, or some related variable. The problems here are less severe compared to the clinical setting but still requires attention as they make life harder for the assessee  or their wellbeing is compromised. Some problems may include confusion with life decisions, difficulty making friends, work adjustment, and others. 4. Geriatric setting This includes institutions homing people aged 75 to 84 like home for the aged or generally elders. The goal is to help assess quality of life. The assessees are older so making life more comfortable is the focus. Areas of concern may include perceived stress, loneliness, sources of satisfaction, personal values, quality of living conditions, and quality of friendships and other social support. 5. Business and Military setting The setting that includes private organizations or companies and the military. Assessment here is used for decision making about the careers of personnel that is promotion, demotion, or career path. It can also be used for the engineering and design of products and environments that is are the products satisfactory or is the work environment conducive. This can also be for the diagnosis of “what is wrong” with products to make recommendations. 6. Government and organizational credentialing This setting includes public organizations or government institutions. Assessment is used for licensing, certification, or general credentialing of professionals. Some examples are board and bar exams 7. Academic research setting This setting can also be in schools, but the focus would be to publish research. This can include students, teachers, instructors, professors, or even academic staff with any type of problem or research. Assessment is focused on the data gathering part of research. Where can we get information about tests? 1. Test catalogue This can be taken from or distributed by the publisher of the test. They are readily available thought contact with developer or publisher. 2. Test manual When one develops a test, one should also provide the manual for that test. The test manual contains detailed information concerning the development of a test and technical information relating to it. Once you purchase a test, the test manual will also come with it. Commonly, this is purchased from the test publisher. For security purposes, the test publisher will typically require documentation of professional training before filling an order for a test manual. 3. Professional books Information in books is available to supplement, re-organize, or enhance the information typically found in the manual of a very widely used psychological test. Books help determine how or why a certain test is used for an assessment purpose. 4. Reference volumes This is a compilation of test-related information for “one-stop shopping”. It also includes test reviews and other information about tests. An example is the Mental Measurements Yearbook which can be seen below. The MMY can be purchased from the Buros Center For testing. 5. Journal Articles This refers to the research articles or papers or research journals which may contain reviews of test, updated or independent studies of its psychometric soundness. 6. Online databases These contain resources and news about tests, testing, and assessment. Some of these databases can be seen below. Take note that some of information from tests are limited and purchase needs to be one to access complete information about them. a. HAPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments) i. Contains listing of measures created or modified for specific research studies but not commercially available. b. PsychINFO i. Abstracts dating back to 1887 c. ClinPSYC i. Abstracts of clinical nature d. PsycSCAN i. Abstracts of psychopharmacology e. PsycLAW i. Free database ii. Contains discussion of selected topics involving psychology and law f. PsycARTICLES i. Full length articles dating back to 1894