PDF Psychology Past Paper: Applied Psychometrics (Module 28)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subject PSYCHOLOGY Paper No and Title Paper 4: Applied Psychometrics Module No and Title Module 28: Assessment in Civil Services and Milit...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subject PSYCHOLOGY Paper No and Title Paper 4: Applied Psychometrics Module No and Title Module 28: Assessment in Civil Services and Military Module Tag PSY_P4_M28 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction 3. Military Psychology 4. Assessment Tools in Civil Services and Military 4.1 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) 4.2 Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) 4.3 Armed Force Qualification Test (AFQT) 4.4 Comprehensive Ability Battery (CAB) 4.5 Rotter’s Incomplete Sentences Blank 5. Summary PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Learning Outcomes After studying this module, you shall be able to  Know what military psychology is  Understand how psychological tests can be applied in the military and civil services  Know the important tests used to assess psychological profile of candidates in the military and civil services  Understand the Thematic Apperception Test and its applications 2. Introduction From last eight decades, psychological assessments have been an integral part of military and civil services. The history dates backs to World War I when screening of US military servicemen was first started based on psychological attributes of a person. The intelligence tests were used to predict the performance of military men into the service. The tradition to recruit military on the basis of psychological testing continued thereafter and careful evaluation of psychological and psychiatric qualification was sustained at the time of World War II as well. Psychology found a place in the military efforts in the form of application of scientific principles to the selection of military personnel. Psychological tests of military and civil services have been adapted in novel ways to fit the cultural background of different countries. Selection of officers may be done through techniques like interview, group and individual testing and psychological techniques. This module aims at looking at different applications of psychological testing in the military and civil services. 3. Military Psychology Military psychology is defined as the application of psychological principles and theories to military context (Mangelsdorff & Gal, 1991). It is a broad, specialised, and complex field where knowledge from different branches of psychology converges. Military psychology derives its strength from its multi-disciplinary nature and character. Often parallels are drawn between method and subject matter of sports, police and military psychology. The ultimate aim of military organisation is to achieve maximum defence effectiveness. This cannot be achieved by ensuring induction of effective and efficient manpower only. Ensuring satisfaction of individual needs has become as important as attainment of organizational goals in the face of changing social milieu and resultant societal transformation (Mangal,M.K. et. al, 2009). Military is a very big and complex organizational structure characterized by complex structure, several sub units, diverse functions and activities, many job routes and many employees (Katz & Kaha, 1978; Kilmann, Pondy & Slevin, 1976). Military psychology is relatively a recent development in the Indian setting. Psychology as modern scientific discipline began in India with setting up of Department of Psychology in Calcutta University in 1915 (Pandey, 2001).Military psychology has unlimited avenues to grow in India. There has been no dearth of financial and intellectual resources for discipline of military PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ psychology. Military psychologists served armed forces by testing trainees and workers on intelligence and aptitude. They are also involved in designing and imparting military-specialized behavioral trainings to recruits. An important component of testing focuses on recognizing and ideally preparing officers and leaders as a future resource for nation—a work that is considered not just scientific but an art in its manifestation. 4. Assessment Tools in Civil Services and Military Selection of officers and men for the armed forces is one of the major responsibilities of military psychologists. The responsibilities include deciding upon the qualities to be assessed before beginning the actual selection process, job analyses for the officers and the Other Ranks of all the services. Assessors effectively apply the psychological technique of selection by using psychological tests used for personnel selection and validating them on the population in consideration. Various researchers have worked in field of Military Psychology and significant research has been done in the domains of intelligence and personality measurement, especially through projective techniques in the field of psychological testing in military and civil services. Many tests have been designed, such as Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT), Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Armed Force Qualification Test (AFQT), CAB (Comprehensive Ability Battery) which will be discussed briefly. 4.1 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was devised by an American psychologist Henry Murray (1893-1988) based on a theory of personality that spoke about motives and needs. According to Murray (Murray and Bellak 1973), “a need is a potentiality or readiness to respond in a certain way under given circumstances”. Personality shaped by needs and motives reflects behaviours that emerge due to deprivation of those needs. It is to be noted that while a few needs are brief and changing, different needs are all the more profoundly situated in our temperament. As indicated by Murray, these psychogenic needs work mainly at the unconscious level and play major factor in defining our personality. Murray explained that an underlying need or a motive of a person can be identified in personality through: (1) the end results of his/her behaviour (2) pattern and mode of behaviour that he/she shows (3) the response and attention that a person gives to a stimulus (4) the way a feeling or an emotion is exhibited, and (5) the manifestation of satisfaction or frustration when a particular result is attained or not. Besides, personal subjective scripts related to feelings, intentions and goals also report an underlying need or motive of a person. -Hall and Lindzey (1970) Murray, in his writings, has documented two types of needs: 1. Primary needs: These are the needs that emerge due to biological and physiological demands of a person. This includes the need for oxygen, food, water, protection of environment etc. 2. Secondary needs: The second category of need comprises of psychological wishes, desires and requirements that a person has. This includes need for nurturing, independence, affiliation and achievement. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________  n Abasement – This comprises of: To submit latently to outer power; to acknowledge harm, accuse, feedback, discipline, to surrender, to end up surrendered to destiny; to concede mediocrity, blunder, wrongdoing or annihilation; to admit and give penance; to fault, disparage or damage the self; to look for and appreciate torment, discipline, disease and adversity.  n Achievement – This means- To perform something troublesome; to ace , control or sort out physical articles, individuals or thoughts; to do this as quickly and as autonomously as could be expected under the circumstances; to overcome obstructions and high an elevated expectation; to exceed expectations oneself; to equal and surpass others; to build self-respect by effective activity of ability.  n Aggression –This includes- To overcome resistance mightily; to battle; to vindicate a harm; to assault, harm or murder another to restrict strongly or rebuff another.  n Autonomy – Autonomy is-To get free, shake-off limitation, break out of imprisonment; to oppose intimidation and confinement; to evade or quit exercises recommended by overbearing powers; to be autonomous and allowed to act as indicated by drive; to be unattached, unreliable; to resist tradition.  n Counteraction – Counteract is-To ace or compensate for a disappointment by re- striving; to destroy a mortification by continued activity; to overcome shortcomings, to curb apprehension; to destroy a shame by activity; to hunt down snags and troubles to succeed; to keep up dignity and pride on an abnormal state.  n Defendence – This means-To guard the self against strike, feedback and fault; to cover or legitimize an offense, disappointment or mortification; to vindicate the inner self.  n Deference – This includes-To appreciate and bolster a prevalent; to acclaim, respect or praise; to yield energetically to the impact of a partnered other; to imitate a model; to adjust to custom.  n Dominance – Dominance is-To control one's human surroundings; to impact or direct the conduct of others by proposal, enchantment, influence or charge; to discourage, limit or restrict.  n Exhibition – To exhibit is-To make an impression; to be seen and listened; to energize, astonish, entrance, divert stun, interest, delight or allure other  n Harm avoidance – This means- To evade torment, physical damage, ailment and passing; to escape from a risky circumstance; to take preparatory measures.  n Infa avoidance – This includes-To dodge mortification; to stop humiliating circumstances or to maintain a strategic distance from conditions that may prompt belittlement; hatred, criticism or lack of concern of others; to avoid activity in view of the trepidation of disappointment.  n Nurturance – Nurturance is-To give sensitivity and satisfy the needs of a powerless article; a baby or any item that is frail, handicapped, drained, unpracticed, decrepit, crushed, embarrassed, forlorn, sad, wiped out, rationally confounded; to help an article in threat; to bolster, assist, support, with reassuring, ensure, solace, attendant, mend. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________  n Order – This means-To place things all together; to accomplish cleanliness, plan, association, parity, tidiness, neatness and exactness  n Play – This includes-To represent "fun" without further reason, to like to snicker and make jokes; to look for charming response of anxiety; to take an interest in diversions, games, moving, drinking, gatherings, cards.  n Rejection – This comprises of need-To independent oneself from an adversely appended item; to bar, relinquish, remove or stay unconcerned with a second rate thing; to censure or forsake an article.  n Sentience – This means-To look for and appreciate sensuous impressions.  n Sex – This means-To shape and further an erogenous relationship; to have sex.  n Succorance – This means-To have one's requirements delighted by the thoughtful guide of an associated article; to be nursed, bolstered, maintained, encompassed, defender; to dependably have a supporter.  n Understanding – Need to understand is-To ask or answer general inquiries; to be keen on hypothesis; to conjecture, plan, examine and sum up. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), a projective technique of personality testing, was developed by Christiana Morgan and Henry Murray in the 1930s at the Harvard Psychological Clinic. It is used to study sex, aggression, attitudes, towards labour problems and authority (Arronow et al , 2001). The place of conduction of TAT should be a quiet room without disruptions, disturbances and interference. The test taker, who is generally a trained professional, shows series of story cards to the subject. The full set contains 31 cards in all. The scoring system for TAT originally devised by Murray is time consuming and unwisely (Murray, 1943) as a result has been little used by later interpretations. TAT does not have normative scoring system for responses. In interpreting responses of TAT, examiners typically focus their attention on three areas: the content of story that subject narrates, feeling or tone of story, and the subject behaviour apart from responses. TAT is better situated to ideographic (evaluate unique feature of subject view) than nomethetic (establish norms for answers from subject) interpretation. Illustration Story Jeffery worked as a window cleaner at the Canadian National Tower (CNT). One of the tallest buildings in the world, the CNT was like a mammoth in front of an ant. One day Jeffery was working on the sixtieth floor of the building. Work was almost done when disaster struck. One of the ropes that kept, the platform that he worked on, safe and in place, snapped. N the flash of a second, Jeffery was plummeting 60 stories down to the hard concrete path below, with his life flashing before his eyes. Jeffery tried desperately to grab on to a rope. Finally, around the eighth floor, he grabs hold of a rope. The pressure of the body on the rope weakens it and it breaks it and Jeffery starts falling down, and just when he is about to hit the hard ground down below, he snaps out of the ‘hypnosis’ he was in. And then...the rope snaps. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Interpretation: 1. Premonition about his accident \, in which his death is the end result. However, to keep the suspense of story, he leaves the end hanging. 2. Feels that premonition is a reality and many people do have them. 3. Likes the idea of premonition. 4. ‘Many people have saved themselves from disaster because of premonition’. Gave the example of 9/11. 5. Usually occurs in dreams. Story After working outstation for a month, the husband returned late in the night. He rang the bell the third time, then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth and then lost his patience went to the backyard of his house. Broke open the door and entered the house. Fuming, he walked up stairs to his bedroom. He opened the door and saw his wife lying on the bed scarcely breathing. Her skin had turned blue due to lack of air, her face, flushed of its entire colour. She takes her last breath, after looking at her husband for the last time, looking like she was trying to keep herself alive just to look at him for the last time. He looks over her, her body and starts weeping. Screams out loud and suddenly wakes up from his sleep, panting and heaving. He drank a glass of water, walked to his window. Then turns around and walks to his wife’s side, kisses her on her head and goes back to sleep. Interpretation: 1. Made up himself. 2. Likes stories where you manage to escape something bad that is happening. When pointed out that in the first story, the person had not been able to escape, he said that he had had the premonition; he could have saved himself. Observation: Both the events have occurred at an unconscious level. From the stories given by the subject, it can be observed that the motivating needs in his case are: need for exhibition, need for abasement, need for affiliation and need for nurturance. The first two needs can be seen in both the stories and the latter two come out strongly in the second story. From his remarks, it can also be clearly seen that he has a tendency to submit passively to external forces and resigns to his fate. At the same time, a slight tendency to counteraction can also be observed when he gives himself a second chance to correct the wrong by indicating that the pain has occurred in his ‘dreams’. The need for nurturance and affiliation can be seen very clearly in the relationship indicated between the husband and wife in the second story. The need for exhibition can be observed in the way he has formulated his stories, giving both of them a dramatic end. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.2 Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) ASVAB (1968) is multiple aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and help predict future academics and occupational success in military. The ASVAB is series of test developed by Department of Defence and used by US Army to determine whether you have mental aptitude to enlist and is valid for two years. The ASVAB may be used as a computerised version at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) or in a paper version at various MET (Military Entrance Test) sites around country or high school and college. The ASVAB comprises of following eight individual sub-tests:  General Science  Arithmetic Reasoning  World knowledge  Paragraph comprehension  Three composite scores that determine career assessment- verbal skills, maths skills and science & technical skills. 4.3 Armed Force Qualification Test (AFQT) The AFQT Score is most important ASVAB score because it determines if one can enlist in the US Army. The Armed Forces Qualification Test, or AFQT, comprises of four sub-tests: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning, and Mathematics Knowledge. These sub-tests have been taken from the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The scores obtained on these four sub-tests make up the Military Entrance Score or the AFQT score. The AFQT score forms the basis of eligibility criterion for taking entry into the Armed Services. The same score is used as a standard to assess the training potential of a personnel in the Armed Services. Mathematical Calculation of the AFQT score is done by the following steps:  The Combined scores on Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension makes a composite known as Verbal Ability (VE).  The Verbal Ability score is added twice to the scores for Math Knowledge (MK) and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR). Mathematically, this is computed as: AFQT = 2VE + MK + AR.  The eligibility of personnel is determined by converting his AFQT Raw Score into a Percentile Score. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________  This Percentile Score is compared to the scores on a standardized national sample of other test takers, aged 18 to 23. The percentile scores tells an applicant how well he has scored contrasted with these other test takers. AFQT scores are positioned in categories (Table 1). AFQT Category represents to the individuals who are above normal in trainability; and Category V represents to the individuals who are greatly low in trainability. People scoring in Category V are by and large not allowed passage into the military. Table 1: AFQT Category Percentile Score Range Category Percentile I 93-99 II 65-92 IIIA 50-64 IIIB 31-49 IV 10-30 V 1-9 4.4 Comprehensive Ability Battery (CAB) The CAB, developed by Hakstain & Cattell in 1975, comprises of a total of 20 relatively short primary ability tests with each item having a working test of about 5-7 minutes. The CAB is based on Cattell's work in establishing Horn - Cattell theory of fluid and crystallised abilities (Cattell, R.B., 1963; Horn, J.L., Cattell, R.B., 1966). The development of the CAB started in 1971 and it took about four years till the initial item content, test reliability, and validity of the battery (including replication of the factor structure) was established. The tests in the CAB primarily measure an ability factor, which is known to be associated with job requirements of industry and organisational settings and career and vocational counselling. The tests are used individually or in various combinations for recruitment, selection, job placements and career development and counselling. Scales of CAB: Battery 1: Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Spatial Ability, and Perceptual Completion Battery 2: Clerical Speed and Accuracy, Reasoning, Hidden Shapes, Rote Memory, and Mechanical Knowledge Battery 3/4: Meaningful Memory, Memory Span (requires audio cassette), Spelling, Auditory Ability (requires audio cassette), and Aesthetic Judgment Battery 5: Organizing Ideas, Production of Ideas, Verbal Fluency, Originality, Tracking, and Drawing PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.5 Rotter’s Incomplete Sentences Blank The Rotter’s Incomplete Sentences Blank was developed by Julian Rotter. The test has parallel three forms which are meant for different age groups. The test consists of 40 incomplete sentences, which are 1-2 words long such as “I feel….”, “I regret…..” etc. The subject is expected to complete the sentence according to his own wish or understanding. Its goal was to give an assessment method which could be utilized impartially to screen and test a person and in addition to get specific diagnosis for treatment purposes. Examples of some of the sentences in The Rotter Sentence Completion Stems are shown below: If only I could......feel relaxed and composed. People I know...are ready to cheat you anytime. These completions are then scored by comparing them against typical items in empirically derived scoring manuals for men and women and by assigning to each response a scale value from 0to6. The aggregate score is an index of maladjustment. The major advantage of Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank Test is the freedom of response. The test takers are not forced to reply in objectively defined categories to the questions. Instead, subjects are free to complete the stems with nothing being labelled to be good or bad answer or a high score or a low score answer. In this way, the subject comes close to the responses which are apparent in his life. Further, Rotter’s test is applicable to both individualistic and group settings. Any number of group size can be chosen for conduction of the test with no known loss of apparent validity of the test. The interpretation of the sentences is done based on test takers’ clinical experience and the knowledge of theoretical perspectives and psychodynamic theories of personality on which the test is based. The test is to a great degree adaptable in that new sentence beginnings can be developed or appropriately customized for a variety of settings including clinical, applied, counselling, experimental and many others. 5. Summary  Military psychology is a broad, specialized, and complex field where knowledge from different branches of psychology converges and is applied to the military setting.  The psychological tests used for testing in civil services or military settings aim at assessing the psychological profile of the applicant such as his personality, intelligence, aptitude, ability, etc.  Based on various researchers in the field of Military Psychology have identified Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT), Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Armed Force Qualification Test (AFQT), CAB (Comprehensive Ability Battery) as significant psychological tests to be used for selection of officers and other ranks.  The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective technique of personality testing developed by Christiana Morgan and Henry Murray in the 1930s at the Harvard Psychological Clinic to assess the primary and secondary needs of individuals.  The Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a series of test developed by Department of Defence and used by US Army to determine whether a candidate has the mental aptitude to enlist in the military and civil services. PSYCHOLOGY PAPER No. 4 : APPLIED PSYCHOMETRICS MODULE No. 28 : ASSESSMENT IN CIVIL SERVICES AND MILITARY