Psychological Assessment PDF

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT is a process that involves checking the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from...

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT is a process that involves checking the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from personal interviews.  Collateralinformation is also collected about personal, occupational, or medical history, such as from records or from interviews with parents, spouses, teachers, or previous therapists or physicians.  Psychological testing Psychological testing refers to the administration of psychological tests. A psychological test is “An objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior”. (Anastasi) The term sample of behavior refers to an individual's performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand.  Nature of psychological test  Psychological tests are tools. To reap the benefits that tests can provide, one must keep this essential fact in mind: any tool can be an instrument of good or harm, depending on how it is used.  Test users need to know how to evaluate tests.  How good is this test for the particular purpose for which it is being used?  What kind of information can it provide about the person who takes it?  How can its result be integrated into the network of data leading to action decisions? What is a Psychological Test?  A Psychological Test is essentially an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior.  Objectivity - – the administration, scoring, and interpretation of scores are independent of the subjective judgment of the particular examiner.  subjective judgments and biases are minimized  Standardization - All procedures and steps must be conducted with consistency and under the same environment to achieve the same testing performance from those being tested. It implies uniformity of procedure in administering and scoring the test  TestNorms - are statistical representations of a population.  Theaverage test score within a large group of people where the performance of one individual can be compared to the results of others by establishing a point of comparison or frame of reference.  Reliability - Obtaining the same result after multiple testing.  Validity - The type of test being administered must measure what it is intended to measure.   Basal Age, Ceiling age, Mental Age & Intelligence Quotient.  Basal Age: The highest year level at which the examiner pass all the subtest of the scale.  Ceiling Age: The lowest year level at which the examiner fails all the subtests of the scale.  Mental Age: mental age is computed by adding to his basal age, the number of months credit received for passing each subtests up to his ceiling age.  In Equation,  MA= basal age + credit(until ceiling age)  Intelligence Quotient:  IQ is the ratio between mental age and chronological age; where age is expresses in months.  IQ = (Ma/CA)100  Important steps in the standardization:  The formulation of direction is a major part of the standardization of a new test. Such standardization extends to the exact materials employed, time limits, oral instructions, preliminary demonstrations, ways of handling queries from test takers, and every other detail of the testing situation. - the establishment of norms – representative performance for a group.  Itis administered to a large representative sample of the type of persons for whom it is designed.  Thisgroup, known as the standardization sample, serves to establish the norms. Such norms indicate not only the average performance but also the relative frequency of varying degrees of deviation above and below the average.  Types of Tests  Numerous types of tests are used in school.  There are different ways of categorizing test namely:  1. As to ease of quantification of response  2. As to mode of response  3. As to mode of administration  4. As to test constructor  5. As to mode of interpreting results  As To Ease of quantification of response  1. Objective test – a paper and pencil test wherein students’ answers can be compared and quantified to yield a numerical score. This is because it requires convergent and specific response.  2. Subjective test is a paper and pencil test which is not easily quantified as students are given the freedom to write their answer to a question, such as an essay test. Thus, the answer to this type of test is divergent. As to mode of response  1. Oral Test – wherein the test taker gives his answer orally.  2. Written Test – answers to questions are written by the test taker.  3. Performance Test – the test taker creates as answer or a product that demonstrated his knowledge or skill, as in cooking and baking. As to mode of administration  1. Individual tests – instruments, which by their design and purpose must be administered one on one  2. Group tests – largely pencil-and-paper measures suitable to the testing of a large group of persons at the same time.  As to test constructor  1. Standardized Test – a test prepared by an expert or specialist. This type of test samples behavior under uniform procedures. Questions are administered to students with the same directions and time limits. Results are scored following a detailed procedure based on its manual and interpreted in a specified norms and standards.  2. Unstandardized test is one prepared by teachers for use in the classroom, with no established norms for scoring and interpretation of results. It is constructed by a classroom teacher to meet a particular need. As to mode of interpreting results  1. Norm-referenced test is a test that evaluates a student’s performance by comparing it to performance of a group of students on the same test.  2. Criterion-referenced test is a test that measures a student’s performance against an agreed upon or pre- established level of performance. Main Types  Intelligence Test – attempts to measure your basic ability to understand the world around you.  It is a measure of a potential, not what you have learned, and so it is supposed to be independent of culture.  Fluid intelligence includes the broad ability to reason, form concepts, and solve problems using unfamiliar information or novel procedures.  Crystallized intelligence includes the breadth and depth of a person's acquired knowledge, the ability to communicate one's knowledge, and the ability to reason using previously learned experiences or procedures.  Examples of individual intelligence tests:  1. Standford-Binet Intelligence Test  2. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 3. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test The Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale an individually administered intelligence test that was revised from the original Binet-Simon Scale by Lewis M. Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University. The Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale is now in its Fifth Edition. It is a cognitive ability and intelligence test that is used to diagnose developmental or intellectual deficiencies in young children. The test measures five weighted factors and consists of both verbal and nonverbal subtests. The five factors being tested are knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, working memory, and fluid reasoning. Stanford–Binet Fifth Edition (SB5) classification IQ Range IQ Classification 145–160 Very gifted or highly advanced 130–144 Gifted or very advanced 120–129 Superior 110–119 High average 90–109 Average 80–89 Low average 70–79 Borderline impaired or delayed 55–69 Mildly impaired or delayed 40–54 Moderately impaired or delayed The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)  is a test designed to measure intelligence in adults and older adolescents. It is currently in its fourth edition (WAIS-IV). The original WAIS (Form I) was published in February 1955 by David Wechsler, as a revision of the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale that had been released in 1939. The fourth edition of the test (WAIS-IV) was released in 2008 by Pearson.  Wechsler's scale is founded on his definition of intelligence, which he defined as "... the global capacity of a person to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment.  Achievement and Aptitude Tests are usually seen in educational or employment settings, and they attempt to measure either how much you know about a certain topic (your achieved knowledge), such as mathematics or spelling, or how much of a capacity you have ( your aptitude) to master material in a particular area.  Examples:  DAT – Differential Aptitude Test Verbal Reasoning, Language Usage, Spelling, Numerical Ability, Space Relations, Mechanical Reasoning, ```Clerical Speed and Accuracy CAT – College Aptitude Test – predict academic success in college Personality Tests  -measure the traits, qualities, or behaviors that determine a person’s individuality; this information helps predict behavior. These tests come in several different varieties, including checklists, inventories, and projective techniques such as sentence completions and inkblots.  Two of the most well-known personality tests are: - the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI-2) composed of several hundred “yes or no” questions, and - the Rorschach(the inkblot test”, composed of several cards of inkblots –(you simply give a description of the images and feelings you experience in looking at the blots. Occupational/Interest Tests  Measure an individual’s preference for certain activities or topics and thereby help determine occupational choice. These tests are based upon the explicit assumption that interest patterns determine and therefore also predict job satisfaction.  Ifthe examinee has the same interest as the successful and satisfied accountant, it is thought likely that he or she would enjoy the work of an accountant.  References:  Anastasi, A. & Urbina, S. (2000) Psychological Testing 7th Edition Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: MacMillian Publishing Co.  Cohen, Ronald Jay & Swerdlik, Mark E. Psychological Testing and Assessment 9th Edition McGraw –Hill, NY 2018  Gregory, Robert J.- Psychological Testing: History, Principle, & Application,3rd Edition Allyn & Bacon, 2000  Handouts from Seminar- Workshop Attended  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_testing