PSYCHOMETRY

Psychology (from the Greek psyche, soul and logos, study) is a discipline that would literally mean
science of the soul”.

It is conceptualized as the study of the behavior of individual organisms in interaction with their
environment.

Contemporary psychology in the process of assimilating to the general status of the sciences, has
been incorporating their methodology. Along with this, new methods of study and understanding
of human behavior were appearing, which, supported by experimentation, gave rise, among
several options, to one that is known by the name of method.

The psychometric method is understood as the set of procedures that lead to the quantitative
assessment of psychological phenomena.

psychometry

Psychometry is a scientific discipline framed within the framework of Behavioral Sciences

Methodology and directly related to the field of psychological measurement.

At a practical level, psychometrics makes heavy use of statistical calculations and analysis to
extract useful information from the repeated administration of the same test to a large group of
people.

Psychometry is a branch of psychology and is a science whose purpose is to measure the

psychological aspects of a person (human behavior), such as:

The first psychometric tests were built to measure intelligence.

Basically, Psychometry deals with theory and practice in the development, evaluation and
application of measurement instruments within Psychology.

How are instruments to measure psychological variables constructed?

How is it determined if these instruments meet minimum quality requirements, so that they can
be used as scientific instruments in psychological research?

How can these instruments be used to obtain measurements of the subjects in the variables of
interest?, etc.

The field of psychometrics is very broad, in educational settings tests are used to diagnose learning
or behavioral problems.

In the counseling field, tests are used that measure occupational, social, academic, personality
skills, interests, attitudes, and values. They are also used in clinical counseling and business.

Psychometrics have been organized around three large blocks:

Measurement theory, which would cover everything related to the theoretical foundation of
measurement.

Scaling, which would cover what is related to the process of construction of measurement scales,
that is, the methods for the construction of psychological and psychophysical scales.

Test Theory, which would include what is related to how to evaluate these scales and how to use
them to measure objects or subjects, that is, the logic and mathematical models underlying the
construction and use of tests.

Measurement theory

Measurement scales in psychology is to use mathematical procedures to assign numbers and

identify physical and psychological attributes that make it possible to clarify individual differences.

A measurement scale allows the researcher to determine the type of statistical analyzes that
should be used to examine a test and thus be able to consider the test as good.

The importance of measurement in psychology lies in its desire to scientifically establish the
difference between traits and psychological states between individuals, for which different scales
are used that support the objective measurement of behavioral attributes.

Measurement and psychological theories. There are various theories that deal with the reason
why people behave as they do. Some theorists focus on heredity and environment as shapers of
human behavior.

Type, trait, psychoanalytic, and phenomenological theories are useful as a guide to measuring and
understanding personality.

Scaling

Scaling is the field of Psychometrics whose fundamental objective is the construction of

measurement scales and, therefore, includes all the necessary procedures for their elaboration.

Methods of elaboration of scales. It is defined as “elaboration of scales as the process of

establishing rules for the numerical assignment in the measurement.

It is the process by which a measurement device is designed and calibrated, and the way in which
numbers (or other indices), scale values, are assigned to different quantities of the trait, attribute,
or characteristic being measured.

Methods of elaboration of scales. There are usually different scalar measurement methods, which
may be aimed at measuring people, stimuli and types of response. The scalar measurement of
stimuli can be performed based on subjective estimates, since the evaluative task of the subject is
required.

Discriminative models are another option, these models emphasize the variability of the response
to each stimulus.
Methods of elaboration of scales. In the scalar measurement of subjects, the stimuli are
constituted in samples which are presented to the subject so that it provides a type of response.
They are three

the methods to measure types of response, the most important are: judgments and feelings,
comparative and absolute responses, response scale.

One-dimensional scaling methods. They allow ordering psychological objects (stimuli, subjects or
responses) with respect to a single attribute. In these scaling methods, each of the objects to be
scaled will receive a single value on the scale.

multidimensional scales. Multidimensional scaling techniques are used in large amounts of data in
relatively few parameters”, In this case, each object to be scaled will receive a scalar value for each
dimension (or attribute) involved.

Test or Test

A test is an instrument whose purpose is to be a test criterion and autonomous assessment of a

previously determined component of human behavior.

For this reason, for the test to enjoy this quality, it must meet some essential requirements:

Be standardized, that is, be objective (regardless of who applies or interprets it).

Be consistent and reliable.

Have sensitivity to discriminate between different subjects, Have validity.

Reliability concept. A test is considered good when it is reliable, reliability refers to the consistency
of the scores obtained by the same people when the same test or its equivalent is applied again.

A test lacks reliability when in deferred applications made to the same subject, measurements
with a significant variation are obtained.

One factor that affects reliability is the length of the test. When the number of samples in the test
is very large, it can lower its reliability. To determine the increase in the number of samples
without altering the reliability, there is a mathematical formula.

Concept of validity. In the first place, it must be clear what is to be measured, since the validity of
a test refers to the degree to which it measures what it is intended to measure.

The validity of a test is not stable, so it will have to be reviewed with certain periodicity.

The validation of a Test (proof) is the process of accumulation of tests and evidences”

In 1890 Mackeen Catell proposed the name "mental test" to date these have given rise to several
branches of knowledge and have been one of the most used instruments in research and
application in the Sciences of man, being counted when classifying them , five divisions among the
most significant:
Development Test.

Inteligence test.

Specific Aptitude Test.

Knowledge and Performance Test.

Personality test.

Psychological tests or tests are used to evaluate educational aspects, classification for example:

They are an important resource for testing research hypotheses.

In the clinic it is a method to diagnose normal or pathological behavior, or establish a therapeutic

treatment.

Intelligence in the area of work for the selection of personnel.

The tests are also used to diagnose the existence or absence of behavioral problems.

Process of preparing a test or test:

The vocabulary must be simple, accessible to all.

Technical terms and words whose meaning varies by region or social group should be avoided.

Very abstract formulations should be avoided as they can be misunderstood…”

When developing a test, it is essential to establish standards that allow interpreting the scores
resulting from the test.

Source: Gestiopolis

References:

Introduction to Psychometry.

http://www.uaim.edu.mx/web-carreras/carreras/ Etnopsicologia/07%20

QUARTER/PSICOMETRY.pdf

Introduction to Psychological Tests. http://download.rincondelvago.com/psicometria_4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psicometr%C3%ADa

Introduction to Psychometry, University of Madrid, Faculty of Psychology,

Madrid: XXI century.

http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/psilogia/fjabad/ PSICOMETRIA/MATERIALES/PROGRAMA
psicometria-2006-2007.pdf

Importance of progress in psychometric research.