CHAPTER 5: TYPES OF TESTS

Tests can be broadly grouped into two camps:

Group tests are largely pencil-and-paper measures suitable to the
testing of large group of persons at the same time.
Individual tests are instruments which by their design and purpose
must be administered one on one.
An important advantage of individual tests is that the examiner
can gauge the level of motivation of the subject and assess the
relevance of other factors (e.g. impulsiveness or anxiety) upon the
test results.

OTHER TEST CLASSIFICATION

 Standardized v. Non Standardized

 Norm-Referenced v. Criterion-Referenced

 Individual v. Group
efficiency of administration

 Objective v. Non objective

method of scoring the test

 Speed v. Power
time limit of a test

 Verbal v. Performance
content or task presented to examinees

Verbal materials (e.g. diagrams and puzzles)

Performance tests require manipulation of objects (e.g. putting

pegs into holes).

 Cognitive v. Affective
content or process

Cognitive tests attempt to quantify the processes and products

of mental activity and maybe classified as measures of
achievement and aptitude.
 Affective tests are designed to assess interests, attitudes,
values, motives, temperament, traits and other noncognitive
characteristics of personality

 Maximum performance v. Typical performance

Maximum Performance
- Subjects are given a well-defined task that they try to perform
successfully.
- Subjects exert maximal effort to succeed
- (e.g. IQ test, language proficiency, flight simulator, biology
test, etc.)

MAIN TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS

Intelligence Tests
Measure an individual’s ability in relatively global areas such as verbal
comprehension, perceptual organization, or reasoning and thereby help
determine potential for scholastic work or certain occupations.

The term intelligence test refers to a test that yields an overall

summary score based on results from a heterogeneous sample of items.

Theories of Intelligence
Spearman G – Factor Theory of Intelligence
Guilford’s Structure of Intelligence Theory
Thurstone’s Seven Primary Mental Abilities
Vernon’s Hierarchical Approach
Catell’s Second Order Effects
Piaget’s Developmental Theory
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Aptitude Tests
Measure the capability for a relatively specific task or type of skill;
aptitude tests are, in effect, a narrow form of ability testing.
An aptitude test measures one or more clearly defined and relatively
homogenous segments of ability.
 Two varieties:
Single aptitude tests – appraise only one ability
Multiple aptitude test batteries – provide profile of scores for a
number of aptitudes
Aptitude tests are often used to predict success in an occupation,
training course, or educational endeavor.
The most common use of aptitude tests is to determine college
admissions.
Achievement Tests
Measure a person’s degree of learning, success, or accomplishment in
a subject or task.
The implicit assumption of most achievement tests is that the schools
have taught the subject matter directly.
The purpose of the test is to determine how much of the material the
subject has absorbed or mastered.
Creativity Tests
• Assess novel, original thinking and the capacity to find unusual or
unexpected solutions, especially for vaguely defined problems.
• Educators were especially impressed that creativity tests required
divergent thinking—putting forth a variety of answers to a complex or
fuzzy problem—as opposed to convergent thinking—finding the single
correct solution to a well-defined problem.
Personality Tests
• Measure the traits, qualities, or behaviors that determine a person’s
individuality; such tests include checklists, inventories, and projective
techniques such as sentence completions and inkblots.
Interest Inventories
• Measure an individual’s preference for certain activities or topics and
thereby help determine occupational choice.
• Interest tests are based on the explicit assumption that interest
patterns determine and, therefore, also predict job satisfaction. For
example, if the examinee has the same interests as successful and
satisfied accountants, it is thought likely that he or she would enjoy the
work of an accountant.
Behavioral Procedures
• Objectively describe and count the frequency of a behavior, identifying
the antecedents and consequences of the behavior.
• The assumption is that behavior is best understood in terms of clearly
defined characteristics such as frequency, duration, antecedents, and
consequences.
Neuropsychological Tests
• Measure cognitive, sensory, perceptual, and motor performance to
determine the extent, locus, and behavioral consequences of brain
damage.