Psychological Testing and Assessment Defined
 Psychological testing - the process of
measuring psychology-related variables by
means of devices or procedures designed
to obtain a sample of behavior.
- use to quantify
 Construct- some thing that is not directly
observable
Accrdng. To Cohen- something that is in the
mind ex: intelligence, extraversion,
perfectionism
 Tests- are used to measure constructs
- it doesn’t measure everything, only
the sample (draw meaningful conclusions about
the whole) tell something.
 Psychometrics- old name for psych
assessment (focus is not the testing only)
 Psychological assessment - the gathering
and integration of psychology-related data
for the purpose of making a psychological
evaluation that is accomplished through
the use of tools such as tests, interviews,
case studies, behavioral observation, and
specially designed apparatuses and
measurement procedures
- purpose: to make evaluation (make decision)
: to answer the referral questions
: communicated in form of a
psychological report
- goes beyond testing (interview)
- does triangulation (validate infos from family
members)
TESTING VS. ASSESSMENT
Purpose
 Testing- to obtain a score ( part of
assessment process)
 Assessment- answer the referral question
- doesn’t always lead to diagnosis.
how many clients
 Testing- individual/ group
- highly objective (means based on
what the test is saying)
- more on the psychometrician’s job
 Tailored fit- test fits to the needs of a
person and purpose of the assessment
EX: you don’t use MMPI for intelligence test
 Mental status exam: ex: what day is today?
: what do you celebrate on
dec. 25?
 Projective test: elaborated with
subjectivity
 Assessment- it is highly individualized
- have some degree of
subjectivity (uses clinical judgement, the use of
levels such as A,B, C)
- it is the job of psychologist- to real in a
conclusion and subjectivity here means going
beyond the test to look meaning for the
answers.
Conduct
 Testing- tester is not the key to the process
- technician like skills
 Assessment- accessors is the key to the
process of selecting tests and or the tools
for evaluation as well as in drawing
conclusions
-Requires an educated selection of
tools of evaluation, skill in evaluation,
and thoughtful organization and
integration if data.
Be careful in choosing the right assessment
tools as some may not be accurate to what is
needed to be test.
 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- is
controversial since it is very western
based.
 Stanford-Binet- more relatable
TOOLS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Psychological test
tests differ in terms of:
 format- essay, matching type,
identofication
 objective/ structured- this is what most
psychometricians use.
- this has options and can be
dichotomous (2 choices only like
true/false) and polychotomous (more than
2 choices like multiple choice types)
 unstructured- most psychologist use
- items needs to supply / provide
answers
- requires greater amount of
judgement (essay types)
 administration procedure
 group- regardless if one or 2 clients answer
it at the same time
 individualize- made for one on one
administration for a reason
however, some test doesn't require proctors
especially computer based tests.
 scoring- not all test has right/wrong
answers.
- may also have qualitative
interpretation
 psychometric properties- a good test
should have adequate norms.
- validity and reliability
- if being put in a situation where two
type of test is presented always follow whic test
is superior.
ex: neo pi r vs MBTI choose neo pi r
- test worthiness means what makes
the est reliable and valid
TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST
 Maximal or Human Ability Tests-
overlapping
 Achievement - refers to previous learning.
- measure what you learn already
- given at the end.
- formal learning
 Aptitude - refers to the potential for
learning or acquiring a specific skill.
- to know the posibility if you will be
good in acquiring that field of study in the
future. or being able to handle specific field of
study.
ex: entrance exams
- informal learning
 Intelligence - refers to a person's general
potential to solve problems, adapt to
changing circumstances, think abstractly,
and profit from experience.
- measure past and future learning
issue among these 3- they are overlapping
means they don't have a clear cut.
TYPICAL PERFORMANCE TEST
 Personality tests- are related to the overt
and covert dispositions of the individual.
 Structured personality- tests provide a
statement, usually of the self-report
variety, and require the subject to choose
between two or more alternative
responses such as 'True" or "False
EX: interest test- help find course you want to
take
aptitude test- measures attitude towards
something.
 Projective techniques- (a.k.a. projective
tests). either the stimulus (test materials)
or the required response or both-are
ambiguous.
- type of test wherein test takers
provide or generate answers and the assessor
will provide meaning to it.
- may trigger some underlying
psychological issues.
Ex. rorschach test and TAT
 test of abnormality- BEG anxiety inventory
(presence of psycopathology)
LEVELS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING
 Level A- Tests or aids that can adequately
be administered, scored, and interpreted
with the aid of the manual and a general
orientation to the kind of institution or
organization in which one is working.
- must have basic training on tes/administration
- ex: teacher made tests, national exams
 Level B- Tests or aids that require some
technical knowledge of test construction
and use and of supporting psychological
and educational fields such as statistics,
individual differences, psychology of
adjustment, personnel psychology, and
guidance.
- group administered objective
personality and ability tests (for
psychometricians)
- ex: neo-pi-r- group administered and
raven's progressiove matrices
 Level C- Tests and aids that require
substantial understanding of testing and
supporting psychological fields together
with supervised experience in the use of
these devices.
- individually administered personality
and ability tests; projective techniques
(for psychologist)
- ex: WAIS, Standfor-Binet, Projective
techniques
TOOLS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
 The Interview- A method of gathering
information through direct communication
involving reciprocal exchange.
 intake- called as the first interview before
the proper assessment.
 mental status exam- enggage in the
person's ability.
- can give you knowledge if the person
has psychological disorder/ intellectual
disability.
ex: what day is today? where are you now?
what time is it? - these are called as orientation
or the oriented times three
 oriented times three- Determine if the
person is "awake, alert, and oriented,
times three (to person, place, and time).
 Behavioral Observation - monitoring the
actions of others or oneself or Naturalistic
observation.
- the moment the client enters the
room, assessment already started. such
as observing the client's grooming,
physical appearance and action.
 Role-play- a tool of assessment wherein
assessees are directed to act as if they
were in a particular situation.
 The Portfolio- A work sample (similar to
I/O setting) or grandfather's clause which
provide evidence from past experiences
- referred to as portfolio assessment
when used as a tool in an evaluative or
diagnostic process.
 Case History Data- refers to records,
transcripts, and other accounts in written,
pictorial, or other form that preserve
archival information, official and informal
accounts, and other data and items
relevant to an assessee
 Computers as tools
 CAPA - computer assisted psychological
assessment- efficient since it saves time.
- anchored in item response theory
 CAT - for computer adaptive testing. The
adaptive in this term is a reference to the
computer's ability to tailor the test to the
testtaker's ability or testtaking pattern.
- AI is smart enough to give you easier
items until the time you reach your
limit. (dependent sa imong knowledge
and intelligence ang test items. the
more mag ka lisod if ma corrects nimo
ang previous items.)
advantage- it is quantifiable
some would use CAPA to evaluate the test pero
ang assessment gamiton japon ug subjective
clinical judgement. profound japon ang
explanation.
Pros and Cons of Computer Assisted
Psychological Assessment
Pros
• Efficiency in test administration, scoring, and
interpretation.
• Accuracy - minimal scoring errors.
• Uniformity - ensures standardized test
administration.
• Nonprofessional assistants can be used in the
test administration process, and the test can
typically be administered to groups of testtakers
in one sitting.
Cons
• Familiarity with the software
• Possibility of software or hardware error
• Leaves certain testtakers at a disadvantage
(previewing test, skipping questions, going back
to previous question, etc.)
TEST PARTIES
 Test Authors and Developers - They
conceive, prepare, and develop tests.
 Test Publishers - They publish, market, and
sell tests, thus controlling their
distribution.
 Test Users - Professionals who utilize
psychological tests for a specific purpose.
- Can also be the scorer and administer the test.
 Test Takers- clients
 Society at large- dictate what test needs at
large
 “quiet quitting” refers to employees who
put no more effort into their jobs than
absolutely necessary.
SETTINGS IN ASSESSMENTS
 Clinical setting- mostly for diagnosing
- test of abnormality(MMPI)
- mental ability- determine learning DO
- learning DO- use IQ test 2 standard
diviation below the mean to determine
- specific learning DO- has normal IQ
 counseling setting- provides counseling on
problems faced in day to day basis
- school/ often career guidance
- ex: interest test, personality test,
 educational setting- classroom exams and
are teacher made test items.
 industria setting- those in office
(employment)
 geriatric setting- old age testing to test if
there are neurocognitive DO (dimentia)
 forensic setting- legal basis
 government setting- state lisencing
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
 Tests and testing first came into being in
China as early as 2200 B.C.E.
 Imperial Examination: Passers typically
obtain a position in the government.
• music, archery, horsemanship, writing, and
arithmetic, as well as agriculture, geography,
civil law, and military strategy.
 (1859) Charles Darwin: argued that chance
variation in species would be selected or
rejected by nature according to adaptivity
and survival value.
 Darwin believed that those with the best
or most adaptive characteristics survive at
the expense of those who are less fit and
that the survivors pass their characteristics
on to the next generation.
 Francis Galton - research on heredity:
Classify people "according to their natural gifts"
and to ascertain their "deviation from an
average".
- he is inspired by the ideas of Darwin and
wanted to know the daviation from average
"gifted". wherein normal curve/ normal
distribution gained these ideas
- interested with differences
 Galton displayed his Anthropometric
Laboratory - height, arm span, weight, breathing
capacity, strength of pull, strength of squeeze
etc. (measure if the person if gifted)
 Wilhelm Max Wundt - first psychological
laboratory in Leipzig. Germany.
- Concerned with human abilities with respect
to variables such as reaction time, perception,
and attention span. (human abilities)
- In contrast to Galton, Wundt focused on how
people were similar, not different.
- The notion of standardization.
 James McKeen Cattell coined the term
mental test
- Required the freshmen in Columbia univ. to
take a battery of mental tests.
- sensation, reaction time, human memory span
etc.
- mental test and psych testing are equivalent
before
mental test( sensation, reaction time, human
memory span)
 Charles Spearman - reliability and factor
analysis.
- theory of intelligence (G and S)
THE MEASUREMENT OF INTELLIGENCE
 Binet-Simon test of 1905.
- Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon published a
30-item "measuring scale of intelligence"
designed to help identify mentally retarded
Paris schoolchildren.
- Binet Simon was ask to determine retarted
students and made a 30 item intelligence test
which is arranged from easy to difficult
- the first individual intelligence test
problems: individual assessment
: was made for the kids and not valid
for adult testing (criticism by Wechsler)
 Lewis Terman - from Stanfrod University
adopted the test to the US called as
Stanford- Binet and it is more applicable
for adult use.
 David Wechsler (1939)- a clinical
psychologist at Bellevue Hospital
introduced a test designed to measure
adult intelligence.
- adopted the test of Binet for adult use.
- Wechsler - intelligence was "the aggregate or
global capacity of the individual to act
purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal
effectively with his environment"
- one on one administration
- expanded the test from adult to children use.
 Group intelligence tests came into being in
the United States in response to the
military's need for an efficient method of
screening the intellectual ability of World
War I recruits.
 Robert Yerkes - developed two structured
group tests of human abilities: the Army
Alpha and the Army Beta.
• The Army Alpha and Army Beta. the first
group intelligence test
Comparison
 Binet- measures verbal and non verbal
 Wescheler - measures verbal and
performance( doesn't relay on language)
MEASURES OF PERSONALITY
 Robert S. Woodworth - assigned the task
of developing a measure of adjustment
and emotional stability that could be
administered quickly and efficiently to
groups of recruits.
 personal data sheet- name of the test. it is
To disguise the true purpose of one such
test. the questionnaire was labeled as a
"Personal Data Sheet."
Disadvantages of Self-Report
• Poor insight.
• People might honestly believe some things
about themselves that in reality are not true.
• Unwillingness to reveal anything about
oneself.
 projective techniques- your interpretation
of images shown at you.
- Various methods were developed to provide
measures of personality that did not rely on
self-report.
•- A projective test is one in which an individual
is assumed to "project" onto some ambiguous
stimulus his or her own unique needs, fears,
hopes, and motivation
Evolving Interest in Culture-Related Issues
 the U.S. Public Health Service began using
tests to measure the intelligence
immigrants entering U.S.
 Henry H. Goddard - chief researcher. Was
task to assess immigrants to the US
- Goddard then found that most immigrants
from various nationalities to be mentally
deficient when tested.
- Godadard is an Advocate of eugenics -the idea
that only people with what eugenicists declared
to be the most desirable traits should
reproduce.
- meaning only with the best genetics are
allowed to reproduce.
this is the label before
IQ Label
51-70 Moron
26-50 imbecile
0-25 idiot
Some Issues Regarding Culture and Assessment
 Verbal Communication- The examiner and
the examinee must speak the same
language.
- If a test is in written form and includes written
instructions, then the testtaker must be able to
read and comprehend what is written.
- translated item may be easier ormore difficult
than the original.
- Some vocabulary words may change meaning
or have dual meanings when translated
 Nonverbal Communication- In American
culture one who fails to look another
person in the eye when speaking may be
viewed as deceitful or having something to
hide.
- includes body language
 Standards of Evaluation- Judgments
related to certain psychological traits can
also be culturally relative.
- Whether specific patterns of behavior are
considered to be psychopathological also
depends on the prevailing societal standards.
- definition of abnormality differs in every
culture.
LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 Laws are rules that individuals must obey
for the good of the society as a whole
 A code of professional ethics is recognized
and accepted by members of a profession;
it defines the standard of care expected of
members of that profession
 laws- rules that individual mist obey
 ethics- recognized and adopted (flexible)
 morality- it is more personal
TEST CONCERN OF THE PROFESSION
 Test-user qualifications- Should just
anyone be allowed to purchase and use
psychological test materials? If not, then
who should be permitted to «se
psychological tests?
THE RIGHTS OF TESTTAKERS
 Right of informed consent
- Testtakers have a right to know why they are
being evaluated, how the test data will be used,
and what (if any) information will be released to
whom.
- Information of what is about to happen
 assent- is given to children (yes/no)
 consent- are legal documents and ideally
written than orally given
- Another consideration related to competency
is the extent to which persons diagnosed with
psychopathology may be incompetent to
provide informed consent.
- Individuals diagnosed with dementia, bipolar
disorder, and schizophrenia are likely to have
competency impairments that may affect their
ability to provide informed
- If a testtaker is incapable of providing an
informed consent to testing, such consent may
be obtained from a parent or a legal
representative. Consent must be in written
rather than oral form.
- The written form should specify (1) the general
purpose of the testing, (2) the specific reason it
is being undertaken in the present case, and (3)
the general type of instruments to be
administered.
- In instances where testing is legally mandated
(as in a court-ordered situation), obtaining
informed consent to test may be considered
more of a courtesy tan a necessity
 Right to be informed of test findings
 Privacy right: The freedom of people to
choose the time, circumstances, and
extent to which they wish to share or
withhold from others personal beliefs,
opinions, and behavior
privacy- within the relationship
- when the person is not yet ready to
open up about it, respect it.
 Confidentiality: The ethical obligation of
professionals to keep confidential all
communications made or entrusted to
them in confidence, although professionals
may be compelled to disclose such
confidential communications under court
order or other extraordinary conditions
confidentiality- outside the relationship
- not being able to disclose nformation
to others
 Right to the least stigmatizing label
- Should say that your client is a "feeble-minded,
at the high-grade moron level of general mental
ability."
- don't use derogatory words
 Catell- Horn- Carroll's Three Stratum
Theory of Cognitive Abilities
Narrow(stratumI)- quiz
Broad (startumII)- Grade per subject
General (startumIII)- GPA