PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

The roots of contemporary psychological testing and

assessment can be found in early 20thcentury in France
with Alfred Binet. An English-language version of Binet’s
test was prepared in schools in US.

The declaration of war by the US on Germany, the

beginning of WW1 where the military needs a way to
screen large number of recruits for intellectual and
emotional problems.

The tests measures (not only) intelligence but as well as

personality, brain functioning, performance at work and
many other aspects of psychological and social
functioning.

TESTING: The process of measuring psychology-related

variables by means of devices or procedures designed to
obtain a sample of behavior.

The objective of testing is typically to obtain some THE PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT

gauge, usually numerical in nature, with regard to an
ability or tribute.
ASSESSMENT: The gathering and integration of
psychology-related data for the purpose of making a
psychological evaluation through tools such as tests,
interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and
other methods.
The objective of assessment is typically to answer a
referral question, solve a problem or arrive at a decision
through the tools of evaluation.
TESTING VS. ASSESSMENT
In general, the process of assessment begins with a
referral for assessment from a source such as a teacher,
school psychologist, counselor, judge, clinician or
corporate human resource specialist.
- “Can this child function in a general educational
environment”?
- “Is this defendant competent to stand trial?”
- “How well can this employee be expected to
perform if promoted to an executive position?”
The assessor’s own past experience, education and
training play a key role in the specific tests or other tools
to be employed in the assessment.
After the assessment, the assessor writes a report of the
findings that is designed to answer the referral question.

More feedback sessions with the assessment or other

parties (assesses parents and the referring professional)
may be scheduled.

ASSESSMENT – APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT

Collaborative Psychological Assessment: The assessor

and assesses work as partners.
 - Therapeutic Psychological Assessment:
Therapeutic self-discovery is encouraged
through the assessment process.
Dynamic Assessment: Dynamic assessment is typically
employed in educational settings but also may be used
in correctional, corporate, neuropsychological, clinical,
and other settings.
It is used to describe the interactive, changing or varying
nature of the assessment.
THE TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
THE TEST
A psychological test is a device or procedure designed to
measure variables related to psychology (e.g.
intelligence, attitudes, personality, interests, etc.).
The behavior sample could range from responses to a
pencil-and-paper questionnaire, to oral responses
questions related to the performance of some task.
Behavior sample could be elicited by the stimulus of the
test itself or it could be naturally occurring behavior.
Psychological tests vary by content, format,
administration, scoring, interpretation, and technical
quality.
- Content: The subject matter of the test. Content
depends on the theoretical orientation of test
developers and the unique way in which they
define the construct of interest.
- Format: The form, plan, structure, layout of test
items, and other considerations (e.g. time
limits).
- Administration: Tests may require certain tasks
to be performed, trained observation of
performance, or little involvement by the test
administrators (e.g. self-report questionnaires).
Scoring and Interpretation: Scoring of tests may be
simple, such as summing responses to items, or may
require more elaborate procedures.
- Some tests results can be interpreted easily, or
interpreted by computer, whereas other tests
require expertise for proper interpretation.
Cut Score: A reference point, usually numerical, used to
divide data into two or more classifications (e.g. pass or
fail).
Technical Quality or Psychometric Soundness:
Psychometrics is the science of psychological
measurement. The psychometric soundness of a test
depends on how consistently and accurately the test
measures what it purports to measure.
- Test users are sometimes referred to as
psychometrists or psychometricians.
THE INTERVIEW
The interview is a method of gathering information
through direct communication involving reciprocal
exchange.
Verbal and nonverbal behavior.
Interviews vary as to their purpose, length and nature.
The quality of information obtained in an interview
often depends on the skills of the interviewer (e.g. their
pacing, rapport, and their ability to convey genuineness,
empathy, and humor).
OTHER TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
The Portfolio: A file containing the products of one’s
work. May serve as a sample of one’s abilities and
accomplishments.
Case History Data: Information preserved in records,
transcripts, or other forms.
- Case history data includes files or excerpts from
files maintained at institutions and agencies
such as schools, hospitals, employers, religious
institutions and criminal justice agencies.
- Other example of case history data are letters,
written correspondence photos, audiotapes,
work samples, postings to social networking
sites.
- Useful tool in a wide variety of assessment
context. In clinical evaluation,
neuropsychological evaluations, and school
psychologists.
Behavioral Observation: Monitoring the actions of
people through visual or electronic means.
Role-Play Tests: Assesses directed to act as if they were
in a particular situation. Useful in evaluating various
skills.
Computers as Tools: Computers can assist in test
administration, scoring, and interpretation.
- Scoring may be done on-site (local processing)
or at a central location (central processing).
Reports may come in the form of a simple
scoring report, extended scoring report,
interpretive report, consultative report, or
integrative report.
- Computer Assisted Psychological Assessment
(CAPA) and Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
have allowed for tailor-made tests with built-in
scoring and interpretive capabilities.
- Assessment is increasingly conducted via the
internet.
ADVANTAGES OF INTERNET TESTING
1. Greater access to potential test-users.
2. Scoring and interpretation tends to be quicker.
3. Costs tend to be lower.
4. Facilitates testing otherwise isolated
populations and people with disabilities.
WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW, AND WHERE?
WHO ARE THE PARTIES?
The test developer – Tests are created for research
studies, publication (as commercially available
instruments), or as modifications of existing tests.
- The Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing covers issues related to test construction
and evaluation, test administration and use,
special applications of tests and considerations
for linguistic minorities.
The test user –Tests are used by a wide range of
professionals.
- The Standards contains guidelines for who
should be administering psychological tests but
many countries have no ethical or legal
guidelines for test use
The test-taker – Anyone who is the subject of an
assessment or evaluation is a test-taker.
- Test-takers may differ on a number of variables
at the time of testing (e.g. test anxiety,
emotional distress, physical discomfort,
alertness, etc.)
Society at large – Test developers create tests to meet
the needs of an evolving society.
WHO ARE THE PARTIES
Laws and court decisions may play a major role in test
development, administration, and interpretation.
Other parties – Organizations, companies, and
governmental agencies sponsor the development of
tests.
Companies may offer test scoring and interpretation.
Researchers may review tests and evaluate their
psychometric soundness.
WHAT TYPE OF SETTINGS?
Geriatric settings: Assessment primarily evaluates
cognitive, psychological, adaptive, or other functioning.
The issue is quality of life.
Business and military settings: Decisions regarding
careers of personnel are made with a variety of
achievement, aptitude, interest, motivational, and other
tests.
Government and organizational credentialing: Includes
governmental licensing, certification, or general
credentialing of professionals (e.g., attorneys,
physicians, teachers, and psychologists).
Educational settings: Students typically undergo school
ability tests and achievement tests.
Diagnostic tests may be used to identify areas
for educational intervention.
Educators may also make informal evaluations
of their students.
HOW ARE ASSESSMENTS CONDUCTED?
Clinical settings: Includes hospitals, inpatient and
outpatient clinics, private-practice consulting rooms,
schools, and other institutions.
- Assessment tools are used to help screen for or
diagnose behavior problems.
Counseling settings: Includes schools, prisons, and
governmental or privately owned institutions.
Journal articles – Contain reviews of a test, updated or
independent studies of its psychometric soundness, or
examples of how the instrument was used in either
research or an applied context.
Online databases – Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC) contains a wealth of resources and news
about tests, testing, and assessment. There are
abstracts of articles, original articles, and links to other
useful websites.

- The goal of assessments in this setting is The American Psychological Association (APA) has a
improvements in adjustment, productivity, or number of databases including PsycINFO, ClinPSYC,
related variable. PsycARTICLES, and PsycSCAN.

There are many different methods used.
- Ethical testers have responsibilities before,
during, and after testing.
Obligations include:
Other sources – Directory of Unpublished Experimental
Mental Measures and Tests in Microfiche. Also,
university libraries provide access to online databases
such as PsycINFO and full-text articles.

- Familiarity with test materials and procedures

- Ensuring that the room in which the test will be
conducted is suitable and conducive to the
testing.
- It is important to establish rapport during test
administration. Rapport can be defined as a
working relationship between the examiner and
the examinee.

The law mandates “alternate assessment” – The

definition of this is up to states or school districts.

Accommodations need to be made –the adaptation of a

test, procedure, or situation, or the substitution of one
test for another, to make the assessment more suitable
for an assessed with exceptional needs.

WHERE TO GO FOR INFORMATION TESTS

Test catalogues – Catalogues distributed by publishers

of tests. Usually brief, and un-critical, descriptions of
tests.

Test manuals – Detailed information concerning the

development of a particular test and technical
information.

Reference volumes – Reference volumes like the Mental

Measurements Yearbook Tests in Print provide detailed
information on many tests.