Because learning changes everything.

Chapter 1
Psychological Testing and
Assessment

Copyright © 2022 McGraw Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the
prior written consent of McGraw Hill, including, but not limited to, network storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
 Psychological Testing and Assessment

• The objective of testing is typically to obtain some gauge, usually

numerical in nature, with regard to an ability or attribute.
• The objective of assessment is typically to answer a referral question,
solve a problem, or arrive at a decision through the tools of evaluation.

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 Psychological Testing and Assessment Defined

• Psychological assessment: 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 specially designed apparatuses and
measurement procedures.
• Psychological testing: Process of measuring psychology-related
variables by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain a
sample of behavior.

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 Varieties of Assessment

• Educational assessment: Refers to the use of tests and other tools

to evaluate abilities and skills relevant to success or failure in a school
or pre-school context.
• Retrospective assessment: Refers to the use of evaluative tools to
draw conclusions about psychological aspects of a person as they
existed at some point in time prior to the assessment.
• Remote assessment: Refers to the use of tools of psychological
evaluation to gather data and draw conclusions about a subject who is
not in physical proximity to the person or people conducting the
evaluation.
• Ecological momentary assessment (E M A): Refers to the "in the
moment" evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and
behavioral variables at the exact time and place that they occur.

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 Process of Assessment

Collaborative psychological assessment: The assessor and assessee

work as partners.

Therapeutic psychological assessment: An element of therapy is part

of the process.

Dynamic assessment: Refers to an interactive approach to

psychological assessment that usually follows a model of evaluation,
intervention of some sort, and evaluation.
• Typically employed in educational settings but may also be used in
correctional, corporate, neuropsychological, clinical, and other
settings.

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 Tools of Psychological Assessment

Test.
• A psychological test is a device or procedure designed to measure
variables related to psychology (for example, intelligence, attitudes,
personality, and interests)
• Psychological tests and other tools of assessment vary by content,
format, technical quality, and administration, scoring, and
interpretation procedures.

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 Psychological Tests 1

• Content: The subject matter of a test varies with the focus of the
particular test and based on the theoretical orientation of different test
developers
• Format: The form, plan, structure, layout of test items, and other
considerations (Example: Time limits).
• Administration : Tests may either involve demonstration of certain
tasks demanded of the assessee and trained observation of
performance or may not even require the involvement of test
administrators.

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 Psychological Tests 2

Scoring and interpretation: Scoring of some tests may be simple, such

as summing responses to items.
• Some may require more elaborate procedures.
• Some tests results can be interpreted easily or interpreted by
computer, whereas other tests require scoring by trained examiners.
• Cut score: A reference point, usually numerical, derived by judgment
and used to divide data into two or more classifications (for example,
pass or fail).

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 Psychological Tests 3

Technical quality or psychometric soundness: Psychometrics is

defined as the science of psychological measurement.
• One refers to the psychometric soundness of a test when referring to
how consistently and how accurately a psychological test measures
what it purports to measure.
• Psychometrists or psychometricians: Professionals who use,
analyze, and interpret psychological test data.

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 The Interview

The interview is a method of gathering information through direct

communication involving reciprocal exchange.

Interviews vary based on their purpose, length, and nature.

The quality of information obtained in an interview often depends on the

skills of the interviewer.
• Example: Their pacing, rapport with the interviewee, and their ability to
convey genuineness, empathy, and humor.

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 Other Tools of Psychological Assessment 1

• Portfolio: A file containing the products of one's work; it may serve as

a sample of one's abilities and accomplishments for the purpose of
evaluation.
• Case history data: Information preserved in records, transcripts,
and/or other forms that preserve archival information, official and
informal accounts, and other data and items relevant to an assessee.
• Behavioral observation: Monitoring the actions of people by visual or
electronic means while recording quantitative and/or qualitative
information regarding those actions.

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 Other Tools of Psychological Assessment 2

• Role-play tests: Assessees are directed to act as if they were in a

particular situation; this is useful in evaluating various skills.
• Computers as tools: Computers can assist in test administration,
scoring, and interpretation.

Dave and Les Jacobs LLC/Blend Images

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 Computers as Tools 1

• 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) has allowed for
tailor-made tests with built-in scoring and interpretive capabilities

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 Computers as Tools 2

Assessment is increasingly conducted via the internet.

Advantages of Internet testing.

• Greater access to potential test users.
• Scoring and interpretation tend to be quicker.
• Costs tend to be lower.
• Facilitates the testing of otherwise isolated populations and people
with disabilities.

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 Other Tools Used in Psychological Assessment

Tools traditionally associated with medical health.

• Thermometers to measure body temperature.
• Gauges to measure blood pressure.

Biofeedback equipment.

Penile plethysmograph.

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 Who, What, Why, How, and Where?

Who are the parties?

• Test developer: Creates tests for research studies, publications (as
commercially available instruments), or modifications of existing tests.
• Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing covers issues
related to test construction and evaluation, test administration and
use, and special applications of tests such as considerations when
testing linguistic minorities.

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 Who Are the Parties? 1

The Test user: Psychological tests and assessment methodologies are

used by a wide range of professionals.
• The Standards and other published guidelines have a say in who
should administer psychological tests and who should have access to
psychological tests and related tools of psychological assessment.
• Many countries have no ethical or legal guidelines for test use.
• Testtaker: Anyone who is the subject of an assessment or evaluation
is a testtaker.
• Testtakers may differ on a number of variables at the time of
testing.
• Example: Test anxiety, emotional distress, physical discomfort, and
alertness.

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 Who Are the Parties? 2

Society at large: Test developers devise new tests to meet the needs of
an evolving society.
• Laws are enacted that may play a major role in test development,
administration, and interpretation.
• Other parties: Organizations, companies, and governmental agencies
sponsor the development of tests for various reasons.
• Companies may offer test-scoring and interpretation services.
• Academicians may review tests and evaluate their psychometric
soundness.

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 What Types of Settings? 1

• Educational settings: Students

typically undergo school ability
tests and achievement tests.
• Diagnostic tests may be used
to identify areas of educational
intervention.
• Educators may also make
informal evaluations
of their students.

Eric Crama/Shutterstock

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 What Types of Settings? 2

Clinical settings: Tests and other forms of assessment are widely used in
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: Assessments may occur in environments such as

schools, prisons, and governmental or privately owned institutions.
• The goal of assessments in this setting is improvements in
adjustment, productivity, or some related variable of the assessee.

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 What Types of Settings? 3

• Geriatric settings: Assessments that primarily evaluate cognitive,

psychological, adaptive, or other functioning; it focuses on the quality
of life.
• Business and military settings: Decisions regarding careers of
personnel are made with a wide range of achievement, aptitude,
interest, motivational, and other tests.
• Government and organizational credentialing: Include governmental
licensing, certification, or general credentialing of professionals
(Example: Attorneys, physicians, and psychologists).

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 What Types of Settings? 4

• Academic research settings: Academicians should have a sound

knowledge of measurement principles and tools of assessment.
• Health psychology: A discipline that focuses on understanding the
role of psychological variables in the onset, course, treatment, and
prevention of illness, disease, and disability.

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 How Are Assessments Conducted?

Different methods are used

Responsible test users have obligations before, during, and after testing
or any measurement procedure is administered.
• Obligations include:

• 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.

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 Assessment of People with Disabilities

A number of laws have been enacted that affect

the conditions under which tests are administered
to people with disabling conditions.
• The law mandates the development and
implementation of "alternate assessment," and
the definition of this is up to individual states or
school districts.
• Accommodations: The adaptation of a test,
procedure, or situation, or the substitution of
one test for another are essential to make the
assessment more suitable for an assessee
with exceptional needs.

Huntstock/Getty Images

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 Where to Go for Authoritative Information on Tests 1

• Test catalogues: Catalogues distributed by publishers of tests; they

usually contain brief and uncritical descriptions of tests.
• Test manuals: Contain detailed information concerning the
development of a particular test and technical information.
• Professional books: Books are available for assessment professionals
to supplement, reorganize, or enhance the information typically found
in the manual of a very widely used psychological test.
• Reference volumes: Reference volumes like the Mental
Measurements Yearbook or Tests in Print provide detailed information
on many tests.
• 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

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 Where to Go for Authoritative Information on Tests 2

Online databases.
• Educational Resources Information Center (E R I C) 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 American Psychological Association (APA) has a number of
databases including PsycINFO, ClinPSYC, PsycARTICLES, and
PsycSCAN.

Other sources.
• Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures: Source for
exploring the world of unpublished tests and measures.
• University libraries provide access to online databases, such as
PsycINFO and electronic journals.

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 Because learning changes everything. ®

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Copyright © 2022 McGraw Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill, including, but not limited to, network storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.