UNIT 2

COMPONENTS OF ASSESSMENT
• Psychological Assessment – the process of
collecting information to be used as the basis
for informed decisions by the assessor or by
those to whom results are communicated.
Psychological assessment – stages

•Planning,
•Data collection,
•Analysis
•Reporting
 PLANNING
• Starts with a referral question.
• Clarification with the referral before accepting.
• Acquiring Knowledge Relating to the Content
of the Problem
• Making assessment choices.
• Goal always follows from the referral question
Classification Description Prediction
 CLASSIFICATION

⮚ Traditional goal of assessment.

⮚ Use of diagnostic labels – norm
⮚ DSM , ICD
⮚ Used for diagnosis, treatment utility ,
certification, epidemiology.
⮚ But -
• Using of labels – lacks understanding beyond
the problem.
• Association with the medical model
• Poor diagnostic reliability of mental health
issues.
• Negative social stigma.
 DESCRIPTION
• Need to go beyond simple classification
• Traditionally, it meant – administering battery of tests,
interviews, observations.
• Descriptive assessment – more dimensional than
categorical.
• Also includes environmental factors.
• Uses – rich source of Data, treatment planning,
evaluate treatment outcome.
• Some question – treatment utility
• Current emphasis – brief assessment and treatment.
 PREDICTION
• Prognosis
• True positive , True Negative
• False Positive, False Negative
• Terms used – to describe accuracy of
diagnostic procedures:
• SENSITIVITY – probability of a behaviour
predicted to occur – and it does (TRUE
POSITIVE)
• SPECIFICITY - probability of a behaviour
predicted not to occur – and it does not (TRUE
NEGATIVE)
• Prediction is challenging –affected by many issues:
• Base rate problem –
• a person judges that an outcome will occur
without considering prior knowledge of the
probability that it will occur.
• Sometimes – some events have low base rate
phenomena – Eg: Suicide
• Chances of False Positive are High.
• Prognosis/Prediction (cont):
–Sensitivity – the number of times an event is predicted
compared to the actual number of events
–Specificity – the number of times a non-event is
predicted compared to the actual number of non-events

Prediction True Event True Non-Event

Event True Positives (A) False Positives (B)
Non-Event False Negatives (C) True Negatives (D)
Sensitivity: A / (A + C)
Specificity: D / (D + B)
 Example
A Psychologist who conducts assessments to determine
who is at risk for future suicide attempts

• Sensitivity – provides information on how well

the assessment procedures are able to detect
future suicide attempts
• Specificity – provides information on how well the
assessment procedures were able to identify
individuals who would not attempt suicide
• Ideal - ↑specificity and ↑sensitivity
• Clinical v/s statistical prediction
• Clinical – data collection – model – unique
understanding of the person,
• Statistical /actuarial – classifying based on
shared characteristics
• Both have strengths and weaknesses.
 DATA COLLECTION
• Interviews – inevitable – most common
method, straight forward
• Norm referenced tests – standradised ,
various facets
• Observations – first hand information
• Informal assessments – various strategies for
which no norm referenced test is available.
• Life records – academic, employment,
hospital, journals etc.,