Personal

• The roots of contemporary psychological testing and assessment can be found in early twentieth century France.
• In 1905 Alfred Binet and a colleague published a test designed to help place Paris schoolchildren in appropriate classes.
• During World War I in 1917 the military needed a way to screen large numbers of recruits quickly for intellectual and emotional problems Psychological testing provided this methodology.
• During World War II the military would depend even more on psychological tests to screen recruits for service.
• Before, testing was the term used to refer to everything from the administration of a test to the interpretation of a test score.
• During World War II, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) used a variety of

  procedures and measurement tools psychological tests among them in selecting military personnel for highly specialized positions
• Robert Yerkes is the one who introduced the Army Aplha and Army Beta.
• The OSS model would later inspire what is now referred to as the assessment

  center approach to personnel evaluation.
• By World War II, a semantic distinction between testing and a more

  inclusive term, assessment, began to emerge.
• Psychological Testing is a process of measuring psychology-related variables by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior. It involves the use of formal tests such as questionnaires or checklists. Thes are often described as "norm-referenced tests".
• Psychological Assessment refers to the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a pscyhological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools such as tests, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and specially designed apparatuses and measurement procedures.
• Psychological assessment is a problem solving process of identifying and using relevant information about individuals, groups, or institutions for the purpose of decision making and recommendations.
• Psychological evaluation - Although the terms evaluation and assessment are often used interchangeably, evaluation is a component and

  often end product of the assessment process.
• The process of assessment:

  1. Referal question
  2. Evaluate reason for referral
  3. Planning data collection
  4. Data collection
  5. Interpreting the data (score, interret and integrate data)
  6. Communicating assessment data (feedback)
• Collaborative psychological assessment - the assessor and assessee may work as “partners” from initial contact through final feedback (Fischer, 1978, 2004, 2006).
• Therapeutic psychological assessment - therapeutic self discovery and new understandings are encouraged throughout the assessment process.
• Dynamic assessment refers to refers to an interactive approach to psychological assessment that usually follows a model of (1) evaluation, (2) intervention of some sort, and (3) evaluation.
• The Tools of Psychological Assessment:

  • The Test
  • The Interview
  • The Portfolio
  • Case History
  • Behavioral Observation
  • Role-Play Tests
  • Computer as Tools
  • Other Tools (video, thermometers, biofeedback equipment)
• Educational Assessment - use of tests and other tools to evaluate abilties and skills relevant to sucess or failure in a school/pre-school context.
• Retrospective assessment - use of evaluative tools to draw conclusions about psychologocal aspects of a person as they existed at point in the 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 (EMA) refers to the "in the moment" evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the very time and place that they occur.
• The test may be defined simple as a measuring device or procedure.
• Psychological test refers to a device or procedure designed to measure variables related to psychology (intelligence, personality, aptitude, interest, attitudes and values).
• Psychological tests and other tools of assessment may differ with respect to a number of variables such as:

  • Content
  • Format
  • Administration procedures
  • Scoring and interpretation procedures
  • Technical quality
• Content - subject matter of the test
• Format pertains to the form, plan, structure, arrangement, and layout of test items as well as to related considerations such as time limits. Also refer to the form in which a test is administered: computerized, pencil-and-paper, or some other forms.
• Administration procedures - may involve demonstration of various kinds of tasks on the part of the assessee as well as trained observation of an assessee’s performance.
• In testing and assessment, we may formally define score as a code or summary statement, usually but not necessarily numerical in nature, that reflects an evaluation of performance on a test, task, interview, or some other sample of behavior.
• Scoring is the process of assigning such evaluative codes or statements to performance on tests, tasks, interviews, or other behavior samples.
• A cut score (also referred to as a cutoff score or simply a cutoff) is a reference point, usually numerical, derived by judgment and used to divide a set of data into two or more classifications.
• Psychometric soundness refers to how consistently and how accurately a psychological test measures what it purports to measure.
• Psychometric utility refers to the usefulness or pratical value that a test or assessment technique has for particular purpose.
• Interview - method of gathering information through direct communication

  involving reciprocal exchange. May be done face to face or through any other formats such as telephone, online interviews, e mail interviews, and interviews conducted by means of text messaging.
• Panel interview also referred to as a board interview, in here more than one interviewer participates in the assessment.
• Motivational interviewing may be defined as a therapeutic dialogue that combines person-centered listening skills such as openness and empathy with the use of cognition-altering techniques designed to positively affect motivation and effect therapeutic change.
• Interviews differ with regard to many variables such as their purpose, length, and nature.
• Portfolio - work products retained on paper, canvas, film, video, audio, or some other medium. (e.g., sample writings, sample drawings, etc
• Case history 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. (e.g., other data and items relevant to an assessee.
• Group think - arises as a result of the varied forces that drive decision-makers to reach a consensus. It is a phenomenon where members of a group prioritize consensus and harmony over critical thinking.