Cohen

• Psychological Testing and Assessment

  An Introduction to Tests and Measurement
• Psychological Testing and Assessment


  Defined as the tools used to measure psychological traits and states
• Tools of Psychological Assessment

  • The Test
  • The Interview
  • The Portfolio
  • Case History Data
  • Behavioral Observation
  • Role-Play Tests
  • Computers
• Who are the parties involved in psychological assessment?

  • Assessors
  • Testtakers
• Settings where assessments are conducted

  • Clinical
  • Educational
  • Organizational
• Why are assessments conducted?

  • Diagnosis
  • Selection
  • Placement
  • Evaluation
• Authoritative information on psychological assessment can be found in reference sources
• Behavioral assessment using smartphones is an emerging tool
• Accommodations are sometimes needed for assessments
• The Wealth of Nations was written in 1776
• Rational (in classical economic theory)

  Economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• A firm increases advertising


  Demand curve shifts right
• Demand curve shifting right

  Increases the equilibrium price and quantity
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• The subject matter of this course is psychological testing and assessment
• Psychological testing


  A process that can be impersonal, noncreative, uninspired, routine, and even robotic in nature
• Psychological assessment


  A human, dynamic, custom, creative, and collaborative enterprise
• The authors attempt to draw students into the world of testing and assessment by humanizing the material, in contrast to the "by-the-numbers" approach of some competitors
• The authors do not include a supplementary exercises workbook, as they believe decisions regarding supplementary exercises are best left to individual instructors
• The authors' approach focuses on making the textbook practical, timely, and "real-life" oriented, providing students with a comprehensive account of how psychological tests and assessment-related procedures are used in practice
• The textbook is organized into five major sections: An Overview, The Science of Psychological Measurement, Assessment of Intelligence and Personality, Assessment for Specific Applications, and Professional, Legal, and Ethical Issues
• The textbook includes a "Statistics Refresher" chapter early on, to address the issue that not all students are adequately prepared with statistical knowledge to begin learning measurement concepts
• The textbook was the first to present detailed information related to factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) in an introductory measurement textbook
• The depth of presentation of complex topics like IRT and utility analysis is guided by extensive reviews from instructors, with the goal of providing a conceptual understanding appropriate for an introductory course
• The book is designed for students taking a first course in psychological testing and assessment
• The objective in presenting material on methods such as IRT and utility analysis is to acquaint the introductory student with these techniques
• The depth of the presentation in these and other areas has been guided and informed by extensive reviews from a geographically diverse sampling of instructors who teach measurement courses
• What is currently required is a conceptual understanding of commonly used IRT methods
• The presentation of IRT material effectively conveys such an understanding without unnecessarily burdening students with level-inappropriate formulas and calculations
• In past editions, two chapters were devoted to the assessment of intelligence
• The logic of the approach to include a chapter on the nature of intelligence had widespread appeal and revolutionized the way the measurement course was taught
• The philosophy of "less is more" when it comes to coverage of psychological tests has also been revolutionary
• Coverage of the construct and assessment of intelligence can now be accomplished in a single chapter
• Part IV covers the assessment of personality, and Part V covers testing and assessment in action
• Content selection is based on what students need to know, as well as topics that will engage interest and stimulate critical or generative thinking
• This edition features more guest-authored essays from psychological assessment experts around the world
• Coverage of cultural issues is essential and begins in Chapter 2, with echoes throughout the book
• The book sets the standard for coverage of historical and legal/ethical aspects of measurement in psychology