prelim lesson 1 and 2

• Test


  A measurement device/ technique/ procedure used to find out the quality, performance, knowledge, skill, etc. of something or someone in a particular aspect or subject
• Tests


  • quiz
  • blood test
  • eye exam
• Psychological test


  A device or procedure designed to measure variables related to psychology; designed to measure characteristics of human beings that pertain to behavior
• Types of psychological behavior

  • Overt behavior- observable activities
  • Covert behavior- activities that cannot be directly observed
• Psychological tests


  • IQ test
  • personality test
  • interest test
• Psychological Testing


  The process of measuring psychology-related variables using devices or procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior
• Assessment


  A process used to evaluate something
• Assessments


  • survey
  • evaluation form
  • research
• Psychological Assessment


  The gathering and integration of psychology-related data to make a psychological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools and measurement procedures
• Psychological Assessments


  • behavior assessment
  • personality assessment
• Individual Tests


  Tests that can be given to only one person at a time
• Group Tests


  Tests administered to more than one person at a time by a single examiner
• Types of Ability Tests

  • Achievement Tests- measure previous learning
  • Aptitude Tests- measure the potential to learn or acquire skills
  • Intelligence Tests- measures a person's general ability to solve problems, adapt to changes, think abstractly, and profit from experience
• Personality Tests


  Measure the overt and covert dispositions of an individual
• Projective Tests


  Ambiguous stimuli are presented and the responses are assumed to show a person's needs, fears, hopes, and motivation
• Speed Tests


  Have time limits; uniform level of difficulty
• Power Tests


  Items gradually become harder
• Educational Assessment


  The use of tests and other tools to evaluate abilities and skills relevant to success or failure in a school context
• Retrospective Assessment


  The use of evaluative tools to conclude psychological aspects of a person as they existed at some point in time before the assessment
• Remote Assessment


  The use of evaluative tools to gather data and draw conclusions about a subject who is not in physical proximity (physically far) to the person conducting the evaluation
• Ecological Momentary Assessment


  The "in the moment" evaluation of specific problems and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the exact time and place they occur
• Collaborative Assessment


  The assessor and assessee work together as partners to solve a problem
• Therapeutic Assessment


  Self-discovery and new understandings/insights are encouraged throughout the assessment process
• Dynamic Assessment


  An interactive approach that follows a model of evaluation, intervention, and evaluation
• Process of Assessment


  1. Referral or meeting the client

  2. Selection of assessment tools to be used for the client

  3. Formal assessment begins

  4. Report writing
• Tools in Psychological Assessment

  • Psychological Tests
  • Interviews
  • Portfolio
  • Case History Data
  • Behavioral Observation
  • Role Play Tests
  • Computers
• Types of Computers in Psychological Assessment

  • Local processing- scoring may be done on-site
  • Central processing- scoring is conducted at a central location
  • Teleprocessing- scoring through phone lines, mails, or couriers
  • CAPA (Computer-Assisted Psychological Assessment)- the assistance that computers provide to the assessor for the ease of administering a test
  • CAT (Computer Adaptive Testing)- the computer tailors the test to the test taker's ability or test-taking pattern
• Parties Involved in Assessment

  • Test Developer- creates tests or other methods of assessment
  • Test User- professionals who administers and gives the test or assessment (assessor)
  • Test Taker- people talking and answering the test or assessment (assessee/client)
• Alternate Assessment and Accommodation

  • Alternate Assessment- the use of alternative assessment methods
  • Accommodation- making the assessment suitable for assessee with special needs
• Factors Affecting the Test Taker

  • Anxiety; Distress; Discomfort
  • Equivalent levels of understanding and agreeableness to the purpose of the assessment; Willingness
  • Biases; Prior coaching
  • Impression Management
• Assessment Settings


  • Educational Setting
  • Clinical Setting
  • Counseling Setting
  • Geriatric Setting
  • Business and Military Setting
  • Government and Organizational Credentialing
  • Academic Research Setting
• China (2200 B.C.E.): testing was used as a means of selecting who would obtain government jobs
• Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.): tests emphasized knowledge of classical literature
• Christian von Wolff - anticipated psychology as a science and psychological measurement as a specialty within that science
• Charles Darwin (1859) sparked the interest in individual differences
• Francis Galton (1869) classified people according to their natural gifts and to ascertain their deviation from an average
• Francis Galton contributed to the development of questionnaires, rating scales, and self-report inventories and pioneered the use of coefficient of correlation
• Wilhelm Max Wundt founded the first experimental psychology laboratory and focused on how people are similar
• James McKeen Cattell (1890) coined the term "mental test" and was instrumental in the founding of Psychological Corporation
• Charles Spearman was credited in originating the concept of test reliability and framework of factor analysis