Psychological Test
An objective procedure for sampling and quantifying human behaviour to make inferences about a particular psychological construct using standardised stimuli and methods of administering and scoring
Objective procedure
the use of the same standardised materials, administration instructions, time limits and scoring procedures for all test takers
Criterion-referenced test
a psychological test that uses a predetermined empirical standard as an objective reference point for evaluating the performance of a test taker
- mastery of a specific skill
Norm-referenced tests
a psychological test that uses the performance of a representative group of people on the test for evaluating the performance of a test taker
- age related, culture related
Psychometric properties
the criteria that a psychological test has to fulfil in order to be useful
- validity and reliability
Limitations of psychological tests
- they are only tools
- they attempt to capture hypothetical constructs and therefore don’t always measure what was intended
- they can become obsolete
- can disadvantage a subgroup due to culture and language
History of psychological testing
- China
- Britain
- Alfred Binet
- World War I and II
- Weschler-Bellevue scale
- Personality testing post WWII
(see more in notes)
Psychological assessment
a broad process of answering referral questions, which includes but is not limited to psychological testing
Types of tests (2)
- Self-report test
- Performance test
Types of tests (8)
- Intelligence tests
- Aptitude tests
- Achievement tests
- Creativity tests
- Personality tests
- Interest inventory
- Behavioural procedures
- Neuropsychological tests
Psychological testing is used for:
- classification
- diagnosis and treatment planning
- self-knowledge
- program evaluation
- research
Considerations when administering a test
- Ensure test is appropriate for use
- Ensure a suitable venue is selected and booked
- Check all test materials are present and intact
Ensure adequate time is spent becoming familiar with the test
Culture fair test
a test devised to measure intelligence while relying as little as possible on culture-specific knowledge
Differences between psychological testing and assessment
- Objective
- Process
- Evaluator Role
- Outcome
(see notes)
Assumptions of testing and assessment
- Psychological traits and states exist
- Psychological traits and states can be quantified and measured
- Test-related behaviour predicts non-test-related behaviour
- Test and other measurement techniques have strengths and weaknesses
- Various sources of error are part of the measurement process
- Testing can be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner
- Testing/assessment benefits society
Scales of measurement
- Nominal - named groups
- Ordinal - named groups in order
- Interval - named groups in order, equal intervals
- Ratio - named groups in order, equal intervals, absolute zero
Norms
used to give information about a population based on observations of a standardised sample
Issues with norms
- Initial sample must be large enough to be adequately representative
- Need to be updated regularly to accurately reflect the population
- Criterion-referenced tests are sometimes based on arbitrary cut-points (random cut-offs)
Z-score
T-score
Z-score
- Mean = 0 and SD = 1
T-score
- Mean = 50 and SD = 10
Assessment process
- Obtain referral information
- Conduct a clinical interview
- Psychometric testing
- Collect collateral information
- Formulation of presenting issues
- Formal diagnosis
- Treatment recommendations and plan
- Feedback to client
