Assessment

Question 1

5 Steps of Assessment process

Answer 1

1. Receive & Clarify referral question
2. Plan Data Collection
3. Collect Data
4. Process Data & form conclusions
5. Communicate results

Question 2

Key Psychometric Concepts

Answer 2

*** Technical Eclecticism—using 1 primary theoretical orientation (explain disorder, identify change processes, plan treatment) and willingness to use techniques from other approaches.
Theoretical Eclecticism—no clear orientation and using techniques “based on whatever seems interesting or convenient.”

Question 3

Psychometric Concepts:

Standardization (2)

Answer 3

. The test was given to a large sample so that an individual’s score on the test can be compared to those of others.

Question 4

Psychometric Concepts: Reliability (3)

Answer 4

Reliability = Consistency or agreement amongst assessment data
1.Test-retest (ideally the same results each time)

2. Internal consistency
3. Interrater reliability (2 different interviewer at the same time, do results come out the same)

Question 5

Psychometric Concepts: Validity (4)

Answer 5

Validity = the degree to which the measure captures what it is intended to.

1. Face validity - do test actually measure that construct?
2. Content validity - what extent does the measure capture the relevant content?
3. Criterion validity (predictive and concurrent) Is test related to spectrum criterion? If used to make prediction does it actually predict that?
4. Construct (Convergent and Discriminant validation) Does test relate to other measures/psychological test in a meaningful way? Ex. test of intelligence or cultural knowledge?

Question 6

4 Goals of Clinical Assessment:

Answer 6

A.Diagnostic Classification

B.Description

C.Treatment Planning

D.Prediction

Question 7

DSM 1

Answer 7

An attempt to to standardize clinical practices.

Essential feature of DSM 1 was the reaction concept (reaction, not a disease) . Eg. CP saw psychological disorders as reaction to life problems or circumstances

Question 8

DSM - What are the issues with diagnostic classifications?

Answer 8

From lecture

Question 9

DSM Categorical Model

Answer 9

Zone of rarity.

Question 10

Goals of treatment planning:

Description

Answer 10

Documenting facts which may be relevant to person & their condition. Ex - time/food/behaviour graph

Question 11

Goals of Clinical Assessment:

Treatment planning

Answer 11

Tx planning = must have diagnosis, find direction for treatment & then administer treatment.

Question 12

Goals of Clinical Assessment:

Prediction

Answer 12

prediction - Reality vs. Prediction. Make a dichotomous prediction, then “did it happen”? NB - the circles represent scores of measure. Predict ppl who are more conscientious are more likely to pass the exam. Then plot graph weather ppl who were more conscientious did better on exam.

Question 13

Sources of Assessment Data

Answer 13

• Interviews
●Tests
●Observations
●Life records (medical or school)

Question 14

Clinical Inference

Answer 14

•The degree to which raw data is interpreted or used to support more a more abstract hypothesis.
●Little inference = BDI score suggests he is experiencing severe symptoms of depression.
●Moderate = Lack of eye contact and shaking suggest social anxiety or lack of social skills.
●High = His refusal to provide an adequate number of responses to the ink plots suggests hostility and defensiveness, making him far from an ideal parent.

CP differ in amount they are willing to infer - possibly too many mistakes.

Question 15

Ecological Argument Re: CPs

Answer 15

“The question must not be what naïve judges do with inappropriate tasks under questionable conditions of comparability with actual clinical situations, but what the most sophisticated judges can do with appropriate methods under ideal conditions.”

Question 16

Heuristics : Problems with Clinical Inference (7)

Answer 16

• Information overload and heuristics
• Availability bias and Illusory correlations
• Anchoring bias
• Confirming bias
• Lack of accurate feedback
• Personal bias
• Ignoring base rates

Question 17

Informal Inference vs. Statistical Inference

Answer 17

Paul Meehl: Concluded statistical approach (making inferences based on…). Results of this research is to improve methods of training for CP to make the best predictions.

Question 18

Clinching Judgment (3)

Answer 18

•The clinician interprets or utilized clinical data using informal and subjective methods.
●It is based on the notion that experience enables clinicians to draw correct inferences that others could not make
●Clinicians differ in their informal and subjective methods.

Question 19

Mechanical Prediction (5)

Answer 19

●Applying explicit equations to the data
●Using actuarial prediction (similar to insurance companies)
●Algorithmic prediction (emulating expert judges)

●Once developed, no experts are required
●100% reproducible

Question 20

Clinical vs Mechanical Prediction (4)

Answer 20

●On average mechanical prediction is 10% more accurate than clinical prediction.
●In 33%-47% of studies mechanical prediction was substantially more successful than clinical prediction.
●Clinical prediction was often equal to mechanical prediction.
●In a few studies (6%-16%) clinical prediction was substantially more accurate than mechanical prediction.

Question 21

***Testing vs Assessment

Answer 21

Testing 1. Administered psy test and comparting to norms from standardization sample.
Assessment: is more than psych testing, it indiv interpretation of test findings. Ingrates personal history and also design to answer assessment question (does my son have autism?)