Ch 5: Assessment Overview Flashcards
What is psychological assessment?
- different from everyday which is automatic
- iterative decision-making process where data are systematically collected on a client
- includes multiple sources and perspectives
- addresses a specific goal
What is the assessment process?
- many steps
- maintains awareness of and sensitivity to client characteristics throughout process
What are some client characteristics to keep in mind?
- age
- gender
- ethnicity
- culture
- sexual orientation
- religious beliefs
What is evidence-based assessment?
- uses research and theory to guide decisions on: variables assessed, methods and measures used, manner in which assessment process unfolds
- measures demonstrate solid psychometric properties
What is unique about clinical psychologists process?
- one of the only health care professionals that assess to diagnose
What competencies are expected at the point of licensure?
- knowledge of individual and cultural characteristics
- demonstrate effective interviewing
- select instruments based on normed data and address limitations
- administer and score instruments following current guidelines and psychometric research
- ## interpret and synthesize results from multiple sources
What is assessment-focused assessment used for?
- screening for criteria*
- diagnosis and case formulation
- prognosis
- treatment recommendations*
- educational or custody placement*
- eligibility for benefits*
What is intervention-focused assessment used for?
- diagnosis and case formulation
- prognosis
- treatment planning*
- treatment monitoring*
- treatment evaluation*
What was diagnosis previously called? What is is called now?
- psychodiagnosis
- case formulation: reflects the full extent of the comprehensive process
What are the 5 p’s?
- predisposing factors
- precipitating factors
- perpetuating factors
- protective factors
What are predisposing factors?
- already existing characteristics that make someone more likely to develop a mental health issue
- ex. genetics, prenatal exposure, inter-generational trauma
What are precipitating factors?
- things that activate or trigger the acute experiencing of a disorder or symptoms
- ex. puberty, environmental disaster, job loss, new school
What are perpetuating factors?
- things going on that are causing the experience to be worse or to persist
- ex. parental divorce with court proceedings lasting a long time
What are protective factors?
- prevents things from getting worse
- ex. achievement in school, meditation, self-care, strong social support
What is sensitivity?
- number of times an event is predicted across cases compared with the total number of times event actually occurs
- how well we detect something that’s truly there
What is specificity?
- proportion of true negatives
- how well we can rule out disorders
What is a psychological test?
- an evaluative device or procedure in which a sample of an examinee’s behaviour in a specified domain is obtained and subsequently evaluated and scored using a standardized process
Why must one be cautious about online tests?
- anyone can make an online test
- some are good, standardized tests however
What are the characteristics of testing?
- yields scores on a measure
- requires standard administration and scoring
- can be conducted by a trained technician
What are the characteristics of assessment?
- addresses a specific question
- usually has multiple sources of data including standardized testing but also interview
- requires integration and interpretation
What are the psychometric qualities of a psychological test?
- standardization
- reliability
- norms
- validity
What is standardization?
- consistency across clinicians and testing occasions in the procedure used to administer and score the test
- deviations may invalidate results
What is reliability?
- consistency of the test including: internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability
- not always expected to be high
What are norms?
- provide basis upon which to decipher meaning of examinee scores
- types of scores: percentiles, standard, age/grade equivalents, cut-offs
What is validity?
- evidence that test truly measures what is is supposed to
- content validity, concurrent validity, predictive validity, discriminant validity
Why is a normal curve useful?
- norms used to determine severity of someone’s symptoms
- can see if a score is meaningfully deviant
What are common referral reasons for children and adolescents?
- cognitive/learning ability
- neurodevelopmental profile
- behavioural dysregulation
- mood/anxiety symptoms
- adjustment/transition difficulties
What are the common referral reasons for adults?
- mood/anxiety symptoms
- personality
- parenting capacity
- cognitive/learning ability
What are common differences in assessment between children/adolescents and adults?
- different referral reasons
- adults: single informant and self directed, children: multi-informant, and someone else
- with children must take into account developmental considerations
When is parental consent needed?
- if 12 or younger
- but want children to know what is going on in general
What are some ethical considerations in assessment?
- informed consent (who made referral, who will get copy of report)
- awareness of limits of confidentiality
- responsible caring (selecting appropriate tools)
- interpreting data in context and fairness
- indicate basis for result and sources of data used in assessment
What are the limits of confidentiality?
- harm to self
- harm to others
- abuse of child
- subpoenas
- harm from others
