Chap 2 Flashcards
History, Cultural and Ethical Considerations
When and where did testing programs first emerge?
China as early as 2200 B.C.E.
What was the primary purpose of early testing in ancient China?
Selecting candidates for government jobs.
What subjects were tested in the ancient Chinese examinations?
- Music
- Archery
- Horsemanship
- Writing
- Arithmetic
- Agriculture
- Geography
- Civil law
- Military strategy.
During which dynasty did tests emphasize knowledge of classical literature?
Song dynasty (960 to 1279 C.E.)
What privileges were granted to those who passed the imperial examinations in ancient China?
- Government job
- Special garb
- Special courtesies
- Exemption from taxes
- Exemption from torture interrogation.
True or False: Testing in ancient China was open to both men and women.
False
Who was the first to anticipate psychology as a science and psychological measurement as a specialty?
Christian von Wolff
What significant book did Charles Darwin publish in 1859?
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
What concept did Darwin’s writing on individual differences inspire?
Research on heredity.
Who is credited with devising many contemporary tools of psychological assessment?
Francis Galton.
Fill in the blank: Galton aspired to classify people according to their _______.
[natural gifts]
What statistical concept did Galton pioneer that is central to psychological experimentation?
Coefficient of correlation.
Who founded the first experimental psychology laboratory?
Wilhelm Max Wundt.
What did Wundt focus on in his research?
How people were similar.
What term did James McKeen Cattell coin in 1890?
Mental test.
Which psychologist introduced the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)?
David Wechsler.
What was the primary purpose of the group intelligence tests developed for military recruits?
Screening intellectual ability.
Who developed the Personal Data Sheet during World War I?
Robert S. Woodworth.
What was the Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory used for?
Measuring adjustment and emotional stability.
By the late 1930s, how many different psychological tests were in print?
Approximately 4,000.
What was synonymous with ‘clinical psychology’ in the late 1930s?
‘Mental testing’.
True or False: The first psychological clinic in the United States was founded by Lightner Witmer.
True
What did Galton’s Anthropometric Laboratory measure?
- Height (standing)
- Height (sitting)
- Arm span
- Weight
- Breathing capacity
- Strength of pull
- Strength of squeeze
- Swiftness of blow
- Keenness of sight
- Memory of form
- Discrimination of color
- Steadiness of hand.
What was one of the main focuses of Cattell’s research?
Individual differences in reaction time.
What was one of the test questions in the Personal Data Sheet developed by Woodworth?
Are you troubled with the idea that people are watching you on the street?
What is the name of the personality test developed by Woodworth for civilian use?
Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory
What is self-report in the context of personality assessment?
A process whereby assessees supply assessment-related information by responding to questions, keeping a diary, or self-monitoring thoughts or behaviors.
What are two advantages of self-report personality tests?
- Respondents are arguably the best-qualified people to provide answers about themselves.
- They can offer personal insights that may not be captured by other methods.
What are some disadvantages of self-report personality tests?
- Respondents may have poor insight into themselves.
- People might honestly believe things about themselves that are not true.
- Some respondents may be unwilling to reveal personal information.
What is a projective test in personality assessment?
A test where an individual is assumed to project their own needs, fears, hopes, and motivations onto an ambiguous stimulus.
Which famous projective test was developed by Hermann Rorschach?
Rorschach inkblots
Who popularized the use of pictures as projective stimuli in personality assessments?
Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan
What do respondents do in projective tests using pictures?
They are typically asked to tell a story about the picture they are shown.
What are the two distinct threads in the development of psychological measurement?
- Academic tradition
- Applied tradition
What historical context does the applied tradition of psychological assessment trace back to?
Ancient China and the examinations developed there to select applicants for various positions.
What contemporary issues do test users recognize regarding psychological assessment?
The role of culture in the human experience and the need for cultural sensitivity.
Fill in the blank: The _______ method of personality assessment has shortcomings due to respondents’ insights.
self-report
True or False: The Personal Data Sheet was widely used after its development.
False
What is the primary purpose of psychological assessment tools in society?
To help answer important questions about individuals’ qualifications, placements, or competencies.
is characterized by value being placed on traits such as self-reliance, autonomy, independence, uniqueness, and competitiveness.
individualist culture
came into being in the United States in response to the military’s need for an efficient method of screening the intellectual ability of World War I recruits.
group intelligence test
Originally christened the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale, the test was subsequently revised and renamed the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
is one in which an individual is assumed to “project” onto some ambiguous stimulus his or her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation. The ambiguous stimulus might be an inkblot, a drawing, a photograph, or something else.
projective test
Perhaps the best known of all projective tests is the Rorschach, a series of inkblots developed by the Swiss psychiatrist ___
Hermann Rorschach.
Defined as “the socially transmitted behavior patterns, beliefs, and products of work of a particular population, community, or group of people”
culture
tests designed for use with people from one culture but not from another, soon began to appear on the scene.
culture-specific tests
value is placed on traits such as conformity, cooperation, interdependence, and striving toward group goals.
collectivist culture
refers to voluntary and mandatory efforts undertaken by federal, state, and local governments, private employers, and schools to combat discrimination and to promote equal opportunity for all in education and employment (American Psychological Association, 1996a, p. 2).
affirmative action
is a body of principles of right, proper, or good conduct.
ethics
is recognized and accepted by members of a profession, it defines the standard of care expected of members of that profession.
a code of professional ethics
the level at which the average, reasonable, and prudent professional would provide diagnostic or therapeutic services under the same or similar conditions.
standard of care
refers to the consequence of an employer’s hiring or promotion practice that was intentionally devised to yield some discriminatory result or outcome.
Possible motivations for disparate treatment include racial prejudice and a desire to maintain the status quo.
disparate treatment
refers to the consequence of an employer’s hiring or promotion practice that unintentionally resulted in a discriminatory result or outcome.
disparate outcome
(the court-mediated resolution of legal matters of a civil, criminal or administrative nature)
litigation
“recognizes the freedom of the individual to pick and choose for himself the time, circumstances, and particularly the extent to which he wishes to share or withhold from others his attitudes, beliefs, behavior, and opinions”
privacy right
