Chapter 16 - Psychological Testing and Diagnosis (ONE) Flashcards
5 Benefits of Testing
- Optimize effectiveness by tweaking approaches
- Verify legitimacy of treatments
- Identify and end use of pseudoscience
- Accountability, ex. having to report back to ministry, clients, insurance with proof of efficacy of treatments
- Meet ethical standards
Why do we test?
- to evaluate effects of intervention: done before/after and during treatment
- to guide decision making
- to prevent mistakes
What are some common test scores used in communication with clients? and the contexts in which they are used
- Grade equivalents; teachers making IEPs, ex. he has a 6th grade level of intelligence
- Age equivalents; adults with severe intellectual abilities, helps set realistic expections and get them help, ex. his intellectual development is that of a 6 year old
- Percentiles; used in a lot of contexts, he scored in the 6th percentile for intelligence
- Standard Scores; ex. IQ
- may not account for strengths and weaknesses
- help compare performance across time and different tests
Define: validity, content/construct/criterion validity
- validity; test measures what it says it measures, necessary but not sufficient
1. Content; test items test full range/content/symptoms of issue your testing - experts in a field judge this through consensus
2. Construct; similar tests are correlated
3. Criterion; test measures are correlated with some type of criterion, ex. those who test high on depression on a test should similarly get diagnosed with depression - test result should be able to predict result of a related test, ex. LSAT predicts how well you’d do in law school
Define: reliability
- inter-rater/observer
- test-retest
- parallel-forms
- internal consistency
- reliability; test yields the same values across repeated measurement of the same event, a test can be reliable and not valid
1. Inter-Rater/Observer; this is achieved when 2+ people judge the same test and agree on results - can reduce subjectivity
2. Test-Retest; subject would get same result if given same test over time without intervention, ex. IQ should be stable over time
3. Parallel-Forms; same test in different words, person should get same score
4. Internal Consistency; person will score similarly across themes of like construct
Threats to validity/reliability:
- Indirect measurement; measuring a behavior other than the behavior of interest, ex. indirect reporting (parent rating child)
- Human error
- Poorly designed measurement systems
- Inadequate training
- Unintended influences on test takers, ex. boredom, hunger, fatigue
Difference between Standardized vs. Non-standardized Tests?
- Standardized; given in same way to all people, norm based results, comparative, ex. IQ
- Non-standardized, ex. dynamic assessment
Difference between Individual and Group Tests?
- Individual, ex. IQ
- Group, ex. EQAO
Difference between Speed based and Power based Tests?
- Speed; ex. crossword puzzle
- Matrices/Power; person uses brain power to solve, ex. puzzle
Difference between maximum and typical Test goals?
- Maximum; goal is for maximum score, ex. IQ
- Typical; goal is for typical score, ex. Child Behaviour Checklist, Conners (ADHD)
Who created the first intelligence test? What is it called today?
- Alfred Binet
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
Who created the most used intelligence test? Why?
- David Wechsler
- he objected to the single score offered by the 1937 Binet scale
Define/explain: Achievement Tests
- measures the degree of an individual’s learning in a subject, ex. reading, math, and writing
- measures components of each
- used for educational placement, remediation, and diagnosis
- ex. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test. Wide Range Achievement Test
Define: Personality Test
- distinguish people experiencing psychiatric problems
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, used for normal people as well
- Rorschach, projective
- can be objective or projective; dependent on the interpretations of the assessor
What are some benefits and problems with diagnosis?
- opens the door for services, directs treatment, communication between professionals, allows person to externalize their “problem”
- stigma, multiple diagnoses and doctor shopping, can set up self-fulfilling prophesies for clients
