Chapter 2: Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical Considerations Flashcards
China
Where tests and testing programs first came into being as early as 2200 BCE to select who, of many applicants, would obtain government jobs
Contents of Early Tests from China
Proficiency in endeavors such as music, archery, horsemanship, writing, and arithmetic were examined; so were agriculture, geography, revenue, civil law, and military strategy; knowledge and skill with respect to the rites and ceremonies of public and social life were evaluated
Song Dynasty
Emphasis placed on knowledge of classical literature
Imperial Examinations
State sponsored examinations for official positions; those who passed the examination were entitled to wear special gard which entitled them to be accorded special courtesis by anyone they happened to meet; exemption from government sponsored interrogation by torture if the individual was suspected of committing a crime
Middle Ages
Who was in leage with the Devil; various measurement procedures were devised to address this question
Christian Von Wolff
Anticipated psychology as a science and psychologic measurement as a specialty within that science;
Francis Galton
In the course of his efforts to explore and quantify individual differences between people, became an extremely influential contributor to the field of measurement; aspired to classify people according to their natural gifts and to ascertain their deviation from an average; pioneered the use of a statistical concept central to psychological experimentation and testing: the coefficient of correlation
Contemporary Tools of Psychological Assessment
Questionnaires
Rating Scales
Self-Report Inventories
Karl Pearson
Developed the product-moment correlation technique
Wilhelm Max Wundt
Ran the first experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany; he and his students tried to formulate a general description of human abilities with respect to variables such as reaction time, perception, and attention span; focused on questions relating to how people were similar; attempted to control all extraneous variables in an effort to reduce error to a minimum
Contemporary Assessment
Objective is to ensure that any observed differences in performance are indeed due to differences between the people being measured and not to any extraneous variables
James McKeen Cattell
Coined the term Mental test; responsible for getting mental testing underway in America; instrumental in founding the Psychological Corporation; the goal was the advancement of psychology and the promotion of the useful applications of psychology
Charles Spearman
Credited with originating the concept of test reliability as well as building the mathematical framework for the statistical technique of factor analysis
Victor Henri
Frenchman who collaborated with Alfred Binet on papers suggesting how mental tests could be used to measure higher mental processes
Emil Kraepelin
Early experimenter with the word association technique as a formal test
Lightner Witmer
Succeeded Cattell as director of the psychology laboratory at University of Pennsylvania; little founder of clinical psychology
Alfred Binet & Victor Henri
Published several articles in which they argued for the meaurement of abilities such as memory and social comprehension
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
Published a 30-item measuring scale of intelligence designed to help identify mentally retarted Paris schoolchildren
Sundry Mental Characteristics
Personality, Interests, Attitudes, values, and Widely varied mental abilities
David Wechsler
Clinical psychologist at Bellevue Hospital in NYC; introduced a test designed to measure adult intelligence
Intelligence
The aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Used to be called Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale
Group Intelligence Tests
Were first used 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
Robert S. Woodworth
Assigned the task of developing a measure of adjustment and emotional stability that could be administered quickly and efficiently to groups of recruits; Labeled the questionnaire as Personal Data Sheet which later was adapted for civilian use and was called Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory
Self-Report Test
Method of assessment tht would soon be employed in a long line of succeeding personality tests
Projective Test
One in which an individual is assumed to project onto some ambiguous stimulus his or her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation
Ambiguous Stimulus
Inkblot, a drawing, a photograph, or something else
Rorschach Test
Series of inkblots deeloped by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach
Culture
Socially transmitted behavior patterns, beliefs, and products of work of a particular population, community, or group of people
Henry Goddard
Highly instrumental in getting Binet’s test adopted for use in various settings in the United States; Raised questions about how meaningful such tests are when used with people from various cultural and language backgrounds
Culture-Specific Tests
Tests designed for use with people from one culture but not from another,
Issues Regarding Culture and Assessment
Verbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication and Behavior
Psychoanalysis
Theory of personality and psychological treatment developed by Sigmund Freud, symbolic significance is assigned to many nonverbal acts
Affirmative Action
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 in education and employment for all
Laws
Rules that individuals must obey for the good of the society as a whole-or rules thought to be for the good of society as a whole
Body of Ethics
Body of principles of right, proper, or good conduct
Principle of Ethical Resesarch
The researcher should never fudge dta; all data must be reported accurately
Minimum Competency Testing Programs
Formal testing programs designed to be used in decisions regarding various aspects of students’ education
Truth-in-testing Legislation
Primary objective was to provide testtakers with a means of learning the cirteria by which they are being judged; provide descriptions of
The test’s purpose of its subject matter
The knowledge and skills the test purports to measure
Procedures for ensuring accuracy in scoring
Procedures for notifying testtakers of errors in scoring
Procedures for ensuring the testtaker’s confidentiality
Technical Recommendations for Psychological Tests and Diagnostic Tests
A ddocument that set forth testing standards and technical recommendations
Ethical Standards for the Distribution of Psychological Tests and Diagnostic Aids
Defined three levels of tests in terms of the degree to which the test’s use required knowledge of testing and policy
Levels
Level A
Level B
Level C
Level A
Tests or aids that can adequately be administered, scored, and interpreted with the aid of the manual and a general orientation to the kind of institution or organization in which one is working (achieement or proficiency tests)
Level B
Tests or aids that require some technical knowledge of test construction and use and of supporting psychological and edcational fields such as statistics, individual differences, psychology of adjustment, personnel psychology, and guidance (aptitude tests and adjustment inventories applicable to normal populations)
Level C
Tests and aids that require substantial understanding of testing and supporting psychological fields together with supervised experience in the use of these devices (projective tests, individual mental tests)
Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
Presents standards for educational test developers in four areas:
- Developing/selecting tests
- Interpreting scores
- Striving for fairness
- Information testtakers
Major Issues with Regard to CAPA
Access to test administration, scoring, and interpretation software
Comparability of pencil-and-paper and computerized versions of tests
The value of computerized test interpretations
Unprofessional, unregulated psychological testing online
International Test Commission
Developed the International Guidelines on Compter-Based and Internet-Delivered Testing
Rights of Testtakers
The right of informed consent
The right to be informed of test findings
The right to privacy and confidentiality
The right to the least stigmatizing label
