Chapter 4 - Psychological Assessment Flashcards
Approaches to Prediction
Clinical approach – use of clinician’s experience/judgement
Draws on available data
Subject to cognitive biases
Actuarial approach -- requires objective standard
Empirical data (statistics, rules)
**Clinical approach better, but actuarial often ends up happening
Flaws of Clinical Judgement
Confirmation bias
Anchoring heuristic
Representativeness heuristic
Availability heuristic
Experience does not mean more accurate
Brain Imaging
Electroencephalogram (EEG) – electrodes places on various parts of scalp
Amplifies/records brain activity
Detects… seizures, brain lesions, tumors
Computed Tomography (CAT or CT scan)
X-rays projected through head – 180 degrees
Combine images to produce 2D imaging of cross-section of brain
Structural abnormalities and changes from treatment
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRI – structure and functioning of brain
fMRI – dynamic view of brain activity (metabolic changes)
Position Emission Tomography (PET)
Combination of CT and radioisotope imaging
Inject radiation – measure biological activities in brain
Neuropsychological Assessment
Determine relations between brain function and behaviour
First conduct screening – determine if neurological impairments present
Common Screening Tests
Bender visual-motor gestalt test – copy then draw designs
Scored on quality
Fake negatives
RBRANS – addresses range of abilities (memory, visuo-spatial, attention, etc.)
12 subtests
Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) – assess broad range of domains
Very useful in hospital setting (10 min)
Psychological Assessment
Unstructured interviews
Structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews
Assessment of Intelligence
Stanford-Binet intelligence scales
Determine children’s educational requirements
Wechsler adult intelligence scale (WAIS-IC)
Average: 100 (SD = 15)
Lower extreme: <70
Exceptional intelligence: >130
Other IQ notes
Most stable psychological trait
Predicts future (academics, occupation, income, life satisfaction)
Criticized due to fairness – cultural backgrounds
Personality Assessment
Pros: not fakeable, not limited objectively
Cons: lack of objectivity, no systematic scoring, low validity/reliability
Rorschach inkblot method
Thematic apperception test – story from cards
Personal Inventories
Pros: standardized with norms, valid/reliable
Cons: prone to faking and social desirability
MMPI-2 – self-descriptive sentences
Inform diagnosis and treatment
Forensic setting, personnel testing
Extremely lengthy
Millon clinical multiaxial inventory-IV – self-descriptive sentences
Emphasizes personality disorders
Validity items
Personality assessment inventory (PAI) – likert scale questions
Validity scales (clinical)
Corresponds directly to DSM
Behavioural Assessment
Observable and quantifiable behaviour (past and future)
Naturalistic observation
Analogue observation (real-life replication)
Functional behavioural assessment
ABC’s – antecedent, behaviour, consequence
Problems with Behavioural Assessment
Reactivity – Hawthorne effect
Observer drift – less accurate and criteria gradually change over time
Experimental Methods
Experiment (controlled)
Cause-and-effect – variable manipulation
Random assignment
Internal vs external validity
Quasi-experimental methods
No random assignment – selected on basis of specific characteristic
No manipulation
