Introduction Flashcards
What is Assesment
Need of an biological or social organism to judge situations to make decisions that guarantee their survival & self-development
Assessment & Psychology
Psychology seeks to develop a set of tools & procedures (qualitative & quantitative), to evaluate human psychological characteristics
Field of psychological assessment creates suitable instruments for investigation of psych constructs
What is Psychological Assessment?
Process of testing that uses a combination of techniques to help arrive at some hypotheses about a person & their behaviour, personality & capabilities
Quantitative Assessment
Psychometrics
Dichotomous responses
Polytomous responses
Qualitative Assessment
Interviews
Observations
Checklists
What is Psychometrics?
Measurement of psychological constructs
E.g. intelligence, abilities, executive functions, personality
Evaluated the attributes of psychological tests
Why study Psychometrics?
To investigate the manifestation of psychological characteristics & traits in a systematic & standardised way
Produces technical & scientific knowledge
How does Psychometrics benefit society?
Provides subsidies for development, administration, analysis & interpretation of psychological assessment tools
Psychological tests
Systematic procedure for comparing the behaviour of 2 or more people
Involves behaviour samples, collected in systematic way, purpose being to compare behaviours of 2 or more people
Standardised sample of behaviour which can be described on numerical scale or category system
Used to derive inference about behaviour
Why are psych tests standardised?
Uniformity of procedure in important aspects of administration, scoring & interpretation
Use of standards for evaluating test results; norms derived form group of individuals (normative/standardisation sample) in process of developing test
Scale
1) whole test made up of several parts
2) subtest, set of items within test, measures distinct & specific characteristic
3) array of subtests that share some common characteristic
4) separate instrument made up of items designed to evaluate single characteristic
5) numerical system used to rate or to report value on some measures dimension, a Likert scale
Battery
Group of several years or subtests that are administered at one time to one person
Limitations of testing
A test is always a means to an end & never an end in itself
Can be helpful when used appropriately & skilfully
Current uses of psychological tests
1) Decision making; determine bases upon which to select, place, classify, diagnose or otherwise deal with individuals, groups, organisations or programmes
2) Research; provide well-recognised method of studying nature, development & interrelationships of cognitive, affective & behavioural traits
3) Self-understanding & personal development; counselling & psychotherapeutic settings in which the client is the main & only user of test results
