midterm chap3 Flashcards
collection of relevant information to reach a conclusion; idiographic information
assessment
information used to determine whether, how, and why a person is behaving abnormally and how that person may be helped
clinical assessment
administering a test to a group of research participants whose performance will then serve as a common standard, or norm, against which later individual scores will be measured
standardized tests
the consistency of an assessment measure; a test yields the same results every time when given to the same people or different judges agree on how to score and interpret a particular tool
reliability
the accuracy of a tool’s results
validity
a tool’s ability to predict future characteristics or behavior
predictive validity
a degree to which the measures gathered from one tool agree with the measures gathered from other assessment techniques
concurrent validity
a face-to-face encounter
clinical interview`
devices for gathering information about a few aspects of a person’s psychological functioning from which broader information about the person can be inferred
clinical tests
tests that require clients to interpret vague stimuli, such as inkblots or ambiguous pictures, or follow open-ended instructions (like drawing a person)
projective tests
test designed to determine a person’s intellectual ability
intelligence tests
strengths of intelligence tests
tests have been standardized among large groups of people; tests have also shown high reliability as well as validity
weaknesses of intelligence tests
factors like low motivation or anxiety can affect test performance; IQ tests may also contain cultural biases in their language or tasks that place people of one background at an advantage and vice versa
a determination that a person’s psychological problems reflect a particular disorder
diagnosis
a cluster of symptoms that usually occur together
syndrome
who created the DSM?
The American Psychiatry Association (APA)
how many disorders are in the DSM-5?
over 500
requirements of the DSM-5
requires clinicians to provide categorical and dimensional information as part of a proper diagnosis
information that refers to the name of the distinct category (disorder) indicated by the client’s symptoms
categorical information
information that is a rating of how severe a client’s symptoms are and how dysfunctional the client is across various dimensions of personality and behavior
dimensional information
using all available information, clinicians attempt to paint a cluster of symptoms and make a diagnosis (a determination that a person’s psychological problems constitute a disorder)
classification systems
weaknesses of clinical interviews
lack of validity or accuracy; interviewer biases or mistakes in judgment
when observers depart from the standard procedures in set ways and therefore rate the same events differently over time
observer drift
type of bias that occurs when the researcher has personal judgment or perspective that affects their ability to reach or discuss an impartial conclusion
observer bias
