Psych Testing Flashcards
Behavioral
Psychological test ASSESS …
mental abilities and attributes
- achievement & ability
- personality
- neurological fxn
Psychological test ALLOW…
- an assessment of a pt’s cognitive and behavioral fxn
2. an analysis of changes related to; mental or physical disease, injury, abn development of the brain
Psychological test are used to address questions about peoples’s …
- fxning
- diagnostic classification
- co-morbidity
- choice of txt approach
General situation in which physicians uses psychologist …
- presence of underlying psych disorder
- emotional factors assoc with medical complaints
- psychological txt for chronic pain
- Treatment of chemical dependence
- Assessment of neuropsychological deficit (neuropsych assessment represents 1/3 of all psychological referrals to psychiatric and medical settings)
What is the purpose of neuropsychological testings?
method from evaluating pts who demonstrate cognitive or behavioral abnormalities
What are the ways neuropsychological testing is used in the medical context?
- differentiate btwn organic and functional disorders
- already documented neurologic disease/injury
- differentiate btwn neurological diseases/injuries and depression
- monitor drug therapy of epilepsy or hydrocephalus (efficacy or cognitive side effects)
- assess post surgical changes (to guide further txt)
- cognitive deterioration assoc with AIDS
- Alzheimers Disease (initial evaluation)
- Neurotoxic effects of alcohol and/or drugs
- children in educational context
- ADHD
Difference between organic and functional disorders
Organic: symptomatic manifestation of structural cerebral or system medical pathology
Functional: Psychological or emotional in nature
Reasons to neuropysch test someone with document neurological disease or injury
- uncertainty about the degree
- information on anatomic location and extent of dysfxn
- systematically track progress- rate of recovery and potential for returning to work
Difference between neurological disease/injuries from depressive disorders or other psy conditions and when to differentiate the two..
neurological disease: one of the types of dementia
injuries: trauma to the brain, stroke
(vignette: diagnosis is uncertain in a pt. with documented changes in cognitive fxn or pt. presents with complaints of memory impairment and slowness in thinking)
How is neuropsychological test used for deterioration assoc with AIDS
used for ..
- initial evaluation of cognitive deterioration
- re-evaluation of person with AIDS (distinguishes between organic deterioration and depression of chronic illness)
When is it inappropriate to assess the neurotoxic effects of alcohol or drugs …
during the detoxification period or within the early period of abstinence (results are thus unreliable)
When is neuropsych testing used in educational context with children
- changes in school performance (learning disorder)
- specific learning disabilities
- help child improve cognitive fxn at school, work, home
(testing not considered treatment of disease, thus not covered by insurance and provided by the school)
Testing for ADHD is NOT necessary unless …
- there is strong evidence of neurological disorder
How is ADHD best diagnosed?
through careful history, use of structural clinical interviews and rating scales
Commonly used rating scales for ADHD..
- Connors rating scale
- Achembach Child Behavior Checklist
- ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale
Distinguish between physicians and neuropsychologist
Physicians: attempts to detect physical lesions in the nervous system (evaluate how the brain fxn)
Neuropsych: more concerned with higher cortical fxns (memory, language behavior).. evaluate how the person is fxn as result of the brain
3 general areas of fxn
Personality
Intelligence
Memory
Name and explain the test for personality
The MMPI: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
- examinee sorts several hundred statements into one of three categories: true, false, cannot say
- interpretation driven by patterns of evaluations and depression in relation to one another
What is MMPI used for in the medical setting
- screening for psychopathology that has not been reported
- screening for substance abuse problems
- Organic vs Functional Etiology (MMPI can NOT be used alone; used to make inferences)
- understand psychological effects of medical conditions on pts
- Response to medical treatment
- predisposing factors (identifying factors assoc with risk for serious med problems; heart disease, cancer)
General Findings in pts. response to medical treatment…
- premorbidly emotional well-adj pts cope better with their serious medical problems than those less well adj
- better adj pts have better postoperative courses
Name and explain the test for intelligence …
The Wechsler Series (def: capacity to act purposefully, think rationally and deal effectively with his/her environment)
- Considered among the best of all psychological test
common name: IQ
Three test comprise the Wechsler Series
- WPPSI: preschool and primary scale of intelligence (Age: 3-7 years every 3 months)
- WISC: intelligence scale for children (6-16 years every 11 months)
- WAIS: Adult intelligence scale (16-89years): used for ADHD, LD, and Intellectual Disability
Name and explain the test for memory ..
Wechsler Memory Series (4th edition)
- yields a variety of so-called index scores assoc with various forms of memory
- used primarily for older adolescence and adults (16-90yrs)
- core component of any thorough cognitive assessment
- third most frequent used test by neuropsych
Test used for global measure of delayed memory …
Wechsler Memory Scales (4th edition)
Characteristics of Psychological Testing
- set of standardized test
- scored objectively (standardized)
- normal persons referenced of similar characteristics
- validity and reliability
- scores are reproducible (reliable)
- measure relative performance
Who conducts Psychological Testing?
- a clinically trained examiner (licensed psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the area) (about 8 hrs)
