Psych Testing and Assessment-Chapter 1 and 2 Flashcards
What is a test
A measurement device or technique used to quantify, aid in the understanding, and predict behaviour
What is an Item
- A specific stimulus (test/question/task) to which a person overtly responds
- Scored/evaluated (in terms of frequency or intensity)
- Measure of:
- ->Reliability
- ->Performance (skills, ability, knowledge)
- Predict Behavior
- Is objective/standardized
- Can be competitive
Test
Is there failing or passing a psychological test?
No, sometimes “acing” a test can suggest that someone has multiple symptoms (which may not be a good thing)
Testing vs. Assessment; A test is used to:
- Gauge an ability or attribute(usually numerical)
- Quantify data
Testing vs. Assessment; An Assessment is used to:
- Answer a referral question
- solve a problem
- Arrive at a decision (using tools/evaluation, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation)
- Is typically individualized
- Focuses on individual process (as opposed to results)
Assessment
- May be used individually or in groups
- Correct answers or responses are typically added up after administration to find results
Testing
-Tester is not key in process (anyone can admin)
Testing
- Assessor is key to drawing conclusions from the evaluation
- Assessor requires education, skill in evaluation, thoughtful organization/integration of data
- Assessor may require tools
Assessment
Measures skills in terms of speed, accuracy, or both.
Ability tests (ie. achievement, aptitude, intelligence)
Measures typical behavior, traits, temperaments, and dispositions
Personality Tests
-can be structured (objective) or projective
Three Principles of Psychological Testing
1) Reliability
2) Validity
3) Test Administration
Two Issues of Psychological Testing
1) Bias
2) Ethical Considerations
Test Battery
Use of two or more tests to determine results.
Is there a such thing as a “culture-free test”
NO, every test designed is based on a specific culture and this will affect how people respond
Intelligence Tests Measure
- what you already know
- ability or potential
- depict where an individual naturally excels
Personality Tests Measure
-Presumably stable characteristics or traits that underlie behavior
what is the MMPI
- personality test
- currently most widely used today
- uses factor analysis
What type of test (domain of psychology) will be used determine how long an athlete will need to recover (after injury)
Neuropsychology
What type is not very long since there is not much time to administer (no more than five minutes)
- BRIEF Test
- Cope Test
Health Psychology
What domain of psychology administers a test used to determine:
- if someone is fit for trial
- tests for disorders such as antisocial personality
Forensic Psychology
Domain of psychology that administers tests to determine if a child is developing at a normal rate.
For example:
-physical, mental development
-Reading/achievement
Child Psychology
Statistics used to describe the sample (ie. measures of central tendency-mean; mode; median)
Descriptive Statistics
Statistics used to determine relationships between variables such as:
-T-tests, ANOVA, Correlation Coefficient
Inferential Statistics
Four Scales of Measurement
1) Nominal
2) Ordinal
3) Interval
4) Ratio
Scale or measurement using numbers or categories
Nominal Scale
Scale or measurement that has some sort of rank or order
Ordinal Scale
Scale or measurement with an interval between two numbers or variables.
Interval Scale
Scale of measurement where the numbers have some sort of meaning
Ratio
Kurtosis
- Measure of variability.
- can be determined by looking at descriptive statistics kurtosis
- negative = platykurtic
- positive= leptokurtic
Masokurtic Kurtosis
Normal Distribution
Leptokurtic Kurtosis
Tall and pointy distribution
Platykurtic Kurtosis
Flat and wide distribution (platopus)
Z score
Allows one to compare results to a normal (standardized) distribution
Nominal Scale
- not really scales at all, does not have the property of magnitude , equal intervals or an absolute zero.
- nominal scales are used when the information is qualitative rather than quantative.
Ordinal Scale
Scale with the property of magnitude but not equal intervals or an absolute zero.
Scale allows you to rank individuals or objects but not to say anything about the meaning of the differences between the ranks.
Interval Scale
A scale that one can use to rank order objects and on which the units reflect equivalent magnitudes of the property being measured
Ratio Scale
An interval scale with an absolute zero, or point at which there is none of the property being measured.
construct validity evidence
- process used to establish the meaning of a test through a series of studies.
- To evaluate evidence for construct validity, a researcher simultaneously defines some construct and develops the instrumentation to measure it
- ->In the studies observed correlations between the test and other measures provide evidence for the meaning of the test.
