Psychological Assessment - Flash Cards
Thematic Apperception Test
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is based on Murray’s theory of needs and presents the examinee with vague black-and-white pictures that include one or more human figures. The examinee is asked to make up a story about each picture and his/her responses are scored and interpreted in terms of several factors including the story’s “hero,” the intensity, frequency, and duration of needs, environmental press, thema, and outcomes expressed in each story.
Norm-, Criterion-, and Self-referenced Scores
The scores provided by most tests can be categorized as norm-, criterion-, or self-referenced. Norm-referenced scores permit comparisons between an examinee’s test performance and the performance of individuals in the norm group. Criterion-referenced scores permit interpreting an examinee’s test performance in terms of what the examinee can do or knows with regard to a clearly defined content domain or in terms of performance or status on an external criterion. Self-referenced scores are provided by ipsative scales and permit intraindividual comparisons - i.e., comparisons of an examinee’s score on one scale with his/her scores on other scales.
Curriculum-Based Measurement
Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) involves periodic assessment of school-aged children with brief standardized and validated measures of basic academic skills that reflect the current school curriculum for the purposes of evaluating instructional effectiveness and making instructional decisions.
Bender-Gestalt-II
The Bender-Gestalt II is a measure of visual-motor integration that is also used as a screening tool for neuropsychological impairment. It includes 16 stimulus cards consisting of geometric figures that the examinee first copies and then draws from memory.
ITPA-3
The ITPA-3 (Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, Third Edition) is appropriate for individuals ages 5:0 to 12:11. It was designed to evaluate a child’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of linguistic abilities, assist in the diagnosis of dyslexia and problems related to phonological coding, and track a child’s progress as the result of an intervention.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA requires that (a) all disabled people from infancy to 21 years of age must be evaluated by a team of specialists to determine their specific needs; (b) an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) must be developed for each disabled child enrolled in the public education system that provides education for the student in the “least restrictive environment” and that has been approved by the child’s parents; and (c) while reliable, valid, and nondiscriminatory psychological tests can be used, assignment to special education classes cannot be made on the basis of IQ tests only.
Raven’s Progressive Matrices
Raven’s Progressive Matrices is a nonverbal measure of general intelligence (g) and is considered useful as a multicultural test because it is relatively independent of the effects of specific education and cultural learning. There are several versions including the Standard Progressive Matrices and Colored Progressive Matrices.
PPVT-4
The PPVT-4 (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition) is a measure of receptive vocabulary. It is designed for examinees ages 2:6 to 90+ years; and is useful for people with a motor or speech impairment and can be administered to any examinee who is able to hear the stimulus word, see the drawings on the cards, and in some way communicate a response.
Standardization
Standardization refers to two characteristics of a test. First, a test is standardized when the administration and scoring procedures are clearly defined. Second, a test is standardized when it has been administered under standard conditions to a representative sample for the purpose of establishing norms.
Mini Mental State Exam
The Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) is a screening test for cognitive impairment for older adults and assesses six aspects of cognitive functioning: orientation, registration (immediate recall), attention and calculation, delayed recall, language, and visual construction. The maximum score is 30, and a score of 23 or 24 is ordinarily used as a cutoff, with scores below the cutoff indicating cognitive impairment.
Larry P. V. Riles
The case of Larry P. was brought by plaintiffs on behalf of African American children who were disproportionately enrolled in special education classes in the San Francisco school system. Based primarily on the testimony of experts, the judge handed down the opinion that “IQ tests are racially and culturally biased, [and] have a discriminatory impact on Black children” and enjoined San Francisco public schools from using them to place Black children in special education classes.
Triarchic Theory
Sternberg’s triarchic theory defines “successful intelligence” as the ability to adapt to, modify, and choose environments that accomplish one’s goals and the goals of society and proposes that it is composed of three abilities - analytical, creative, and practical.
Differential Validity
The term differential validity has two meanings: In the context of multiaptitude batteries, differential validity is desirable, and a battery lacks differential validity when each test or subtest has similar validity coefficients for each criterion group or category. In the context of job selection, differential validity is undesirable and occurs when a predictor has different validity coefficients for different groups of individuals (e.g., men and women).
Halstead-Reitan
The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery is used to detect brain damage and determine its severity and possible location. It produces a Halstead Impairment Index that ranges from 0 to 1.0, with higher scores indicating greater impairment.
Glasgow Coma Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale is used to assess level of consciousness following brain injury and involves rating the patient in terms of three responses - visual response (eye opening), best motor response, and best verbal response.
