Week 2: Writing Psychological Reports Flashcards
What is the key function of a report?
To present the assessment findings in a clear and integrated way.
What does the report communicate?
It communicates recommendations in direct response to the referral questions.
What are the four themes proposed by the Society for Personality Assessment when assessing report writing proficiency?
- Comprehensiveness
- Integration
- Validity
- Client-centred
What does “comprehensiveness” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
It refers to aspects such as the length, identification of the referral source and the referral question, the presentation of client history as relevant to the referral questions, behavioural observations from the assessment process, and a summary of impressions that integrates the client history, behavioural observations and the test results to address the referral question.
What does “integration” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
It refers to how well the test interpretations are geared towards responding to the specific referral questions.
What does “validity” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
It places emphasis on conclusions being accurate and making evidence-based interpretations.
What does “client-centred” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
This refers to how focused the report is on the specific concerns of the client. It should be presented in the context of the client’s relative strengths.
What are the four writing styles when it comes to report writing?
- Literary
- Clinical
- Scientific
- Professional
What is a literary writing style?
It uses everyday language, but can be prone to exaggeration.
What is a clinical writing style?
It focuses on pathological dimensions of a person and identifies areas in need of change or intervention. It can miss focusing on the strengths of a person.
What is a scientific writing style?
It uses concepts, theories and data to make comparisons and accurately describe test data. There is less emphasis on integration and developing a narrative. It can be impersonal and lack focus on the uniqueness of an individual.
What is a professional writing style?
It focuses on using short words that have common usage and precise meaning. The sentence structure is varied to maintain the reader’s interest. Paragraphs are short and focused on a single concept.
What is the preferred writing style for a report?
Professional.
What is included in the referral question section of a report?
This section includes a brief description of the reason for assessment and the nature of the problem.
What is included in the evaluation procedures section of a report?
It includes a list and brief description of the assessment measures that were administered, but no actual test results.
