Psychological Test
& Psychological Assessment
& Psychological Assessment
What is psychological testing?
Psychological testing is a field characterized by the use of samples of behavior in order to assess psychological construct(s), such as cognitive and emotional functioning, about a given individual.
What are the four types of measurement scales?
Nominal (Broad categories that cannot be measured numerically, eye color, favorite food)
Interval(The differences between values), and
Ratio(The differences between values with the possibility of there being a state of 0).
What is Reliability?
If something has reliablity, you can expect that the same inputs will give the same outputs.
Example: 2+2 is always 4. It has 100% reliability.
What is a therapeutic assessment?
Therapeutic Assessment is an approach to psychological testing used to:
1. Help people understand themselves better
2. Find solutions to their persistent problems
Name 3 outcome measures that are available online, at no cost?
1. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)
2. Pediatric Symptoms Checklist
3. Geriatric Depression Scale
T/F
A psychological assessment is a process that involves the integration of information from multiple sources, such as:
1. Normal and abnormal personality test
2. Tests of ability or intelligence
3. Tests of interests or attitudes
4. Information from personal interviews
Psychological assessment is a process that involves the integration of information from multiple sources, such as:
1. Normal and abnormal personality test
2. Tests of ability or intelligence
3. Tests of interests or attitudes
4. Information from personal interviews
What is a Norm-referenced Test?
A test that is constructed so that an individual’s individual tests will be compared to a sample group of people that also have taken that test.
What is Validity?
If your process has Validity, you can expect the output of your process to give a meaningful result.
Example: 2+2 is 4 and 4 has something to do with numbers. 2+2 is choo choo train, well…yeah.
T/F: Stephen Finn coined the term “Therapeutic Assessment?”
True: Stephen Finn
What is the DASS and how many items does it include?
1. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale
2. 42 items self-report survey that attempts to measure depression, anxiety, and stress in 17-69 year olds.
The first responsibility of test users is to?
Define the purpose for testing
What is the difference between an Interval Scale and a Ratio Scale?
1. There is no true zero with an Interval scale, it measures the difference between two values.
2. A Ratio scale also measures the differences of values, but it can recognize an absence of what is measured.
Which can you have without the other?
Reliability or Validity?
You can have reliability without validity, but you cannot have validity without reliability.
A reliable test can give you invalid information, but remain internally consistent.
A valid test cannot exist without being internally consistent.
T/F: The therapeutic assessment must have all the following components.
Initial Sessions
Standardized Testing Sessions
Assessment Intervention Sessions ! Discussion/Summary Sessions
Written Feedback
Follow-Up Sessions
Answer: False, not all steps are used in every assessment.
What are some other commonly used outcome measures ?
1. PHQ-9 & PHQ-2
2. GAD-7
Can you name two types of psychological tests?
1. Verbal vs. Non-verbal
- Developed to minimize the impact of a person’s primary language or culture on test performance
- Other terms used are non-language instead of nonverbal and performance tests.
2. Cognitive vs. Affective
- Three types of cognitive tests:
1. intelligence or general ability
2. achievement
3. Aptitude
Affective tests assess:
1. Interests,
2. Attitudes
3. Values
4. Motives
5. Temperament
6. Non-cognitive aspects of personality
What is a T Score?
A T score has a fixed mean of 50 and a Standard Deviation of 10
Aside: What is the other important numbers to remember with T Scores? 1.5 sd is 15, which means threshold is 65.
Define Standard Error of Measurement
The expected range where a person’s true score will lie.
Example: This person is expected to score within 90 to 110 points.
Name the 6 core values of Therapeutic Assessment?
Collaboration
Respect
Humility
Compassion
Openness
Curitosity
What two items should clinicians pay attention to on the Beck Depression Inventory as indicators of possible suicide risk?
1. Item 2: Pessimism
2. Item 9: Suicidal thoughts or wishes
What are the 4 features of a psychological test?
1. Standardized vs. Non-standardized
Nature of the development, administration and scoring of the test
2. Individual vs. Group
Nature of how the test is administered
3. Objective vs. Subjective
Method used to score the test
4. Speed vs. Power
Concerns the difficulty level of test items
What is the difference between Median and Mean?
1. Median is the score that sits directly at 50%
2. Mean is the average of all scores.
Example: 1 person scored exactly 50% on this test, while the average score of the class was 70%.
3. Quick aside:
Mode is the most frequent scorer.
Example: Of the 10 person class, 4 people scored 75 points, while everyone else scored differently.
T/F: The Person’s R measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables, which is correlation
True: The Person’s R measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables, which is correlation
Name three ways in which Therapeutic Assessment can produce change?
By confirming the view the client may have of themselves.
By giving the client new information about self.
By helping the client feel understood.
By helping the client feel accepted.
By helping parents develop empathy and understanding of their children.
What two factors does factorial validity within the Beck Depression Inventory identify?
1. Somatic affective- loss of pleasures/interests, changes in appetite, concentration difficulty, tiredness, etc.
2. Cognitive- sadness, past failure, guilty feeling, suicidal thoughts, worthlessness