Biases: Yours, Mine, and Testing
True or False: The APA Guidelines for Evaluation cover all aspects of how a professional should behave
False - professionals also adhere to their specific professional standards, laws, and regulations
True or false: Interviewing just the teacher is sufficient if the parent doesn't answer the first time you call.
False - leave a message, try again.
Some of the earliest forms of psychological evaluations, such as those used in ancient China, were done for what purposes?
Testing for government positions
What is the data collection tool used to track the occurrences of the target behavior?
ABC data chart
Explain the guideline below and give an example of it in action:
Psychologists who conduct psychological testing, assessment, and evaluation strive to use multiple sources of relevant and reliable clinical information collected according to established principles and methods of assessment.
Take information from more than one source (e.g. -not just an IQ test).
Example - The four pillars, interviewing multiple sources.
What was the outcome of the Larry P v. Riles case?
Standardized IQ tests were found to be biased against black children, resulting in CA outlawing IQ tests when determining intellectual disability for black students
Use an active listening strategy to respond to this prompt then pose an open ended question to continue the conversation
I try to get along with Kerry and Sarah, but they were not listening to me. It was my turn to go and they skipped me then wanted to keep playing which wasn't fair! I pushed it over because I didn't want one of them to win after cheating.
Sample response: It sounds like being skipped was really upsetting. What happened after pushing it over?
What are the four pillars of assessment?
Informal assessment procedures, Interviews, Behavioral Observations, Norm-Referenced Measures
True or False: An FBA uses both direct and indirect measures to draw conclusions
True
Give an example of one covert behavior and one overt behavior.
Covert - emotions, thoughts, feelings.
Overt - any behavior you can directly observe
What is the difference between explicit and implicit bias?
Implicit bias is subconscious and unintentional, while explicit bias conscious and intentional
What error does the psychologist make in the statement below and what should they have said instead,
We will absolutely figure your emotions figured out and get you happy again.
False reassurance
Example - We will work together during this evaluation to gain some insight into your emotions and what may work for you to help manage those feelings.
Step 2 - Hypothesis Formation
What are the four functions of behavior?
Attention, Tangible, Escape, and Sensory
Name 3 documents you may review as a part of your record review
DHQ, Referral letter/document, Educational Assessment Part B, Report Cards, Home language surveys, WIDA scores, PK/K questionnaire, class tests/quizzes and writing samples.
Explain confirmation bias and provide an example of it
Example - Only noticing off task behavior, missing moments of emotional management, overestimating behavior as aggressive
Explain 2 potential barriers to interviewing and ways to overcome them
Potential barriers: Overly quiet interviewee, Noncooperative or defiant interviewee, Low verbal skills, Memory difficulties, Environmental distractions, Examiner fatigue and scheduling issues
How did Darwin contribute to psychological evaluations?
His work studying individual innate differences in animals inspired similar research in humans.
Explain one of the biggest drawbacks of an FBA (not complexity, time consuming nature, or that functions change)
It only considers the observable when interpreting student behavior.
What percentage of scores are within One, Two, and Three Standard Deviations of the mean on the normal curve?
68-95-99
Explain both content bias and construct bias
Content bias - specific items within the test are more common in some backgrounds
Construct bias - the idea of the trait isn't the same across cultures
Name one Level 3 or greater response covered in class and in the text
Verbatim playback, paraphrasing, summarizing, clarifying, and empathizing/understanding
What was Wechsler's major contribution with the introduction of his IQ test?
Performance (nonverbal) IQ
What are the two rating scales frequently used in an FBA?
The MAS and FAST
What does classical test theory refer to and what is the equation associated with it?
All testing has error
X = T + E
X = obtained score
T = true score
E = error