Introduction

to
Psychological
testing
Psychological Tests

Psychological testing refers to the administration of psychological tests. A psychological test

is "an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior". The term sample of
behavior refers to an individual's performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed
beforehand.

Performance on the items produces a test score. A score on a well-constructed test is believed
to reflect a psychological construct such as achievement in a school subject, ability, aptitude,
emotional functioning, personality, etc. Differences in test scores are thought to reflect
individual differences in the construct the test is supposed to measure. The technical term for
the science behind psychological testing is psychometrics.

Types of tests

Tests have been developed to measure many different human developments. They are
classified as:

 On the basis of Administration – Group test and individual test

 On the basis of Behaviour – Ability tests [Intelligence tests and achievement tests],
Personality Tests [structures personality tests, projective techniques and behavioral
analysis]
 On the basis of context – Verbal tests, non-verbal tests, performance tests.

Fundamental Concept of Psychological Testing

Proper psychological testing is conducted after vigorous research and development in

contrast to quick web-based or magazine questionnaires that say "Find out your Personality
Color," or "What's your Inner Age?" Proper psychological testing consists of the following:

 Standardization - All procedures and steps must be conducted with consistency

and under the same environment to achieve the same testing performance from
those being tested.
 Objectivity - Scoring such that subjective judgments and biases are minimized,
with results for each test taker obtained in the same way.
 Test Norms - The average test score within a large group of people where the
performance of one individual can be compared to the results of others by
establishing a point of comparison or frame of reference.
 Reliability - Obtaining the same result after multiple testing. It refers to the
consistency of scores obtained by the same person when re-examined with the
same test with different set of questions at another time.
  Validity - The type of test being administered must measure what it is intended to
measure.

Types of Validity
Face Validity : Face validity is a measure of how representative a research project is ‘at face
value,' and whether it appears to be a good project.

Content Validity : Content validity is the estimate of how much a measure represents
every single element of a construct.

Criterion Validity

Criterion Validity assesses whether a test reflects a certain set of abilities.

 Concurrent validity measures the test against a benchmark test and high
correlation indicates that the test has strong criterion validity.
 Predictive validity is a measure of how well a test predicts abilities. It involves
testing a group of subjects for a certain construct and then comparing them with
results obtained at some point in the future.
Construct Validity : It defines how well a test or experiment measures up to its claims. A test
designed to measure depression must only measure that particular construct, not closely
related ideals such as anxiety or stress.
Application of Psychological testing:

a. Detection of specific Behavior

Psychological test is used to measure and to detect the abilities of a person.
b. Individual Differences
A psychological test is used to measure the individual differences, that is different between
abilities of different persons and the performance of the same person at different time.
c. To diagnose by the Psychological Test
the psychological tests are usually used in clinical psychology.In clinical psychology a test's
function is to diagnose mental disorders.So tests are used in mental hospitals and coaching
and guidance centers for the assessment and diagnose of mental disorders.
d. Legal Classification
A psychological test helps in classifying a number of people into different categories For
example normal and abnormal, criminal and innocent, intellectual and mental retarded etc
e. Promoting Self Understanding
A psychological test provide standardized information about the abilities, capabilities,
aptitudes, potential competencies interest, trait and states of a person which helps in
understanding one's personality and planning future prospective.
f. Program Evaluation
Effectiveness of a particular program is assessed by the applications of some kind of test.
This function is usually performed by an achievement test.
g. Scientific Inquiry or Research
Some experts use tests for research purpose which provide information about the mental level
and personality of the subject.
h. Military Selection
A closely related application of psychological testing is to be found in the selection and
classification of military personal. From simple beginnings in the World War-I, the scope and
variety of psychological tests employed in military situations underwent a phenomenal
increase during World War-II. Subsequently research on test development has been
containing on a large scale in all brands of the normed services.
i. Industry
In industry and business tests are helpful in selection and classifying personal for placement
in jobs that range from the simpler semiskilled to the highly skilled, from the selection of
filling clerks and sales-person to top management for any of these position, however test
 results are only one source of information , though an important one.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology (also known as I-O psychology, industrial-
organizational psychology, work psychology, organizational psychology, work and
organizational psychology, industrial psychology, occupational psychology, personnel
psychology or talent assessment) applies psychology to organizations and the workplace.

Common research and practice areas for I-O psychologists include:

 Job performance
 Job analysis
 Personnel recruitment and selection
 Performance appraisal/management
 Individual assessment (knowledge, skills, and ability testing, personality assessment, work
sample tests, assessment centers)
 Psychometrics
 Compensation
 Training and training evaluation/Development
 Employment law
 Work motivation
 Job attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction, commitment, organizational citizenship, and retaliation)
 Human resources
 Organizational development (OD)
 Organizational research methods
 Technology in the workplace
 Group/team performance
 Employ safety and health
Essentially, industrial psychologists study the behavior of employees in a work setting.
Although industrial psychology didn't begin until the 1920's, the discipline has evolved
rapidly and revolutionized the workplace within the last century. Because the workplace is a
social system, the application of industrial psychology is useful in understanding its
complexity.

j. Education
Psychological tests especially those of general intelligence and of specific aptitudes have very
extensive use in educational classification, selection and planning from the 1st grade (and
sometimes earlier) through the university. Prior to World War-II schools and colleges were
the largest users of psychological tests.

Pioneers of Psychology

Modern mental testing began in France in the 19th century. It contributed to

separating mental retardation from mental illness and reducing the neglect, torture, and
ridicule heaped on both groups.
Englishman Francis Galton coined the terms psychometrics and developed a method for
measuring intelligence based on nonverbal sensory-motor tests. It was initially popular, but
was abandoned after the discovery that it had no relationship to outcomes such as college
grades.French psychologist Alfred Binet, together with psychologists Victor Henri
and Théodore Simon, after about 15 years of development, published the Binet-Simon test in
1905, which focused on verbal abilities. It was intended to identify mental retardation in
school children.Wilhelm Wundt established the first laboratory in Leipzig of psychology in
1879 and employed introspection as a method of studying the workings of the mind.

William James
Psychologist and philosopher William James is often referred to as the father of American
psychology. His 1200-page text, The Principles of Psychology, became a classic on the
subject and his teachings and writings helped establish psychology as a science. James also
contributed to functionalism, pragmatism and influenced many students of psychology during
his 35-year teaching career.
Various definitions:
 Percentile Rank – An individual`s percentile rank on a test designates the percentage
of cases or scores lying below it. For e.g. Percentile 20 means the individual is
situated above 20% of the group fall below this person`s rank.
 Percentage – A rate, number or amount in each hundred. Any proportion or share in
relation to a whole.
 Stanine scores – According to this method the standard population is divided into 9
groups. Stanine 1 is the lowest and stanine 9 is the highest.
 Sten Scores – Standard scores on a scale of ten.
 Standard scores – It designates the individual`s position with respect to the total range
and distribution of scores. The standard score indicates, in terms of standard deviation
how far a particular score is removed from the mean of the distribution.
 Difference between test and experiment

Test Experiment
It is standardized instrument used to The researcher tries to manipulate the
measure intellectual and non-intellectual situation and tries to prove or disapprove
characteristics of an individual through a hypothesis
verbal or non-verbal measures
It evaluates certain attributes of an It determines cause and effect
individual. relationship between variables.
It does not have a hypothesis It has a hypothesis.
It is standardized and has norms. It does not have norms and is meant for
verification of various principles.
 Adjustment
Inventory for
School
Students
 ADJUSTMENT INVENTORY FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS
Aim: To measure the adjustment of an individual using a standardized test for adjustment by
AKP Sinha and RP Singh.

Basic Concept

The concept of adjustment has originated from the term `adaptation`. It is the process where
an individual cope, responds to their environment. The behavioural process by which humans
and other animals maintain a state of equilibrium by various needs is called adjustment. It is
how they cope with change in the environment to act efficiently maintaining homeostasis.

James Denver defines adjustment as the modification to compensate for or meet special
conditions.

James. C. Coleman says that adjustment is the outcome of the individual`s attempts to deal
with the stress and meet his needs, also his efforts to maintain harmonious relationships with
the environment

Adaptation is the action or process of adapting. It is also the process of change by which an
organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.

Features:

 Varies from culture to culture

 Subjective in nature
 Continuous process

In the present test, adjustment is being measured by three different ways:

 Social – Man needs to be accepted by the society in which he lives. He has to follow
norms of the society to be adjusted. He has to seek approval of the society and act
accordingly.
 Emotional – An individual is emotionally adjusted if he/she is happy with
themselves, realizes his/her potential and is content with what he/she has achieved.
 Educational – An educationally well-adjusted person is one who has an ability to
think and innovate, he/she needs to be happy in their academic achievements.

History and description

The AISS seeks to segregate well-adjusted school students [14-18 years] from poorly
adjusted students in 3 areas – social, emotional, and educational. The test consists of 60 items
where the subject is required to answer in terms of `yes` or `no`. each item in the test is
scored as per the instructions given in the manual. The subject can be classified into five
categories in accordance with the raw scores obtained by them in the inventory. The five
categories are

1. A – Excellent
2. B – Good
 3. C – Average
4. D – Unsatisfactory
5. E – Very Unsatisfactory

Reliability

Split half – 0.95

Test retest – 0.93

Preliminaries

Subject`s name : KAVYA

Age : 18

Gender : FEMALE

Class : 12TH

Place of conduction : PSYCHOLOGY LAB

Materials required

AISS questionnaire, response sheet, scoring sheet, pen/pencil

Precautions

1. Optimal conditions for testing should be ensured before starting the test.
2. No questions should be left unanswered
3. Instructions should be clearly given

Rapport Formation

The subject was made to feel comfortable. General questions about the subject’s day and life
were asked. The subject was ensured that the results will be kept confidential.

Instructions

The following instructions were given:

 In each item can be answered in `yes` or `no`

 Don’t leave any question and try to complete as soon as possible.
 There are no right or wrong answers
 Give the first natural answer as it comes to you. When in doubt, give the best possible
answer.
 Read the questions carefully
 There is no time limit for this test
Administration

After the instructions were given, the subject was asked to fill in the demographic details. It
was ensured that all instructions were clearly understood by the subject. The introspective
report was taken after the administration was done. The subject was asked to check whether
he/she left any items unanswered.

Introspective Report/Verbal report ( left side)

The test was quite insightful and fun to do. The tester made me feel at ease.

[You can write the introspective report given by your subject]

Behavioural report

The subject was calm while answering the questions. He/she did not take a long time in
completing the test.

(Norms can be written on the left hand side)

Scoring

Scoring was done as per the instructions given in the manual. The responses of the subject
was marked in the scoring sheet under the three dimensions and actual response [AR] and
expected responses [ER] were tallied with one another. If the ER and AR matched then given
1 mark and if it doesn’t match then give 0 mark. After allotting the marks, total all the three
dimensions and interpret the scores from the result sheet.

Interpretation ( left side)

Dimensions Total Score Result

Social 5 Average

Emotional 5 Average

Educational 3 Low

Sum of all dimensions: _______13__________________________

Graph / pie chart/ bar diagram ( left side)

 adjustment
6
5
4
3
adjustment
2
1
0
social emotional educational
Eg -

Conclusion:

My subject has a total score of __13__ suggesting he/she has ___moderate____ adjustment.

References

1. SCQ Manual
2. NCERT Psychology textbook, XII
3. Lavery, B.B. 1993, Psychology

( attach questionnaire and scoring sheet )

 Sinha`s
Comprehensive
Anxiety test
Aim To assess the level of anxiety of the subject by using Sinha`s Comprehensive Anxiety
Test by AKP Sinha and LNK Sinha.

Basic Concepts

Anxiety is a vague, objectless fear or an uneasy feeling. It is an apprehensive feeling which is

typically accompanied by a variety of psychological factors, including increase in heart rate,
drying up of mouth, muscular tension and rapid breathing.

Three kinds of anxiety

1. State anxiety – It describes the experience of unpleasant feelings when

confronted with specific situations, demands or a particular object or event. It
arises when the person makes a mental assessment of some type of threat.
When the object or situation that is perceived as threatening goes away, the
person no longer experiences anxiety. Thus, it’s a temporary condition in
response to some perceived threat
2. Trait Anxiety – It arises in response to a perceived threat but it differs in its
intensity, duration and the range of situations in which it occurs. It refers to the
difference between people in terms of their tendency to experience state
anxiety in response to the anticipation of a threat. People with a high level of
trait anxiety experience more intense degrees of state anxiety to specific
situations than most people do not and experience anxiety toward a broader
range of situations or objects than most people.
3. Somatic anxiety– It is the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as butterflies in
the stomach. It is commonly contrasted with cognitive anxiety, which is the
mental manifestations of anxiety or the specific thought processes that occur
during anxiety, such as concern or worry.

Anxiety is observed to manifest itself in the following ways:

 Health
 Ambition
 Social relationships
 Future
 Family

There are a number of approachers to study anxiety. Psychodynamic approach, Karen

Horney`s Basic anxiety and Behavioural approach.

Psychodynamic Approach

 Freud was one of the persons who emphasized on the study of anxiety. He
believed that neurotic anxiety was the result of a conflict between the id, ego and
super ego.
 The id consists of all biological/primitive impressions based on pleasure principle.
  The ego takes into account the external reality in the shape of instinctive sexual
and aggressive urges and the morality related to it. Ego bridges the gap between id
and the super ego. Anxiety in this theory is an unpleasant feeling of tension or
worry that is experienced by the person.
 Super ego is based on moral principle and focuses on the right/wrong as per the
society.

Karen Horney`s Basic Anxiety

 She was one of the few women psychologists in the early psychoanalytic movement
and disagreed with Freud strongly over his views on differences between men and
women.
 According to her, basic anxiety could result from a variety of things including direct
or indirect domination, indifference, erratic behavior, lack of respect for the child`s
individual needs, hostile atmosphere at home and so on.

Behavioural Approach

 This approach believes in ways in which anxiety becomes associated with observation
and learning by modelling.

History and description

SCAT is developed by AKP Sinha and LNK Sinha in 1995. The test consists of 90 items
which are to be answered in five categories on the basis of score obtained on the extremely
high anxiety to extremely low anxiety.

Reliability

Test retest method – 1

Split half method – 1

Preliminaries

Name: kavya

Age: 18

Gender: female

Qualification: 12th

Place of conduction: Psychology Lab

Time: 20 min

Materials Required

SCAT manual, SCAT questionnaire form, pen/pencil

Precautions

1. Optimal conditions for testing were ensured before the test begun
2. Time of start and finish were noted
3. The tester should ensure that the subject is not familiar with the test.
4. Subject should be told that there is no correct answer.
5. Subject should not skip any item
6. Subject should be assured of confidentiality of test results.

Rapport Formation

Rapport was established between the subject and the tester, prior to the test so that he/she
could feel comfortable and at ease. In such a state, she/he should answer the questions in a
calm manner and any doubts should be cleared before starting the test.

Instructions

The following instructions were given:

 In each item there are two options, `yes` or `no`

 Don’t leave any question and try to complete as soon as possible.
 There are no right or wrong answers
 Give the first natural answer as it comes to you. When in doubt, give the best possible
answer.
 Read the questions carefully and put a `x` for whichever option suits you the best.
 There is no time limit for this test.

Administration

After the instructions were given, the subject was asked to fill in the demographic details.
The subject was asked to check whether he/she left any items unanswered.

Introspective Report/Verbal report ( left side)

The test was quite insightful and fun to do. The tester made me feel at ease.

[You can write the introspective report given by your subject]

Behavioural report

The subject was calm while answering the questions. He/she did not take a long time in
completing the test.

Scoring

Scoring can be done by hand, for any response indicated `yes` score will be 1 and 0 for `no`.
The sum of all positive responses would be the total score of the subject.

(Norms can be written on the left hand side)

Interpretation: ( left side)

Eg:

Pages 3 4 5 Total

Raw Score 6 5 6 17

Graph / pie chart/ bar diagram ( left side)

( if graph attach a drawn graph sheet)

Conclusion

Raw score of my subject is 17 therefore he/she has moderate anxiety.

References

1. SCAT manual
2. NCERT textbook, Psychology