CHAPTER 1 Retrospective Assessment - s the use of evaluative
tools to draw conclusions about psychological
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
Psychological Testing and Assessment Defined
✓ Psychological Assessment
o the gathering and integration of psychology-related
data for the purpose of making a psychological
evaluation that is accomplished through the use of
tools such as tests, interviews, case studies,
behavioral observation, and specially designed
apparatuses and measurement procedures.
✓ Psychological Testing
o the process of measuring psychology-related
variables by means of devices or procedures
designed to obtain a sample of behavior.
The Process of Assessment
➢ Referral
➢ Assessment tool selection
➢ Assessment proper
➢ Writing a report of the finding
➢ Feedbacking
Varieties of assessment
Educational Assessment - refers to, broadly
speaking, the use of tests and other tools to evaluate
abilities and skills relevant to success or failure in a
school or pre-school context
aspects of a person as they existed at some point in
time prior to the assessment
Remote assessment - refers to the use of tools of
psychological evaluation to gather data and draw
conclusions about a subject who is not in physical
proximity to the person or people conducting the
evaluation.
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) - refers to
the “in the moment” evaluation of specific problems
and related cognitive and behavioral variables at the
very time and place that they occur
Collaborative Psychological Assessment - the
assessor and assessee may work as “partners” from
initial contact through final feedback
Therapeutic Psychological Assessment - therapeutic
self-discovery and new understandings are
encouraged throughout the assessment process
dynamic assessment - refers to an interactive
approach to psychological assessment that usually
follows a model of
o (1) evaluation,
o (2) intervention of some sort, and
o (3) evaluation.
THE TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
The Test - refers to a device or procedure designed to measure a
variable related to that modifier
- Psychological tests and other tools of assessment may differ
with respect to a number of variables, such as:
 o Content - subject matter
o Format - pertains to the form, plan, structure,
arrangement, and layout of test items as well as to
related considerations such as time limits
▪ Format is also used to refer to the form in
which a test is administered: computerized,
pencil-and-paper, or some other form.
o administration procedures - involve demonstration
of various kinds of tasks demanded of the assessee,
as well as trained observation of an assessee’s
performance
o scoring and interpretation procedures – SCORE is a
code or summary statement, usually but not
necessarily numerical in nature, that reflects an
evaluation of performance on a test, task, interview,
or some other sample of behavior
▪ SCORING is the process of assigning such
evaluative codes or statements to
performance on tests, tasks, interviews, or
other behavior samples.
o technical quality - psychometric soundness
• Reliability and validity of the test
• Utility – usefulness or practical value
that a test or other tool of
assessment
The Interview - the word interview conjures images of face-to-face
talk
- interview as a tool of psychological assessment
typically involves more than talk. If the interview is
conducted face-to-face, then the interviewer is
probably taking note of not only the content of what
is said but also the way it is being said
- INTERVIEW is a method of gathering information
through direct communication involving reciprocal
exchange.
The Portfolio - work products—whether retained on paper, canvas,
film, video, audio, or some other medium
- As samples of one’s ability and accomplishment, a
portfolio may be used as a tool of evaluation
Case History Data - refers to records, transcripts, and other accounts
in written, pictorial, or other form that preserve archival information,
official and informal accounts, and other data and items relevant to
an assessee.
Behavioral Observation - monitoring the actions of others or oneself
by visual or electronic means while recording quantitative and/or
qualitative information regarding those actions.
- naturalistic observation
Role-Play Tests - defined as acting an improvised or partially
improvised part in a simulated situation
- a tool of assessment wherein assessees are directed
to act as if they were in a particular situation
Computers as Tools - the role computers play in contemporary
assessment in the context of generating simulations
- local processing - Scoring may be done on-site
- central processing - conducted at some central
location
 - teleprocessing - by means of phone lines, mail, or What Types of Settings Are Assessments Conducted, and Why?
courier
Educational settings
- simple scoring report - a mere listing of a score or
o achievement test
scores
o diagnostic test - refers to a tool of assessment used
- extended scoring report - more detailed, which
to help narrow down and identify areas of deficit to
includes statistical analyses of the testtaker’s
be targeted for intervention.
performance.
Clinical settings
- interpretive report - inclusion of numerical or
o These tools are used to help screen for or diagnose
narrative interpretive statements in the report.
behavior problems.
- consultative report - written in language appropriate
Counseling settings
for communication between assessment
o Assessment in a counseling context may occur in
professionals, may provide expert opinion
environments as diverse as schools, prisons, and
concerning analysis of the data
governmental or privately owned institutions
- integrative report - employ previously collected data
Geriatric settings
(such as medication records or behavioral
o Wherever older individuals reside, they may at some
observation data) into the test report
point require psychological assessment to evaluate
CAPA computer-assisted psychological assessment cognitive, psychological, adaptive, or other
functioning
CAT computer adaptive testing
o quality of life - defined from the perspective of an
WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW, AND WHERE? observer; in other research it is defined from the
perspective of assessees themselves and refers to an
Who Are the Parties? individual’s own self-report regarding lifestyle-
➢ The test developer related variables
➢ The test user o Dementia – pseudodementia
➢ The testtaker Business and military settings
➢ Society at large Governmental and organizational credentialing
➢ Other parties Academic research settings
Other settings
How Are Assessments Conducted?

✓ Responsible test users have obligations before, during, and

after a test or any measurement procedure is administered.
✓ PROTOCOL - refers to the form or sheet or booklet on which
a testtaker’s responses are entered.
✓ RAPPORT - a working relationship between the examiner and
the examinee.

Assessment of people with disabilities

• People with disabilities are assessed for exactly the

same reasons people with no disabilities are
assessed
• ACCOMMODATION - defined as the adaptation of a
test, procedure, or situation, or the substitution of
one test for another, to make the assessment more
suitable for an assessee with exceptional needs.

Where to Go for Authoritative Information: Reference Sources

✓ Test catalogues
✓ Test manuals
✓ Professional books
✓ Reference volumes
✓ Journal articles
✓ Online databases
✓ Other sources