FIRO-B Practical

Aim: To interpret and analyse the score obtained by an individual and a group of individuals on the

FIRO-B test.

Introduction

Assessment can be defined as “the use of standards or systematic procedure for observing our

behaviour.” It is “an extremely complex process of solving problems (answering questions) in which

psychological tests are often used as one of the methods of collecting relevant data” (Anastasi,

1990). Psychological assessment usually involves a more comprehensive assessment of the

individual. This process of assessment makes use of psychological tests or other qualitative methods

such as interview, case study and surveys. Therefore, it is a process of collecting information which

can be formal, informal, qualitative, and quantitative.

Whereas a psychological test is a structured technique used to generate a carefully selected sample

of behavior. According to Lee. J. Cronbach (1949)- “A test is a systematic procedure for observing a

person’s behaviour and describing with the aid of a numerical scale or category system.” When the

quality and quantity of anything is measured by using standard equipment or device, it is called

measurement. In the words of Chaplin (1975), “Measurement means quantification of variables”.

There are many assumptions that must be made when using psychological tests. One of the

assumptions is that individuals understand test items similarly (Wiggins, 1973). Individuals will report

accurately about themselves (Wiggins, 1973) is another assumption.

Classification of Psychological Test

According to Anastasi, there are three main criteria of classification of the psychological test:

1. Based on Contents: Psychological tests are often distinguished in terms of the attributes they

measure. For example, Achievement Tests measure a person’s previous learning in a specific

academic area. Aptitude tests measure a test taker’s knowledge in a specific area at a
 specific point in time. Intelligence test assess the test taker’s ability to cope with the

environment, but at a broader level. Interest inventories assess a person’s interest in

educational programs for the job settings and provide information for making career

decisions. Personality test measure human character or disposition.

2. Based on Purpose: On the basis of purpose, psychological test can be divided into two types:

i) Descriptive test: These are those tests in which the mode of the answer will be

descriptive, i.e., the testee has to give his response in the form of sentences.

ii) Selection test: In selection test the testee has to choose or select the right choice from

the multiple-choice questions.

3. On the basis of Form: On this basis, psychological tests can be divided into five types:

i) Oral test: The mode of this test is oral, i.e., spoken. There is a lack of written work.

ii) Paper-pencil test: In this type of test, a test booklet and an answer sheet is provided to

the testee and he/she perform written work using paper, pencil etc.

iii) Speed test: In this type the questions of the test booklet are arranged in such a manner

that it cannot be completely solved within that time limit. There is a lot of questions in

the test booklet and the testee has to solve it in a short time-limit. The scoring is done

on the basis of speed, i.e., number of solved questions.

iv) Power test: In this type of test, a test booklet and an answer sheet is provided to the

testee and there is also the time limitation but the scoring is done on the basis of

correctness, i.e., accuracy of the answers.

v) Performance test: Performance test are those in which the language is either used to

direct or may not be used when pantomime and gesture is used for the direction but in

the items the language is never used. There are few objects kept physically in front of

the testee and they are asked to manipulate and/or disentangle.

There tests are both, individual as well as group. One of the performance tests which is

widely used for the measurement of intelligence is Alexander’s Battery of Performance

test.

Purpose of Psychological Test

The purpose of all the psychological tests is to measure or to find out all the dimensions

of psychological attributes, i.e., individual differences. The study of the individual

differences is done in the following fields:

(1) Prediction: By using psychological test, assessment is done and the gathered

information is used for the prediction of future behavioral patterns. There are some

fields such as clinical, academics, and organisations that generally conduct

psychological tests.

(2) Description and Selection: On the basis of psychological test, the assessment and

description of the mental and/or behavioral characteristics of an individual and his

selection for a particular job or post is done to check his/her performance level.

(3) Diagnosis and Treatment: Psychological test play an important role in the

interpretation and analysis of the individual behavior. There is an analysis of

different aspects of behaviour. The treatment is carried out further after the

diagnosis.

(4) Research: One of the aims of the psychological test is to research about the new

theories and techniques. According to Gulliken (1954), there is mutual relationship

between the psychological test and the research. Many psychological tests are the

result of the research and many researches are going on the theories which are the

product of the psychological tests.

In this way it is clear that, the psychological tests are widely used for the various

purposes such as for clinical diagnosis, guidance, personnel selection, placement,

training, etc.
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

The person best known for formally pioneering the measurement of intellectual ability is Alfred
Binet. Binet was particularly interested in the development of intelligence, a fascination that led him
to observe children carefully in the classroom setting. Along with his colleague Theodore Simon,
Binet created a test of children’s intellectual capacity. Simon and Binet created individual test items
that should be answerable by children of given ages. For instance, a child who is three should be
able to point to her mouth and eyes, a child who is nine should be able to name the months of the
year in order, and a twelve-year-old ought to be able to name sixty words in three minutes. Their
assessment became the first IQ test.

IQ or intelligence quotient is a name given to the score of the Binet-Simon test. The score is derived
by dividing a child’s mental age (the score from the test) by their chronological age to create an
overall quotient. These days, the phrase IQ does not apply specifically to the Binet-Simon test and is
used to generally denote intelligence or a score on any intelligence test. In the early 1900s, the
Binet-Simon test was adapted by a Stanford professor named Lewis Terman to create what is,
perhaps, the most famous intelligence test in the world, the Stanford-Binet (Terman, 1916). The
major advantage of this new test was that it was standardized. Based on a large sample of children,
Terman was able to plot the scores in a normal distribution, shaped like a bell curve (see Fig. 1). To
understand a normal distribution, think about the height of people. Most people are average in
height, with relatively fewer being tall or short, and fewer still being extremely tall or extremely
short. Terman (1916) laid out intelligence scores in exactly the same way, allowing for easy and
reliable categorizations and comparisons between individuals.

Weschler Intelligence Scales

A look at another modern intelligence test—the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)—can
provide clues to a definition of intelligence itself. Motivated by several criticisms of the Stanford-
Binet test, psychologist David Wechsler sought to create a superior measure of intelligence. He was
critical of the way that the Stanford-Binet relied so heavily on verbal ability and was also suspicious
of using a single score to capture all intelligence. To address these issues, Wechsler created a test
that tapped a wide range of intellectual abilities. The the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
assesses people’s ability to remember, compute, understand language, reason well, and process
information quickly (Wechsler, 1955). David Wechsler’s approach to testing intellectual ability was
based on the fundamental idea that there are, in essence, many aspects to intelligence. The
Stanford-Binet test reflected mostly verbal abilities, while the Wechsler test also reflected nonverbal
abilities. The Stanford-Binet has also been revised several times and is now similar to the Wechsler in
several aspects, but the Wechsler continues to be the most popular test in the United States.

The current version of the test, the WAIS-IV, which was released in 2008, comprises 10 core subtests
and five supplemental subtests, with the 10 core subtests yielding scaled scores that sum to derive
the Full Scale IQ. With the WAIS-IV, the verbal/performance IQ scores from previous versions were
removed and replaced by the index scores. The General Ability Index (GAI) was included, which
consists of the similarities, vocabulary, and information subtests from the verbal comprehension
index and the block design, matrix reasoning and visual puzzles subtests from the perceptual
reasoning index. The General Ability Index (GAI) is clinically useful because it can be used as a
measure of cognitive abilities that are less vulnerable to impairments of processing speed
and working memory.

Methodologies

Preliminaries

Name: XYZ

Age: 40 years

Gender: Male

Occupation: Professional Actor

Work Experience: 20 years

Material

To conduct the study and to interpret and analyse the score obtained by an individual, FIRO-B test

was used.

FIRO-B

Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation – Behaviour (FIRO-B) test was created by Willian

Schutz (1958). FIRO-B measures a person's self-perception of how they characteristically relate to
other people. The instrument can also be used to facilitate effectiveness in relationships. For this

reason, FIRO-B has been used widely in a variety of settings including the study of individual

personality dynamics, sensitivity training, marriage counseling, personnel selection and assignment,

team building, and significantly, managerial relationships.

The FIRO-B assessment measures interpersonal needs in these three areas: Inclusion, Control and

Affection. The need for Inclusion relates to forming new relationships and associating with people,

and determines the extent of contact and prominence that a person seeks. The need for Control

relates to decision-making, influence, and persuasion between people, and determines the extent of

power or dominance that a person seeks. The need for Affection relates to emotional ties and warm

connections between people, and determines the extent of closeness that a person seeks.

For each of these three dimensions, FIRO-B produces two scores, one an indication of expression

and one of want. According to FIRO theory, the extent to which a person will initiate the behaviour is

called the Expressed dimension of the need, and the extent to which a person prefers to be the

recipient of those behaviours is called the Wanted dimension of the need.

Thus, in looking at one’s own scores, one can consider six elements of one's interpersonal behavior:

expressed Inclusion (eI), wanted Inclusion (wI), expressed Control (eC), wanted Control (wC),

expressed Affection (eA), and wanted Affection (wA). Each of these six scores may range from zero

to nine. The higher an individual scores, the more an individual indicated that he/she believe that

the statements respective to the dimension reflect the behavior.

Research Design

Descriptive research design was used to conduct the study. A descriptive research design aims to

describe a population, situation, or phenomenon accurately and systematically.

Procedure
The participant was conveniently selected belonging to the age group of 30-45 years working in an

organisation. The participant was asked if she was willing to participate in the study and only after

taking her consent, the data collection was proceeded. The participant was given the questionnaire

and it took her 15 mins to fill the responses. Throughout the process a calm and peaceful

environment was maintained. The researcher was on stand-by to resolve any query of the

participant regarding the questionnaire. After taking the response sheets and making sure the

participant was not facing any kind of discomfort she was asked to leave, thanking her for her

cooperation. Finally, the data was subjected to interpretation.

1. Rapport Formation: The subject was made to feel at ease with a small conversation. The subject

was told to be as honest as possible in his answers. The subject was first made to sit in the practical

lab which was assured that the result of the tests would remain anonymous and confidential.

Throughout the data collection the subject is kept at ease by asking if they have any doubt. When

the process ends the subject is accompanied outside the lab and is thanked for her cooperation.

Instructions: There will be a questionnaire sent to you. Please try to be as truthful and accurate as

you can. Do your best to avoid letting one statement's reaction affect how you respond to other

ones. No response is "right" or "incorrect." Answer based on your own feelings as opposed to what

you believe "most people" would say. Read every item thoroughly. Please enter the number that

most accurately reflects YOU in the space provided using scale that is shown below.

For statements 1 - 16 use this rating scale:

1 Usually 3 Sometimes 5 Rarely

2 Often 4 Occasionally 6 Never

Precaution
1. General Precautions: The exam should be performed in a lab with no distractions. There

shouldn't be any background noise to distract from the topic. The lab has to be properly lit. It

shouldn't have poor lighting.

2.Observational Report: The subject was interested in the experiment when I explained to them

what it was about. They were very quick in their approach, answering the questions quickly. They

were very elated after the questionnaire was fully answered and they were informed of their scores.

Interpretation and discussion

INCLUSION CONTROL AFFECTION

EXPRESSED 5 0 5 TOTAL = 10
BEHAVIOR EXPRESSED
WANTED 8 3 4 TOTAL = 15
BEHAVIOR WANTED
TOTAL = 13 TOTAL = 3 TOTAL = 9 SOCIAL = 25
INCLUSION CONTROL AFFECTIOIN INTRACTION
INDEX

Each of these six scores may range from zero to nine. The higher the score, the more indicated that

the subject believe in that the statements in Exhibit 1 reflect the behavior. the strength of the scores

range from extremely weak to extremely high.(a) 0-l extremely low, compulsive (b)2-3 low,

noticeably characteristic (c)4-5 borderline, may be a tendency (d)6-7 high, noticeably characteristic

(e) 8-9 extremely high, compulsive. We can compare the Expressed and Wanted scores on each of

the three basic dimensions.

Inclusion: The participant scored 5 on expressed behavior .so the participant moderately tends to

include others in some of the activities, join and belong to select groups, and interact with people

most of the time. While they scored 8 on wanted behavior where You highly want some others to
include you in their activities and groups, and like some being noticed. Therefore the total score on

the dimension is 13 .so the participant tends to include others in most of the activities, join and

belong to select groups, and interact with people most of the time. You prefer a mostly with others

between time alone and time with others.

Control: is about concerns influence, leadership, responsibility, and decision making the participant

scored 0 on expressed behavior . the participant scored 3 on wanted behavior which and the total

control score is 3 the participant tend to prefer situations with less structure and have a less attitude

toward authority and responsibility.

Affection: The need for Affection relates to emotional ties and warm connections between people;

it determines the extent of closeness that a person seeks. The expresses behavior score was 5 while

the wanted behavior score was 4 therefore the total score on affection was 9 which implies that the

subject do well in terms of making emotional connection and ties with people and have a normal

demant for it.

Expressed behavior: The extent to which you will initiate the behavior. The score of the participant

was 10. the score lies in the moderate range which means there will be a little compulsivity. This

dimension indicates how much you prefer to initiate the behavior. It is about what you actually do

and can be easily observed by others.

Wanted behavior: The extent to which you want or will accept that behavior from others. The score

scored by the participant was 15. This dimension indicates how much you prefer others to initiate

the behavior towards you . It is about what you really want from others – whether or not you show

it openly.
General

The score scored on social interactional index was 25 which implies Interaction with others in all the

areas of Inclusion, Control and Affection may appeal to you on a selective basis. You mostly want to

how, when and where you associate with others – and are not cautious about how you use or share

authority. Close relationships are important to you and there are times when you prefer to

concentrate on the task instead of the more personal ones.

References

 Psychological Test

https://www.magadhuniversity.ac.in/download/econtent/pdf/Psychological%20test%20-

%20Preety%20Shekhar.pdf

 What are Psychological Tests?

https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/36361_Chapter1.pdf

 Introduction to Assessment: Definition, Description and Differentiating between Testing and

Assessment https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/67295/1/Block-1.pdf

 Cohen, Swerdik (2009), Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and

Measurement (7th ed), United States of America, McGraw-Hill