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Fundamentals of Psychological Testing

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 14.
Fundamentals of Psychological
Testing
Sajad Hussain*

W
Introduction
e frequently discuss why people behave the way they do.
While reading the newspaper every morning, we tend
to look for answers to fascinating or even spectacular
news items; for example, what causes children to be vulnerable to
psychological disorders? Why do people consume alcohol? How do people
behave when they’ve had a few drinks? Psychologists cannot directly
answer these concerns. However, a specialized branch of psychology
namely Psychometrics was introduced which deals with the theory
and method that help in acquisition a better comprehension of what
causes psychological disorders in children, drug use, and drinking-
related behaviour. Because most psychological characteristics, such
as personality traits, creativity, aptitude, intelligent quotient, social
intelligence, etc are not immediately accessible, hence scientific
analysis in this regard is unclear. Therefore, psychologists employ
several tools/tests to collect data and information to overcome these
concerns. The scope of psychological tests is very wide consisting

*Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology), Independent Researcher.

174 Guidance and Counselling
of verbal, behavioural, and psychological assessments. Thus, in
this regard, a well-structured and standardised tool is required in
describing, comprehending, and predicting an individual’s behaviour
in psychological studies.
As far as the present chapter is concerned, an attempt is made to
focus on the conceptual background of psychological tests. Secondly,
the characteristics of a good psychological are discussed. Finally, the
classification of psychological tests is made.
Psychological Test
A psychological (or educational) test can be defined as a
standardised tool that focuses on a sample of behaviour (verbal or non-
verbal) to assess one or more aspects of a trait either quantitatively
or qualitatively.
To reap the benefits of a psychological test, the researcher should
understand the procedure to administer the test properly.
Researchers defined psychological test as follows:
™™Bean (1953) states a psychological test is an “organized succession
of stimuli designed to measure quantitatively or to evaluate
qualitatively some mental process, trait or characteristics”.
™™A psychological test is defined as “essentially an objective and
standardized procedure for sampling behavior and describing it
with scores or categories”. Anastasi and Urbina (1997)
™™Kaplan and Saccuzzo (2001) have illustrated “A psychological
test or educational test is a set of items designed to measure
characteristics of human beings that pertain to behavior”.
™™A “standardised instrument designed to measure objectively one
or more aspects of a total personality by means of samples of
performance on behaviour” (Freeman,1955).
™™In 2006, Singh states “a psychological or educational test
is a Standardised procedure to measure quantitatively or
qualitatively one or more than one aspect of a trait by means of a
sample of verbal or non-verbal behaviour”
™™The “psychological tests are the “instruments that require the
testee to perform some behaviour”. McIntire and Miller (2007)
™™According to Gregory (2004 a), a test is a “standardised procedure
for sampling behaviour and describing it with categories of scores.
In addition, most tests have norms or standards by which the
result can be used to predict other more important behaviour”.
 Fundamentals of Psychological Testing 175
™™In the light of the above definitions, the following characteristics
of a psychological test can be drawn:
™™First, a test follows an organised and specific arrangement of
stimuli (also known as items) based on certain principles of test
construction.
™™Second, psychological (or educational) tests can provide both
quantitative and qualitative data.
™™Third, psychological tests are based on a limited sample of
behavior.
™™Fourth, most psychological tests provide category scores, which
are then interpreted using a standardised sample.
Purpose of A Psychological Test
First, a comparison among individuals on two or more aspects of
a trait can be done with the help of a psychological test.
Second, on the same trait, two or more persons can be compared.
This type of measurement might be quantitative or qualitative.
Contribution of Galton in Psychological Testing
The first person to launch the testing movement was the English
biologist, Francis Galton. Galton’s interest in human heredity was
a unifying factor for Galton’s many different research activities,
and he realised the need to measure related and related people’s
characteristics. In his anthropometric laboratory, Galton himself
devised most of the simple tests, many of which remain familiar
in their original and modified forms. For example, the Galton bar
is used to visually discriminate length, the Galton whistle is used
to determine the highest auditory pitch, and a graduated series of
weights is used to measure kinaesthetic discriminations. Galton
believed that sensory discrimination tests could serve as a means to
measure the intellect of a person. Galton was also a pioneer in the
use of rating-scale and questionnaire methodologies, as well as the
free association approach, for a wide range of applications. Galton
also made a significant contribution to the development of statistical
methods for analysing data on individual differences (Anastasi &
Urbina, 2007).
Characteristics of Good Psychological Test
Followings are the significant characteristics that a good
psychological should possess
™™Objectivity: The term “objectivity of test” refers to that the
176 Guidance and Counselling
items being phrased should be in such a manner that they
are interpreted similarly by everyone on whom the test is
administered i.e; it should be free from subjective bias. Moreover,
the scoring method of the test should be uniform when evaluated
by various experts in different circumstances.
™™Practicability: A test must also be feasible in terms of the time
it takes to complete it, the length of the test, the scoring, and
so on. To put it another way, the test should not be overly long,
and the scoring method should not be complex or restricted to
specialised individuals.
™™Standardised Procedure: It is considered an essential trait of
a psychological test. The procedure for administering should be
uniform throughout the test. Furthermore, the standardisation
depends on the examiner’s skill. To achieve the standardisation
of the test, the instructions of the test for administration should
be clearly defined.
™™Norms: Refers to a representative sample’s average performance
on a specific test. Moreover, it helps in comparing the score of
a person with the comparative group. The most common types
of norms used in a psychological test include Age norms, grade
norms, percentile norms, and standard score norms. Without the
test norms, the interpretation of the test score is not possible.
™™Reliability: A test must also be reliable. Dependability, stability,
consistency, predictability, and correctness are synonyms for
reliability. It is the test consistency that makes a test reliable. In
simple words, a reliable test yields consistent results on several
occasions. The appropriate time to yield similar scores is usually
a fortnight Singh (2006 b).
™™Validity: It is regarded as the most significant characteristic of
a good test. To put it another way, test validity means that the
test must measure what it was designed to assess. The basic way
to determine validity is to look at how test scores relate to some
standard, such as a personal achievement, specific characteristic,
and the behaviour that reflects the traits intended to assess.
Classification of A Psychological Test
According to Gregory (2004b), the classification of tests is purely
an arbitrary task. However, based on various criteria, psychological
tests can be classified as follows:
 Fundamentals of Psychological Testing 177
Based on Mode of Administration
™™Individual Tests: Are those that are administered on a single
person at a given time. An example of an individual test is the
Kohs Block Design test. They are frequently employed in clinical
assessments. Individual tests have the disadvantages of being
time-consuming, expensive, and exhaustive.
™™Group Tests: These are primarily intended for groups or
multiple people at the same time. Hence, they are cost-effective
and less time-consuming.
™™For Instance: Army Alpha and Alpha Beta tests.
Based on the Nature and Contents of the Items
™™Verbal Test: Are the test whose items focus on reading, writing,
and oral expression. Instructions are printed or written in a
separate section. Some common examples include the Mehta
group intelligence test and Jalota group general intelligence test.
Verbal tests are also named paper-pencil tests, as the responses
are noted on a piece of paper.
™™Non-Verbal Test: These are tests that use symbolic materials
such as drawings, figures, and so on to emphasize, but not
eliminate, the significance of language. In such a test, the
language is used in the instructions but not in the items. Raven’s
progressive matrices are one of the examples of a non-verbal test.
™™Performance Tests: Are the type of tests in which the examinees
have to perform a task rather than answering the questions. The
usage of language is prohibited in performance tests. Instruction
is sometimes offered through oral language, but it can also be
conveyed via gestures and pantomime.
™™Objective Test: Such a test has multiple-choice options.
™™Essay Type Tests: It is the type that requires long answers.
Based on Mode of Scoring
™™Self-Scored: In a self-scored test, scoring can be used by the
examinee with the help of the scoring key of the particular test.
On the other hand, an expert is required to score the responses
in the expert-scored test.
™™Hand-Scored: The hand-scored test can be evaluated manually
whereas machine-scored tests require special computers such as
optical marl recognition (OMR). Such tests are commonly used in
educational settings.
178 Guidance and Counselling
Based on Rate of Performance or Time Limit in Producing a Response
™™Speed Test: Speed tests are timed tests that assess the subject’s
ability to respond quickly within a set amount of time.
™™Power Test: A power test provides a generous time to the
examinees to complete all of the items. Typically, in such a test
the items are ordered in increasing difficulty order.
Application of Psychological Testing
In Educational Settings: Tests Helps in
1. Identifying special children, assessing achievement, and
diagnosing deficiencies in students.
2. Categorizing the children based on their ability (differentiation
of instructions)
3. Detecting of outstandingly slow or fast learners
4. Providing occupational counseling to the students of high school
and college students.
5. Selecting the applicants for professional and vocational courses.
™™In Counseling: The Psychological tests help in understanding
the emotional well-being of an individual for the counseling
process (Adoga,2020).
™™In Diagnosis and Planning for Treatment: The use
of psychological tests aids in the identification of various
psychological problems (stress, depression), learning difficulties
(dyslexia), behavioural disorders (ADHD), and other disorders,
as well as the evaluation of therapeutic effectiveness.
™™In Self-Knowledge: The usage of testing is becoming increasingly
popular as a means of improving self-awareness and personal
growth.
™™In Theoretical and Applied Branches of Behavioural
Research: Psychological tests provide basic information about
various problems related to lifespan development.
™™In Legal Settings: The legal setting utilizes results from
clinical psychologists’ especially when settling cases that rely on
eyewitness testimony.
™™In An Industrial Setting: Tests are widely used in industries and
organisations to assess job motivation, competence, commitment,
staff selection, job recruitment, promotion, transfer, and even
termination can also be done through the testing method.
 Fundamentals of Psychological Testing 179

Chapter Summary
A psychological test is a standardised measure arranged in
sequential order based on principles of test construction.
A good psychological test should possess the following
characteristics like objectivity, standardised procedure, norms,
reliability, and validity.
The classification of a psychological test is an arbitrary task.
However, based on various criteria such as mode of classification,
mode of nature and content of the items, mode of scoring, rate of
performance, or time limit in producing a response the classification
of the psychological test is done.
The application of psychological testing can be observed in the
fields such as education, counseling, clinical settings, legal settings,
etc.
References
™™ Adoga, R.O. (2020). Psychological Testing in Counselling. Prestige Journal of
Counselling Psychology. 3 (1).247-258.
™™ Anastasi, A & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological Testing. (2nd ed). Pearson
Education. India.
™™ Anastasi, A & Urbina, S. (2007). Psychological Testing. (7th ed). Pearson
Education. India.
™™ Bean, K.L. (1953). Construction of educational and personnel tests. McGraw- Hill
Book Co., New York.
™™ Freeman, F. S. (1955). Theory and practice of psychological testing (Rev. ed.). New
York: Holt.
™™ Gregory, R. H. (2004 a). Psychological Testing History Principles and Applications
(6th ed). Pearson Education. India.
™™ Gregory, R. H. (2004 b). Psychological Testing History Principles and Applications
(6th ed). Pearson Education. India.
™™ Kaplan,R.M & Saccuzzo, D.P. (2001). Psychological Testing: Principles,
Applications, and Issues: (8th ed). Wordsworth Publishing Co Inc.
™™ McIntire, S. A & Miller L.A. (2006). Foundations of Psychological Testing: A
Practical Approach. (2nd ed). Sage Publishers. New York.
™™ Singh, A.K. (2006 a). Tests, Measurements and Research Methods in Behavioural
Sciences. (5th ed). Bharati Bhawan. New Delhi.
™™ Singh, A.K. (2006 b). Tests, Measurements and Research Methods in Behavioural
Sciences. (5th ed). Bharati Bhawan. New Delhi.

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