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Computer-Aided Assessment

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Computer-Aided Assessment

The influence of technology in everyday life is immense; people shop, read news, learn,

communicate, and are entertained online. The Internet is now a ubiquitous part of people’s lives

and the technology has gained acceptance in the psychology and mental health fields.

Psychometric tools are essential in psychology; the internet has made it possible to deliver these

tests conveniently. Computerized online mental and emotional status testing and assessment is

now feasible and offer several benefits over the traditional pen-and-paper method. Although

emotional and mental status testing is a methodical process, using technology to achieve

standardized testing and screening seems appropriate. Therapists and other mental health

practitioners can now analyze testing data and interpret the results easily using online or

computer-based statistical tools, ensuring unparalleled objectivity. The speed of technology-

mediated emotional and mental status testing and better data analysis using statistical tools and

procedures emphasize the vital role of technology and, therefore, mental health professionals

must incorporate and utilize these novel tools and procedures to broaden the scope of testing.

Technology holds tremendous potential as a psychological assessment medium. It

enhances the potential of extending emotional and mental status testing services to traditionally

underserved populations such as adolescents, is less time-consuming and convenient, and

facilitates counseling and overall mental health through consultation (Baños et al., 2016). Online

assessment is now feasible in numerous contexts that involve various procedures. Such

assessments can be administered traditionally through pen-and-paper questionnaires or through

computer software. Technology can still play a vital role even when delivered traditionally

because the data can be emailed to a mental health professional for interpretation or even scored

using a computer software. The purposes of such tools can be categorized into three classes:
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psychological evaluation, psychotherapeutic diagnosis, and self-awareness and self-exploration

(Egbert & Wright, 2020). Web-based assessments are no different from traditional pen-and-

paper testing. However, they are more efficient for screening psychopathological indicators and

psychological problems the demand initial and fast diagnosis. Psychological assessments

involving emotional and mental status are usually difficult to carry out in face-to-face sessions

and can de done effectively through the internet.

Interpreting and reporting results using computer-aided assessment tools presents menta

health professionals with some advantages and challenges. As part of the assessment, result

interpretation and reporting are particularly vital because it permits the practitioner to reach a

verdict concerning the individual’s emotional and mental status. A significant strength of using

computer-aided tools is that they speed up the interpretation and reporting processes by

employing computerized data analysis tools (Shakya et al., 2016). A data analyst generates the

numbers that are printed at the button’s click. A specialist or trained mental health professional

then interprets the numbers with the aid of a computer program. Reporting the result is also easy

and fast, as the data is automatically tabulated and figures used to present the data effectively and

in a fashion that is easy to understand. From the above discussion, it is obvious that interpreting

and reporting results using computer-based tools saves time and is less costly because it does not

include any paper trail; results can be shared via email and stored digitally. This allows

psychologists and other mental health practitioners to focus on the important task of assisting

clients.

Despite the strengths mentioned above, computer-aided assessment tools present

tremendous challenges, such as privacy and security issues, lack of quality control and

regulation, difficulties in establishing their validity and reliability, and their requirement that the
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practitioner possesses some computer literacy to use them. Like other online tools, using

computer-mediated emotional and mental status testing tools present the risk of violating clients’

privacy and other security issues, such as data breaches and confidentiality (Lustgarten et al.,

2020). Using computer-aided tools to interpret and report assessment results presents privacy

concerns, although the problem is associated with all online assessment tools. Evaluating the

validity and reliability of computer-based assessment tools is also challenging, making it difficult

to judge their suitability for interpreting and reporting test results. It is also worth emphasizing

that Web-based assessment tools lack quality control and regulation that characterize offline

assessment, where test publishers must adhere to standards prescribed by recognized

organizations. Tests conducted over the internet need not adhere to such standards, leading to

problems such as data storage without the client’s consent and using invalid instruments.

Overall, technology-mediated emotional and mental status testing is now a reality for

mental health professionals and psychology practitioners, who attest to the numerous advantages

that technology presents in this regard. Therapists and psychologists can easily analyze and

interpret test results using both online and offline data analysis tools with high levels of precision

and objectivity. Technology has also improved the speed of conducting such tests through better

data analysis and the availability of statistical tools that print the analyzed test results at a

button’s click. However, it also presents significant challenges, such as privacy and security

issues, difficulties in establishing their reliability and validity, and lack of robust quality control

and regulation. Psychologists and therapists must also possess some level of computer literacy to

use them effectively.

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References

Baños, R. M., Etchemendy, E., Carrillo-Vega, A., & Botella, C. (2016). Positive psychological

interventions and information and communication technologies. In D. Villani (Eds.),

Integrating technology in positive psychology practice (pp. 38-58). Information Science

Reference.

Egbert, N., & Wright, K. B. (2020). Social support and health in the digital age. Lexington

Books.

Lustgarten, S. D., Garrison, Y. L., Sinnard, M. T., & Flynn, A. W. (2020). Digital privacy in

mental healthcare: current issues and recommendations for technology use. Current

Opinion in Psychology, 36, 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.03.012

Shakya, Y., Ferrari, M., McKenzie, K., Ledwos, C., & Ahmad, F. (2016). Computer-assisted

client assessment survey for mental health: Patient and health provider

perspectives. BMC Health Services Research, 16(1), 1-15.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1756-0