Psychological

Assessment

Mr. Symon M. Carpiso, RPm, MP

Introduction to Psychological
Assessment
Difference between
Psychological Assessment and
Psychological Testing
Psychological Assessment

• 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 Test

• the process of measuring psychology-related variables

by means of devices or procedures designed to obtain a
sample of behavior.
Psychological Testing
Objective
Typically, to obtain some gauge, usually numerical in
nature, with regard to an ability or attribute.
Process
Testing may be individual or group in nature. After test
administration, the tester will typically add up “the
number of correct answers or the number of certain
types of responses . . . with little if any regard for
the how or mechanics of such content” (Maloney &
Ward, 1976, p. 39).
Role of the Evaluator
The tester is not key to the process; practically
speaking, one tester may be substituted for another
tester without appreciably affecting the evaluation.
Psychological Assessment
Typically, to answer a referral question, solve a
problem, or arrive at a decision through the use of tools
of evaluation.
Assessment is typically individualized. In contrast to
testing, assessment more typically focuses on how an
individual processes rather than simply the results of
that processing.
The assessor is key to the process of selecting tests
and/or other tools of evaluation as well as in drawing
conclusions from the entire evaluation.
Psychological Testing Psychological Assessment
Skill of the Evaluator
Testing typically requires technician-like skills in terms Assessment typically requires an educated selection of
of administering and scoring a test as well as in tools of evaluation, skill in evaluation, and thoughtful
interpreting a test result. organization and integration of data.

Outcome
Typically, testing yields a test score or series of test Typically, assessment entails a logical problem-solving
scores. approach that brings to bear many sources of data
designed to shed light on a referral question.
Principles of Psychological
Assessment
Standardization

• All procedures and steps must be conducted with

consistency and under the same environment to achieve
the same testing performance and from those being
tested.
Objectivity

• Scoring is free from subjective judgments or biases

based on the fact that the same results are obtained on
test from everyone.
Test Norms

• The average test scores within a large group of people

where the performance of one individual can be
compared to the results of the others by establishing a
point of comparison or frame of reference.
Reliability

• Obtaining the same result after multiple testing.

Reliability must do with the quality of measurement. In
its everyday sense, reliability is the “consistency” or the
“repeatability” of your measures.
Validity

• The type of test being administered must measure what

it is intended to measure.
• Test validity – the degree to which evidence and theory
support the interpretation of the test scores.
History of Psychological Testing
Early Antecedents

• Testing has a long history, with origins dating back more than
4000 years to China.
• Chinese civil service testing programs included oral
examinations every third year, determining work evaluations
and promotions.
• By the Han Dynasty, test batteries covering various subjects
like civil law, military affairs, and geography were common.
• During the Ming Dynasty, a sophisticated national testing
program involved multiple stages and essay examinations,
with the highest scorers eligible for public office.
Early Antecedents

• Western exposure to testing likely came through reports by

British missionaries and diplomats in the 19th century.
• The British East India Company adopted a Chinese-style
testing system in 1832, later followed by the British
government in 1855.
• This system was then adopted by the French and German
governments.
• In 1883, the U.S. government established the American Civil
Service Commission, marking the rapid growth of the testing
movement in the Western world.
Charles Darwin and Individual
Differences
• Psychological and educational testing aims to measure
individual differences in abilities and personality.
• Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, outlined in "The Origin
of Species" (1859), emphasized individual variation as a key
factor in adaptation and survival.
• Darwin's ideas influenced Sir Francis Galton, who applied
them to the study of human beings.
• Galton's book "Hereditary Genius" (1869) proposed that some
people possess characteristics that make them more fit than
others.
Charles Darwin and Individual
Differences
• Galton conducted experimental studies to demonstrate
individual differences in human sensory and motor
functioning.
• James McKeen Cattell, influenced by Galton's work,
coined the term "mental test" and conducted research on
individual differences in reaction time.
• Cattell's contributions laid the groundwork for the
development of modern psychological tests.
Experimental Psychology and
Psychophysical Measurement
• Mathematical models of the mind were developed by J. E. Herbart,
influencing 19th-century educational practices.
• E. H. Weber investigated psychological thresholds, while G. T.
Fechner formulated Fechner's law relating sensation strength to
stimulus intensity.
• Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the
University of Leipzig in 1879.
• G. Whipple organized a seminar at the Carnegie Institute in 1919,
attended by L. L. Thurstone and E. Strong, leading to the
development of the Carnegie Interest Inventory and Strong
Vocational Interest Blank.
Experimental Psychology and
Psychophysical Measurement
• Psychological testing developed from two lines of inquiry:
one focusing on individual differences and the other on
experimental psychology.
• Early tests like the Seguin Form Board Test and Kraepelin's
examinations aimed to classify and evaluate mentally and
emotionally handicapped individuals.
• Alfred Binet and T. Simon developed the first major general
intelligence test in response to the French government's
commission on identifying intellectually subnormal
individuals.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
• The Binet-Simon Scale, published in 1905, consisted of 30
items to identify intellectually subnormal individuals and
included a standardization sample of 50 children.
• The importance of obtaining a standardization sample
representative of the test's population was emphasized, as using
an inappropriate sample could lead to unfair comparisons.
• Binet recognized the significance of a representative
standardization sample and worked to increase its size and
representativeness in subsequent revisions of the Binet-Simon
Scale.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
• The 1908 revision of the Binet-Simon Scale expanded to
nearly twice the number of items, with a standardization
sample of over 200, introducing the concept of mental age
to measure a child's performance relative to their peers.
• In 1911, the Binet-Simon Scale underwent a minor
revision, and by 1916, L. M. Terman introduced the
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, which included
significant improvements such as a larger standardization
sample of 1,000 people and revised and new items.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
World War I
• The demand for quick and efficient evaluation of military
recruits during World War I led to the growth of the testing
movement in the United States.
• Robert Yerkes, then president of the American Psychological
Association, led a committee to develop two structured group
tests: the Army Alpha and the Army Beta, to assess human
abilities.
• The Army Alpha required reading ability, while the Army Beta
was designed for illiterate adults to measure intelligence.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
World War I
• World War I spurred the widespread development of group tests and
broadened the scope of testing to include achievement, aptitude,
interest, and personality assessments.
• The distinctions between achievement, aptitude, and intelligence tests
were found to be more apparent than real, but the emergence of the
1916 Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Army Alpha test added
momentum to the testing movement.
• Schools, colleges, and industry began adopting tests shortly after the
appearance of these assessments, as psychological tests were seen as a
potential solution to the challenges arising from population growth and
technological advancements.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
Achievement Tests
• The development of standardized achievement tests was a
significant post-World War I development.
• Standardized achievement tests replaced essay tests with multiple-
choice questions standardized on a large sample to produce norms.
• These tests gained popularity due to their ease of administration
and scoring, objectivity, and lack of subjectivity or favoritism.
• In school settings, standardized achievement tests allowed for
identical testing conditions and scoring standards for a large
number of students, broader content coverage, and cost-efficiency
compared to essay tests.
The Evolution of Intelligence and
Standardized Achievement Tests
Achievement Tests
• The Stanford Achievement Test, published in 1923 by T. L.
Kelley, G. M. Ruch, and L. M. Terman, marked a culmination in
the development of standardized achievement tests.
• By the 1930s, standardized tests were widely considered
superior to essay tests due to their objectivity and reliability,
leading to their widespread use.
• Despite their historical prevalence, current educational trends
favor written tests and work samples (portfolios) over
standardized achievement tests as a means of evaluating
children and reducing marginalization of minority children.
Rising to the Challenge
• In the 1930s, critics of the testing movement in the United States
became vocal, highlighting limitations and weaknesses of existing tests.
• Even landmark tests like the Stanford-Binet faced criticism, leading to
a defensive stance among advocates of testing.
• Despite the criticism, developers began to improve tests near the end of
the 1930s, incorporating knowledge and experience gained over the
previous decades.
• In 1937, the Stanford-Binet was revised with significant improvements,
including a larger standardization sample of over 3000 individuals.
• Two years later, David Wechsler introduced the Wechsler-Bellevue
Intelligence Scale (W-B), which included several innovations in
intelligence testing.
Rising to the Challenge
• Unlike the Stanford-Binet, which provided a single IQ score,
Wechsler's test yielded multiple scores, allowing for a more
comprehensive analysis of an individual's abilities.
• One notable innovation was the inclusion of a performance IQ
score, which assessed intelligence without relying on verbal
responses, addressing a criticism of tests like the Stanford-Binet.
• Wechsler's test helped overcome practical and theoretical
weaknesses of the Binet test by including nonverbal scales,
acknowledging that intelligence is not solely reliant on language or
verbal skills.
• The Binet test underwent significant revisions in 1986 and 2003 to
address its shortcomings and incorporate performance subtests..
Personality Tests: 1920-1940
• Personality tests gained prominence just before and after World
War II, focusing on stable traits underlying behavior.
• Traits are enduring dispositions distinguishing individuals, like
optimism or pessimism.
• Early personality tests were structured paper-and-pencil group
tests, such as the Woodworth Personal Data Sheet developed
during World War I.
• These tests assumed responses could be taken at face value, but
criticism led to their decline by the late 1930s and early 1940s.
• Following World War II, however, personality tests based on
fewer or different assumptions were reintroduced, rescuing the
structured personality test.
Personality Tests: 1920-1940
• Projective tests gained interest during the rise and fall of
structured personality tests.
• Unlike structured tests, projective tests offer ambiguous
stimuli and subjective scoring.
• The Rorschach inkblot test, developed by Herman
Rorschach in 1921, initially faced skepticism but grew in
popularity after Sam Beck's scientific investigation.
• Despite criticism, projective tests like the Rorschach and
the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), developed by
Henry Murray and Christina Morgan in 1935, gained
momentum for measuring human needs and motivations.
The Emergence of New Approaches to
Personality Testing
• Projective personality tests like the Rorschach and TAT
gained popularity in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
• However, their psychometric properties, especially of the
Rorschach, have been questioned.
• In 1943, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI) marked a new era for structured personality tests
by emphasizing empirical research.
• MMPI and its updated version MMPI-2 are widely used
and referenced personality tests, stimulating numerous
empirical studies.
The Emergence of New Approaches to
Personality Testing
• Personality tests based on factor analysis emerged
around the same time, aiming to identify underlying
dimensions or factors.
• J. R. Guilford and R. B. Cattell made significant
contributions to factor analytic personality tests, with
Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire
(16PF) remaining influential.
• Factor analysis is now commonly used in the design and
validation of major personality tests.
The Period of Rapid Changes in
the Status of Testing
• The 1940s marked the rise of applied psychology
alongside the development of new testing technology.
• World War II reinforced the importance of psychological
testing, leading to increased government support for
applied psychology.
• Clinical psychology emerged as a formal discipline with
standardized training by 1949, with testing being a key
function.
• Psychologists played a complementary role to physicians,
primarily as testers rather than therapists.
The Period of Rapid Changes in
the Status of Testing
• Government efforts successfully attracted talented
individuals to applied psychology fields.
• However, some psychologists felt constrained by their
secondary role and rejected testing due to its association
with this position.
• Public suspicion and distrust of tests grew due to
perceived intrusiveness and fears of misuse.
• Attacks on testing from within and outside the profession
intensified, leading to a decline in the status of testing
from the late 1950s to the 1970s.
The Current Environment
• Since the 1980s, various branches of applied psychology like
neuropsychology, health psychology, forensic psychology, and child
psychology have emerged and utilized psychological tests extensively.
• Psychological testing has regained status and importance due to its
widespread use in various professional settings worldwide.
• Regardless of career goals, understanding psychological testing is
crucial as it remains a cornerstone of psychology, contributing to
research and practice.
• Mastery of psychological testing principles is essential for
professionals in diverse fields, including law, medicine, education, and
management.
• Being knowledgeable about psychological tests empowers individuals
to make informed decisions and ensure their beneficial and constructive
use in society.
Assumptions of Psychological
Testing and Assessment
Assumption 1: Psychological
Traits and States Exist
• A trait has been defined as “any distinguishable,
relatively enduring way in which one individual varies
from another” (Guilford, 1959, p. 6).
Ex: Moodiness
• States also distinguish one person from another but are
relatively less enduring (Chaplin et al., 1988).
Ex: Irritability
Assumption 1: Psychological
Traits and States Exist
• Few people deny that psychological traits exist. Yet there has been a
fair amount of controversy regarding just how they exist (McCabe &
Fleeson, 2016; Sherman et al., 2015).
• psychological trait exists only as a construct—an informed, scientific
concept developed or constructed to describe or explain behavior.
• overt behavior refers to an observable action or the product of an
observable action, including test- or assessment-related responses.
Assumption 2: Psychological Traits and
States Can Be Quantified and Measured
• Once it’s acknowledged that psychological traits and states do exist, the specific
traits and states to be measured and quantified need to be carefully defined.
• Once having defined the trait, state, or other construct to be measured, a test
developer considers the types of item content that would provide insight into it.
• Cumulative Scoring: Test scores often represent the strength of an ability, trait,
or state, based on cumulative scoring methods.
• Assumption: Cumulative scoring assumes that the more a test-taker responds
in a specific direction consistent with the targeted trait, the higher their
presumed level of that trait.
Assumption 3: Test-Related Behavior
Predicts Non-Test-Related Behavior
• Tests often involve tasks like filling in grids or pressing keys, not
to predict future behavior in those tasks but to indicate other
aspects of behavior.
• Patterns of answers on personality tests can inform decisions about
mental disorders.
• Some tests mimic real behaviors but provide only a sample of
expected behavior under normal conditions.
Assumption 3: Test-Related Behavior
Predicts Non-Test-Related Behavior
• The obtained behavior sample is used to predict future behavior,
like job performance.
• In legal contexts, tests may be used to understand past behavior
(postdict), such as assessing a defendant's state of mind during a
crime.
• Testing cannot fully reconstruct someone's state of mind, but
behavior samples and other assessment tools can provide insight.
Assumption 4: Tests and Other Measurement
Techniques Have Strengths and Weaknesses
• Competent test users possess comprehensive knowledge
about the tests they administer.
• They understand the test's development, appropriate
administration circumstances, target demographic, and
interpretation of results.
• Awareness of the test's limitations and compensatory
measures using data from other sources is crucial.
• This fundamental principle is emphasized in the ethical
codes of assessment professional associations.
Assumption 5: Various Sources of Error Are
Part of the Assessment Process
• In assessment contexts, "error" refers to deviations from
expected measurements and is a fundamental part of the
measurement process.
• Error variance represents the portion of a test score
attributed to factors other than the trait or ability being
measured.
• Sources of error variance include factors such as the health
status of the test-taker, adherence to testing protocols by
assessors, and the quality of measuring instruments.
Assumption 5: Various Sources of Error Are
Part of the Assessment Process
• Some error is random and unpredictable, akin to chance
occurrences like the weather on the day of testing.
• Classical test theory (CTT) posits that each test-taker
has a true score unaffected by measurement error, but
alternative models like item response theory (IRT) also
account for error.
• Regardless of the model used, understanding and
addressing measurement error is crucial in assessment
practices.
Assumption 6: Testing and Assessment Can Be
Conducted in a Fair and Unbiased Manner

• Fairness in testing is a contentious issue, often the most

controversial among seven key assumptions in testing.
• Decades of legal challenges have heightened awareness
about the societal demand for fair tests used in a fair manner.
• Major test publishers now prioritize the development of
instruments that are fair when used according to guidelines.
• Despite efforts, fairness-related questions and problems
occasionally arise, especially when test users apply tests to
individuals with different backgrounds than those for whom
the test was intended.
Assumption 6: Testing and Assessment Can Be
Conducted in a Fair and Unbiased Manner

• The real debate often centers not on whether a test is

fair, but rather on societal goals and intentions behind
its use.
• Tests are tools, and like any tool, they can be used
properly or improperly, highlighting the importance of
careful and responsible test administration.
Assumption 7: Testing and Assessment
Benefit Society
• While the idea of a world without testing might initially
seem appealing, it would likely lead to chaos and
unqualified individuals assuming critical roles.
• Without tests, qualifications for professions like
surgeons, bridge builders, or pilots could be overlooked,
leading to potential disasters.
• Hiring based on nepotism rather than merit could
become prevalent in the absence of testing.
Assumption 7: Testing and Assessment
Benefit Society
• Without tests, educational placements could be arbitrary,
lacking evidence-based decisions.
• Testing is essential for diagnosing educational difficulties,
such as reading and math, and for identifying
neuropsychological impairments.
• Military screening of recruits would be impractical without
testing.
• The necessity for tests, especially high-quality ones, becomes
evident when considering the many critical decisions based on
testing and assessment procedures.
End of topic 1.

5 minutes break!!!!