PSY 603 Midterm Study Guide
Exam A+ Graded
Unit One - ANSWER -
Assessment is - ANSWER essentially, any systematic procedure for collecting client
info, which is used to inform treatment in terms of making inferences or decisions /
evaluating problems to benefit the client and their treatment
testing - ANSWER a method of gathering data
are not end products, merely a means of generating hypotheses
examples of assessments - ANSWER clinical interview, testing, review of old records,
interviews with other sources, behavioral observation, client self monitoring
LMFT Assessment Guidelines - ANSWER LMFTs can conduct assessments if
-they have received adequate training in the instruments and are competent in their use
-used for the assessment and treatment of their OWN clients (cannot hire out services to
non clients)
-psychologists do broader scope of psychological testing (personality, neurocognitive)
LPCC Assessment Guidelines - ANSWER -can do so to assess human behavior in
relation to helping clients cope / adapt / alleviate challenging life situations as part of
counseling processes
-can NOT use projective techniques in assessing personality, IQ, neuropsychological
tests
-can NOT use a battery of three or more tests to determine presence of psychosis,
dementia, amnesia, dementia, cognitive impairment, criminal behavior
Lmft / Lpcc assessment in a nutshell - ANSWER both can do assessment to benefit the
treatment of THEIR clients as long as they know what they are doing (trained in
instruments, understand them)
Self-Report / Insider Perspective ADVANTAGES (self report, projective tests, content
interviews) - ANSWER -convenient
-usually affordable
-can compare results to normative sample
,-can capture clients attributions/cognitions
-client may be more willing to share info during a face to face interaction
Insider Perspective DISADVANTAGES (self report, projective tests, content of
interviews) - ANSWER -insider perspective may be inaccurate, biased, distorted,
-clinician must deal with inconsistencies in self reports
-provides limited info on the little details of in the moment interactions among a couple
or family
Outsider Perspective ADVANTAGES (observation of structured task, informal
observation, process of interviews) - ANSWER -provides info about actual interactions
among couple or family
-can help provide empirical evidence to support theories of family interaction patterns
Outsider Perspective DISADVANTAGES (observation of structured task, informal
observation, process of interviews) - ANSWER -generally requires recording equipment
(cameras, audio recording devices)
-coding systems to evaluate interactions can be complex / time consuming / difficult to
learn
-questions of ecological validity (do behaviors generalize to outside world?)
Special Challenges in Assessing families and couples - ANSWER -multiple perspectives
-triangulation
Considerations when choosing a test - ANSWER Does the test help answer the referral
question?
-will it aid in treatment planning?
-consider the info you have already and the info needed, to avoid overtesting
Is the client likely to misreport symptoms or experiences?
-underreporting, overreporting
Is the test administrator familiar with the administration, scoring, interpretation of the
test?
-is specialized training required? will they be able to use test as it should be used for
clients benefit?
Unit Two - ANSWER
ethical considerations in testing - ANSWER -know what is required in the setting you
,work
-only evaluate in a professional context
-understand impact of rapport, expectation, emotional state on test results
-obtain informed consent
-protect security of test materials
-know your instruments
-know when to refer
-be careful in your write-up
-provide feedback
Areas to consider when choosing / conducting a culturally competent assessment -
ANSWER -to what degree does the test attend to issues of diversity
-how do attitudes/beliefs/values affect behavior in test session
-how do YOUR values and countertransference impact assessment process
-how do social issues (ses, discrim, edu, socialization) impact understanding of
assessment and its findings
cultural considerations to find out or ask a client about during an assessment - ANSWER
-language proficiency
-cultural / ethnic identity and acculturation
-cultural explanations or idioms used to explain distress / symptoms
-sources of stress / support related to culture
-culturally relevant resources and adjunctive treatments
-how do cultural / ethnic differences impact the client-clinician relationship
, Two components that contribute to measurement bias - ANSWER -level of accessibility
-whether or not test has universal design
A test may contain measurment bias if - ANSWER -the content or construction of items
gives an unfair advantage to one group over another (differential item functioning, test
doesn't allow equal access to construct being measured)
-formatting, mode of administration, administrator personality factors (favoring one
group over another)
-test is inappropriately applied
challenges in language translation of a test - ANSWER -the "psychotechnical nature" of
test directions
-underlying constructs may not be universal across cultures (for example, anorexia
weight loss is not motivated by fear of being fat in other cultures / countries)
-back translation procedures not always followed
-examinee test taking behaviors and orientation to test directions / procedures can vary
across cultures
back translation - ANSWER measure is appropriately translated into a new language,
then translated back into the original language by someone who has no knowledge of
original text
done to ensure translation is accurate and has "stamp of approval"
Exam A+ Graded
Unit One - ANSWER -
Assessment is - ANSWER essentially, any systematic procedure for collecting client
info, which is used to inform treatment in terms of making inferences or decisions /
evaluating problems to benefit the client and their treatment
testing - ANSWER a method of gathering data
are not end products, merely a means of generating hypotheses
examples of assessments - ANSWER clinical interview, testing, review of old records,
interviews with other sources, behavioral observation, client self monitoring
LMFT Assessment Guidelines - ANSWER LMFTs can conduct assessments if
-they have received adequate training in the instruments and are competent in their use
-used for the assessment and treatment of their OWN clients (cannot hire out services to
non clients)
-psychologists do broader scope of psychological testing (personality, neurocognitive)
LPCC Assessment Guidelines - ANSWER -can do so to assess human behavior in
relation to helping clients cope / adapt / alleviate challenging life situations as part of
counseling processes
-can NOT use projective techniques in assessing personality, IQ, neuropsychological
tests
-can NOT use a battery of three or more tests to determine presence of psychosis,
dementia, amnesia, dementia, cognitive impairment, criminal behavior
Lmft / Lpcc assessment in a nutshell - ANSWER both can do assessment to benefit the
treatment of THEIR clients as long as they know what they are doing (trained in
instruments, understand them)
Self-Report / Insider Perspective ADVANTAGES (self report, projective tests, content
interviews) - ANSWER -convenient
-usually affordable
-can compare results to normative sample
,-can capture clients attributions/cognitions
-client may be more willing to share info during a face to face interaction
Insider Perspective DISADVANTAGES (self report, projective tests, content of
interviews) - ANSWER -insider perspective may be inaccurate, biased, distorted,
-clinician must deal with inconsistencies in self reports
-provides limited info on the little details of in the moment interactions among a couple
or family
Outsider Perspective ADVANTAGES (observation of structured task, informal
observation, process of interviews) - ANSWER -provides info about actual interactions
among couple or family
-can help provide empirical evidence to support theories of family interaction patterns
Outsider Perspective DISADVANTAGES (observation of structured task, informal
observation, process of interviews) - ANSWER -generally requires recording equipment
(cameras, audio recording devices)
-coding systems to evaluate interactions can be complex / time consuming / difficult to
learn
-questions of ecological validity (do behaviors generalize to outside world?)
Special Challenges in Assessing families and couples - ANSWER -multiple perspectives
-triangulation
Considerations when choosing a test - ANSWER Does the test help answer the referral
question?
-will it aid in treatment planning?
-consider the info you have already and the info needed, to avoid overtesting
Is the client likely to misreport symptoms or experiences?
-underreporting, overreporting
Is the test administrator familiar with the administration, scoring, interpretation of the
test?
-is specialized training required? will they be able to use test as it should be used for
clients benefit?
Unit Two - ANSWER
ethical considerations in testing - ANSWER -know what is required in the setting you
,work
-only evaluate in a professional context
-understand impact of rapport, expectation, emotional state on test results
-obtain informed consent
-protect security of test materials
-know your instruments
-know when to refer
-be careful in your write-up
-provide feedback
Areas to consider when choosing / conducting a culturally competent assessment -
ANSWER -to what degree does the test attend to issues of diversity
-how do attitudes/beliefs/values affect behavior in test session
-how do YOUR values and countertransference impact assessment process
-how do social issues (ses, discrim, edu, socialization) impact understanding of
assessment and its findings
cultural considerations to find out or ask a client about during an assessment - ANSWER
-language proficiency
-cultural / ethnic identity and acculturation
-cultural explanations or idioms used to explain distress / symptoms
-sources of stress / support related to culture
-culturally relevant resources and adjunctive treatments
-how do cultural / ethnic differences impact the client-clinician relationship
, Two components that contribute to measurement bias - ANSWER -level of accessibility
-whether or not test has universal design
A test may contain measurment bias if - ANSWER -the content or construction of items
gives an unfair advantage to one group over another (differential item functioning, test
doesn't allow equal access to construct being measured)
-formatting, mode of administration, administrator personality factors (favoring one
group over another)
-test is inappropriately applied
challenges in language translation of a test - ANSWER -the "psychotechnical nature" of
test directions
-underlying constructs may not be universal across cultures (for example, anorexia
weight loss is not motivated by fear of being fat in other cultures / countries)
-back translation procedures not always followed
-examinee test taking behaviors and orientation to test directions / procedures can vary
across cultures
back translation - ANSWER measure is appropriately translated into a new language,
then translated back into the original language by someone who has no knowledge of
original text
done to ensure translation is accurate and has "stamp of approval"
