PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT I
A. PURPOSE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
- Early tests were used predominantly for two purposes:
To measure intelligence
To detect personality disorders
- From birth to old age, through one encounters tests at almost every turning point of life.
- Form the baby’s first test - the APGAR test - to the toddler’s development assessments, then the school readiness
test for the preschool child.
A - Appearance
P - Pulse
G - Grimace
A - Activity
R - Respiration
- Once a career begins, academic tests are given - not to mention the vocational tests and admission tests.
- After graduation, adults still face tests for job entry, personality function, marital compatibility, etc.
B. CURRENT USES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
- Traditionally the purpose of psychological test has been to measure differences between individuals or between
the reactions of the same individual on different occasions.
- One of the first problems that stimulated the development of psychological tests was the identification of the
mentally retarded.
- To this day, the detection of intellectual deficiencies remains an important application of certain types of
psychological tests, apart from the examination of the emotionally disturbed, the delinquent and other types of
behavioural deviants.
- The most common use of psychological tests is to make decisions about persons.
Example: Educational institutions frequently use tests to determine placement levels for students and
universities ascertain who should be admitted, in part, on the basis of test scores.
- Even the individual practitioner exploits tests for decision making.
Example: A consulting psychologist who uses a personality test to determine that a police department
hires one candidate and not another.
Example: A neuropsychologist who employs a test to conclude that a client has suffered brain damage.
C. FIVE USES OF TESTS
Classification
- The term classification encompasses a variety of procedure that share a common purpose: Assigning a
person to once category rather than another
- There are many variant forms of classification, each emphasizing a particular purpose in assigning persons
to categories. These are:
o Placement
- Is the sorting of persons into different programs appropriate to their needs or skills.
- For example, universities often use a mathematics placement exam to determine if student
should enrol in calculus, algebra, or a remedial course.
o Screening
- Refers to quick and simple tests or procedures to identify persons who might have special
characteristics or needs.
- Ordinarily, psychometricians acknowledge that screening tests will result in many
classifications.
- Examiners are therefore advised to do follow up testing with additional instruments before
making important decisions on the basis of screening tests.
A. PURPOSE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
- Early tests were used predominantly for two purposes:
To measure intelligence
To detect personality disorders
- From birth to old age, through one encounters tests at almost every turning point of life.
- Form the baby’s first test - the APGAR test - to the toddler’s development assessments, then the school readiness
test for the preschool child.
A - Appearance
P - Pulse
G - Grimace
A - Activity
R - Respiration
- Once a career begins, academic tests are given - not to mention the vocational tests and admission tests.
- After graduation, adults still face tests for job entry, personality function, marital compatibility, etc.
B. CURRENT USES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
- Traditionally the purpose of psychological test has been to measure differences between individuals or between
the reactions of the same individual on different occasions.
- One of the first problems that stimulated the development of psychological tests was the identification of the
mentally retarded.
- To this day, the detection of intellectual deficiencies remains an important application of certain types of
psychological tests, apart from the examination of the emotionally disturbed, the delinquent and other types of
behavioural deviants.
- The most common use of psychological tests is to make decisions about persons.
Example: Educational institutions frequently use tests to determine placement levels for students and
universities ascertain who should be admitted, in part, on the basis of test scores.
- Even the individual practitioner exploits tests for decision making.
Example: A consulting psychologist who uses a personality test to determine that a police department
hires one candidate and not another.
Example: A neuropsychologist who employs a test to conclude that a client has suffered brain damage.
C. FIVE USES OF TESTS
Classification
- The term classification encompasses a variety of procedure that share a common purpose: Assigning a
person to once category rather than another
- There are many variant forms of classification, each emphasizing a particular purpose in assigning persons
to categories. These are:
o Placement
- Is the sorting of persons into different programs appropriate to their needs or skills.
- For example, universities often use a mathematics placement exam to determine if student
should enrol in calculus, algebra, or a remedial course.
o Screening
- Refers to quick and simple tests or procedures to identify persons who might have special
characteristics or needs.
- Ordinarily, psychometricians acknowledge that screening tests will result in many
classifications.
- Examiners are therefore advised to do follow up testing with additional instruments before
making important decisions on the basis of screening tests.
