Assess Your Understanding of Psychological Testing

Gives special attention to certain emerging testing needs, such as use with handicapped groups, application to problems of learning disabilities, and appropriateness for cultural and linguistic minorities

_________provide a detailed description of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities in Psychological Testing Across the Lifespan _______emphasize that a key contribution of McCarthy was creating a test measuring "cognitive ability" rather than "intelligence."

The study of the interrelation between linguistic factors and psychological aspects. The field is concerned with psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language. The discipline is mainly concerned with the mechanisms in which languages are processed and represented in the mind and brain.

A clinical instrument (psychological diagnostic test) for assessing cognitive development. Its construction incorporates several recent developments in both psychological theory and statistical methodology

Intended to measure children from ages 2 to 8. The scale is very sound, and if there was more validity data, it could have very well obtained the same status as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Concerned with the cognitive faculties and processes that are necessary in order for grammatical forms of language to be produced from a mental grammar and the lexicon.

A branch of psycholinguistics, concerns itself with the child's ability to learn language.

Offers the ease of use and flexibility that examiners need to accurately evaluate learning problems for children and adults in a way that no other assessment solution can. The instrument features an updated and expanded interpretive model that includes Gf-Gcoffers the ease of use and flexibility that examiners need to accurately evaluate learning problems for children and adults in a way that no other assessment solution can. The instrument features an updated and expanded interpretive model that includes Gf-Gc

Includes new, domain-specific scholastic aptitude clusters that allow for efficient and valid predictions of academic achievement

Individually administered test for people aged from eight years to adulthood that measures visual perception and visual memory. It can also be used to help identify possible learning disabilities among other afflictions that might affect an individual's memory

is composed of 3 sets, or forms, of 10 designs (each 8.5 × 5.5 in.) that measure the examinee’s visual and memory abilities as well as a set of alternate designs for repeated tests.

Originally developed in 1938 by child psychiatrist Lauretta Bender. Additional versions were developed by other later practitioners, although adaptations designed as projective tests have been heavily criticized in the clinical literature due to their lack of psychometric validity. All versions follow the same general format but differ in how results are evaluated and scored.

A psychological used by mental health practitioners that assesses visual-motor functioning, developmental disorders, and neurological impairments in children ages 3 and older and adults. The test consists of nine index cards picturing different geometric designs

Characterized as paper-and-pencil or booklet-and-pencil tests because the only materials required are a printed booklet of test items, a test manual, a scoring key, an answer sheet, and a pencil. Multiple choice, but some require a free response such as completing a sentence or design, or writing an essay, as in the modern GRE.

A set of standardized achievement tests used by school districts in the United States and in American schools abroad for assessing children from kindergarten through high school First published in 1922, the test is now in its tenth version. It is produced by the publishing company Harcourt (now owned by Pearson),

The test is available in 13 levels that roughly correspond to the year in school, but the correspondence is not exact. (Precise comparisons between the Stanford test and state standards are difficult because the Stanford test materials are proprietary.) Each level of the test is broken into subtests or strands covering various subjects such as reading comprehension, mathematics problem-solving, language, spelling, listening comprehension, science, and social science.

Used to measure academic knowledge of elementary and secondary school students. The reports include narrative summaries, process and cluster summaries, and graphic displays to clarify the student's performance and guide planning and analysis. Used in educational research to evaluate the effectiveness of policies, such as tying teacher salaries to students' test results.

Standardized group intelligence test that may be given in grades K-12. The test was originally developed in the 1920's but has been updated several times since then. The test has verbal and nonverbal items (although the items are primarily nonverbal in the early grades) and takes 50-75 minutes to complete. The test correlates well with performance in school and on other intelligence tests. Test scores allow comparisons with other children by both chronological age and by grade level, and the test gives reliable results from one testing to the next.

Of Mental Ability (College Level) is designed to measure those aspects of mental ability, which are important for success in academic work and in similar endeavors outside the classroom. The tests are published in four levels of difficulty: for Grades 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, and College Level.

Are a family of psychometric tests made to measure the general intelligence. These tests are typically formulated in a multiple-choice format. Usually consist of verbal, numerical, abstract and logical tests. Their complexity and difficulty level can vary significantly between the different tests in this category.made to measure the general intelligence. These tests are typically formulated in a multiple-choice format. Usually consist of verbal, numerical, abstract and logical tests. Their complexity and difficulty level can vary significantly between the different tests in this category.

Looks very different from its predecessor. Presents each topic in one big chunk of time, rather than dividing them into several shorter sections. The only exception is Math, which is divided for the first time into a “calculator permitted” and a “calculator prohibited” section. The Essay section now comes at the end of the SAT, and the decision to take it is left up to the student. 5-minute break after about every hour of testing.

Had ten sections of various lengths. They were 10, 20, or 25 minutes in length, and, for the most part, the order of subjects was completely random. Among these ten sections was an unidentified experimental section, which, though unscored, could still mess with test-takers’ minds with its strange question types

Divided into three main sections. The Analytical Writing section is always presented first. The other two sections are the Verbal and Quantitative sections and they may appear in any order and may include un-scored and research sections with questions that are being considered for use in future tests. (Your answers on these won’t count towards your score, but since you won’t know which questions are legitimate and which aren’t, you should treat every portion of the test as if it counts.)

Assesses the analytical thinking ability of graduate school candidates — an ability that is critical for success in both graduate school and professional life. The MAT helps graduate schools identify candidates whose knowledge and abilities go beyond mere memorizing and repeating information. Administered in just 60 minutes, an excellent option for candidates applying to any of the hundreds of graduate programs

A nonverbal group test typically used in educational settings. It is usually a 60-item test used in measuring abstract reasoning and regarded as a non-verbal estimate of fluid intelligence. It is the most common and popular test administered to groups ranging from 5-year-olds to the elderly. It is made of 60 multiple choice questions, listed in order of difficulty.

Are designed to measure two or more different abilities. In some cases, such tests may even resemble intelligence tests in terms of their focus and scope. The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) that high school students take during their senior year is a good example of a multiple aptitude test. The SAT measures aptitudes in areas including math, reasoning, and language and is often used by colleges and universities to determine if an applicant is prepared and has the ability to do well in college. The Graduate Requisite Exam (GRE), as well as the specialized tests required in order to get into medical (MCAT), law (LSAT), and business graduate programs, are also examples of multiple aptitude tests.

Can tell more on who you are and what suits you. They provide information necessary for making the right career choice help you define your interests and determine what you like most. This could help you when making a career choice provide you with a list of two activities at a time. You then indicate which of these activities appeals to you the most. Based upon your choices, a result with your strongest interests is reported. Sometimes statements are given, for which you indicate whether they apply to you or not

A logical deduction of the content that should measure the characteristic to be assessed

An attempt to deduce the type of items that should measure the characteristic to be assessed which is based upon and consistent with the theory

Use reason and deductive logic to determine the meaning of a test response. The logical- content method has test designer select items on the basis of simple face validity; in the theoretical approach, test construction is guided by a particular psychological theory.

Begins with a criterion group or a collection of individuals who share a characteristic, then attempts to collect a group of items that distinguish between them and the general population

Uses factor analysis to derive empirically the basic dimensions of personality

Rely on data collection and statistical analyses to determine the meaning of a test response or the nature of personality and psychopathology. These strategies retain the self-report features of the deductive strategies in that subject are asked to respond to items that describe their own views, opinions, and feelings. However, empirical strategies attempt to use experimental research to determine empirically the meaning of a test response, the major dimensions of personality, or both. In the criterion-group approach, test designers choose items to distinguish a group of individual with certain characteristics, the criterion group, from a control group; the factor analytic approach uses the statistical technique of factor analysis to determine the meaning of test items.

Aids in the diagnosis of major personality disorders

Attempts to evaluate personality in normally adjusted individuals

Refers to the notion that when confronted with ambiguous and unstructured stimuli, the responses elicited by a person reflect one’s unconscious needs, feelings, anxieties, motives, thoughts, conflicts, and prior behavioral conditioning.

Psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. Can be thought of as a psychometric examination of pareidolia, the active pattern of perceiving objects, shapes, or scenery as meaningful things to the observer's experience, the most common being faces or other pattern of forms that are not present at the time of the observation

Ink blot test aimed at detecting personality and was conceived by Wayne H. Holtzman and colleagues. It was first introduced in 1961 as a projective personality test similar to the Rorschach. The HIT is a standardized measurement. The Holtzman Inkblot Test was developed as an attempt to address some controversial issues surrounding the Rorschach Inkblot Test. Used to assess the personal structure of the subject.

Projective psychological test developed during the 1930s by Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan at Harvard University. Proponents of the technique assert that subjects' responses, in the narratives they make up about ambiguous pictures of people, reveal their underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the social world. Historically, the test has been among the most widely researched, taught, and used of such techniques. Popularly known as the picture interpretation technique because it uses a series of provocative yet ambiguous pictures about which the subject is asked to tell a story

This assesses three defense mechanisms: denial (least mature), projection (intermediate), and identification (most mature). A person's thoughts/feelings are projected in stories involved.

This assesses four different dimensions of object relations: Complexity of Representations of People, Affect-Tone of Relationship Paradigms, Capacity for Emotional Investment in Relationships and Moral Standards, and Understanding of Social Causality.

This assesses how people identify, think about and resolve problems through the scoring of thirteen different criteria. This scoring system is useful because theoretically, good problem-solving ability is an indicator of an individual’s mental health

Is a self-report survey for measuring non-cognitive factors that are associated with self-esteem or self-concept in the school setting. It is a useful tool to assess a students’ self-esteem, promote self-awareness, and help them improve academic performance.

Is a 60-item test that asks respondents to complete 60 questions with the first thing that comes to mind across four areas: Family, Sex, Interpersonal, Relationships and Self-concept.

Created by Florence Goodenough in 1926 to initially assess intelligence & maturity level in children through a non-verbal task: drawing a person. The test was meant to be an alternative to traditional intelligence tests and was a non-verbal, ‘nonthreatening’ task (ie. No investigator pressures) to evaluate intelligence by scoring the drawings. It was intended to eliminate biases by reducing language barriers (like primary language differences, verbal skills, communication disabilities, working under pressure, etc.).

Every person is unique in their own special way. Psychologists believe that just as we all have our exclusive signature, our little drawings and doodles also serve as unique sources of information that say much about our true selves. When we draw, we subconsciously project our main personality characteristics and traits onto the piece of paper. That's why those little drawings are so important. A projective technique designed to determine the main personality traits of a person who performs it. It's often used during job interviews and different kinds of evaluations.

Responsible for providing confirmatory evidence of the reliability of scores and the validity of inferences based on interpretations of test performance.

Some tests are useful in diverse situations, but no test works well for all tasks with all people in all situations. In his classic 1967 article, Gordon Paul helped move us away from the oversimplified search for effective therapies toward a more difficult but meaningful question: "What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual with that specific problem, and under which set of circumstances?" Selecting assessment instruments involves similarly complex questions, such as: "Has research established sufficient reliability and validity (as well as sensitivity, specificity, and other relevant features) for this test, with an individual from this population, for this task (i.e., the purpose of the assessment), in this set of circumstances?"

We tend to seek, recognize, and value information that is consistent with our attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. If we form an initial impression, we may favor findings that support that impression, and discount, ignore, or misconstrue data that don't fit. Premature cognitive commitment to an initial impression--which can form a strong cognitive set through which we sift all subsequent findings--is similar to the logical fallacy of hasty generalization. We give preference to information that confirms our expectations

Begins with the individual's test results and asks: What is the likelihood, expressed as a conditional probability, that a person with these results has condition (or ability, aptitude, quality, etc.) X?

Begins with the condition (or ability, aptitude, quality) X and asks: What is the likelihood, expressed as a conditional probability, that a person who has X will show these test results?

Gain their power from their standardization. Norms, validity, reliability, specificity, sensitivity, and similar measures emerge from an actuarial base: a well-selected sample of people providing data (through answering questions, performing tasks, etc.) in response to a uniform procedure in (reasonably) uniform conditions

Rates can play a role in many testing problems but very low base rates seem particularly troublesome.

Inference of an association is a fallacy: religious faith and the development of PTSD in this community are independent factors. The 2 factors appear to be associated because both have high base rates, but they are statistically unrelated.

Assume that "all is well," that in fact "conditions are perfect." If we don't check, we may not discover that the person we're assessing for a job, a custody hearing, a disability claim, a criminal case, asylum status, or a competency hearing took standardized psychological tests and completed other phases of formal assessment under conditions that significantly distorted the results.

Very human error to assume that we are immune to the effects of But a financial conflict of _________interest can subtly -- and sometimes not so subtly -- affect the ways in which we gather, interpret, and present even the most routine data.

Empirical research has identified ways in _______________can affect the responses (e.g., various aspects of cognitive performance) of people during psychological and neuropsychological assessment. Ignoring these potential effects can create an extremely misleading assessment

Psychologists who conduct assessments are gatekeepers of sensitive information that may have profound and lasting effects on the life of the person who was assessed. The gatekeeping responsibilities exist within a complex framework of federal (e.g., HIPAA) and state legislation and case law as well as other relevant regulations, codes, and contexts