PSY ASSESSMENT

2. 1917 – US declared war on Germany and

entered World War I.

(WEEK 1) a. Military screened large numbers of recruits

quickly for intellectual and emotional numbers.
Metalanguage
b. Psychological testing provided this
All fields of human endeavor use measurement in methodology.
some structure, and each field has its
3. WWII – Military would depend even more on
arrangement of estimating apparatuses and
psychological tests to screen recruits for service.
measuring units. For instance, if a person is
connected with or pondering getting ready for 4. Following the war, more and more tests
marriage, she or he may have found out about a purporting to measure psychological variables
unit of measure called the carat. If a person is were developed and used.
looking for a computer, he may have gotten the
Types of Tests
hang of something about a unit of measurement
called a byte. 1. Intelligence
As an understudy of psychological testing, the 2. Personality
student needs a practical nature with a portion of
3. Aspects of brain functioning
the typically utilized units of measure in
psychology and information on a portion of the 4. Performance at work
many estimating apparatuses utilized. In the
pages that follow, the student will pick up 5. Many other aspects of psychological and social
information just as associated with the historical functioning
backdrop of measurement in psychology and a
comprehension of its hypothetical premise or a
theoretical basis. B. Psychological Testing and Assessment
Defined
What the student will encounter is to get
familiarity with some of the commonly used units 1. Testing – this term used to refer to everything
of measure in psychology and have knowledge of from administration to interpretation of a test
some of the many measuring tools employed. score.
a. Process of testing – aptly described the group
Essential Knowledge screening of thousands of military recruits.
I. TESTING AND ASSESSMENT HISTORY 2. Testing VS. Assessment – by WWII,
A. History semantic distinction between the terms began to
emerge.
1. 1905 – Alfred Binet and colleague published
a test designed to help 3. Assessment of Men – US Office of Strategic
Services (OSS) used a variety of procedures and
Paris schoolchildren in appropriate classes. measurement tools (psychological tests) in
a. Ten years later – the English language version selecting military personnel for highly trained
of Binet’s test positions (espionage, intelligence gathering, etc.)

as prepared for use in schools in the United 4. Psychological Assessment

States. a. Gathering and Integration of psychologically-
related data for the purpose of making a
psychological evaluation that is accomplished c. Dynamic Assessment – this refers to an
through the use of tools such as test, interviews, interactive approach of assessment that usually
case studies, behavioral observation, and follows the model of evaluation, intervention, and
specially designed apparatuses and then evaluation again.
measurement process.
C. The Tools of Psychological Assessment
1. Test – this may be described as a measuring
5. Psychological Testing – the process of
device or procedure.
measuring psychology related variables by
means of devices or procedures designed to
obtain a sample of behavior.
6. Process of Assessment:
a. Referral for Assessment.
b. Referral question/s are put to the assessor
about the
assesses.
c. Assessor meets assesses or others before the
formal
assessment.
d. Follow institutional guidelines.
e. Formal assessment begins.
Which when in compare both in medical test and
7. In contrast to the process of administering, psychological test, you can see difference. In
scoring, and interpreting psychological tests
(psychological testing), psychological assessment
may be conceived as a problem-solving process
that can take many different forms. The table
below shows the contrast between testing and
assessment.
8. Different assessors may approach the
assessment task in different ways. Some
assessors approach the assessment with minimal
input from assesses themselves.
a. Collaborative Psychological Assessment –
this refers to the assessor and assesses may
work as “partners” from initial contact through
final feedback (Fischer, 2006).
b. Therapeutic Psychological Assessment –
therapeutic self refers to the discovery and new
understanding which are encouraged throughout
the assessment process.
Medical Test, a device or medical procedure is
designed to measure some variable related to the
practice of medicine. While on Psychological
Test, a device or procedure is designed to
measure variables related to psychology such as
intelligence, personality, attitude, and others.
a. Furthermore, the difference between
psychological tests and other assessment tools
vary in different ways, such as in content which
refers to the subject matter, the format which
pertains to the form, plan, structure, arrangement,
layout of test items, and time limits. In
administration procedures, this could design to be
individual, may require active and knowledgeable
test administrator. In the Scoring and 2. The guidelines for scoring and interpretation
Interpretation procedures, this might be confusing may be scored by the test takers themselves,
to others because of the term score and scoring. scored by trained examiners, and scored and fully
When we say score, this may refer to a code or interpreted by computer.
summary statement, which usually but not b. Technical quality is one of the important
necessarily numerical in nature, that reflects elements in testing.
evaluation of performance on a test, task,
interview or some other sample of behavior. 1. Psychometric Soundness – this refers to how
While the term scoring, this is a process of consistently and accurately a psychological test
assigning such evaluative codes or statements to measures what it purports to measure.
performance on tests, tasks, interviews, or other 2. Psychometrics – this refers to the science of
behavior samples. And lastly, its technical quality psychological measurement.
and utility which will be further discuss later.
c. Utility – this refers to the usefulness or
b. Scores themselves can be described and practical value that a test of assessment
categorized in many different ways. technique has for a particular purpose. You will
1. Cut Score or Cutoff Score – refers to a further encounter this in the succeeding lessons.
reference point, usually numerical, derived by 2. Interview – the interview as a tool of
judgment and used to divide a set of data into two
or more classifications.

psychological assessment typically involves more

than talk. It is a method of gathering information
through direct communication involving reciprocal
exchange. There are different ways to conduct an
interview: Face to face contact, interviewing
through telephone where you must be conscious 5. Behavioral Observation – this refers to the
of changes in tone, pitch, pauses, signs of monitoring of actions of others or oneself by
emotion and through electronic, it could be visual or electronic means while recording
through online interviews such as email quantitative/qualitative information regarding the
interviews or interviews through text messaging. actions. This kind of assessment tool is good
when you want to know how someone behaves in
a. The variables of interviews is get familiar with
a particular situation, observe his/her behavior in
its purpose, the length, and its nature.
that situation.
b. Panel Interview (Board Interview) - in this
a. The behavioral observations are usually used
type interview there are more than one
in different diagnostic aid settings, such as in
interviewer who participates in the personnel
inpatient facilities, behavioral research
assessment.
laboratories, classrooms, corporate setting, and
1b. Advantage – any idiosyncratic biases of a behaviors of humans in natural settings.
lone interviewer minimized by use of two or more
6. Role-Play – defined as acting an improvised or
interviewer.
partially improvised in part in a simulated
2b. Disadvantage – utility, cost may not be situation. The hyphen in the term “role-play” is
justified. used as an adjective or a verb but not as a noun.

b. Interviewers differ in many ways, such as their

pacing of interviews, the way they develop
a. Role-play Test – a tool of assessment wherein
rapport with interviewees, and their ability to
assesses are directed to act as if they were in a
convey genuineness, empathy, and humor.
particular situation.
3. Portfolio – consist of work products-whether
b. Role play can be use in different settings such
retained on paper, canvas, film, video, audio, or
as in corporate, industrial, organizational, military,
some other medium. For example, Commercial
or in clinical context as interventions with
Artists will show his or her impressiveness of
substance abusers.
sample drawings or an On-Air Radio Talent will
make you listen to an audio sample. 7. Computers as Tools – computers nowadays
play in contemporary assessment in the context
4. Case History Data – this refers to the records,
of generating simulations.
transcripts, other accounts written, pictorial or
other form that preserve archival information, a. Local Processing – this refers to the scoring
official and informal accounts, and other data but done on-site.
items relevant to an assessee. Example of case
b. Central Processing – this refers to the
history data can be a letters and written
processing that occurs at a central location.
correspondence, photo and family albums,
newspaper and magazine clippings, homes c. Teleprocessing – the scores or data are sent
videos, movies, and audio tapes. to or from central facility by phone lines.
a. Case history data are useful when it sheds light
on an individual’s past and current events,
circumstances that may have contributed to any
changes in adjustment, and neuropsychological
evaluations such as the person’s functioning prior
to the occurrence of a trauma or other event that
causes deficits.
 4d. Consultative report – usually written in
language appropriate for communication between
assessment professionals, may provide expert
opinion concerning analysis of data.
5d. Integrative Report – this assessment tool is
designed to integrate data from sources other
than the test itself into the interpretive report. This
will employ previously collected data such as
medication records or behavioral observation
data into the test report.
e. Computer Assisted Psychological
Assessment (CAPA) – this assessment tool
provides assistance to the test user not the taker.
It opened a world of possibilities for test
developers, enabling them to develop
psychometrically sound tests using mathematical
procedures and calculations so complicated that
they may have taken weeks or months to use in a
d. Computers as tools: some terms bygone era.
1d. Simple scoring report – this refers to a mere e1. The CAPA is also known as Computer
listing of a score of scores. Adaptive Testing. The term Adaptive is a
2d. Extended scoring report – this includes reference to the computer’s ability to tailor the test
statistical analyses of the test taker’s to the test taker’s ability or test taking pattern.
performance.
3d. Interpretative report – distinguished by its
inclusion of numerical or narrative interpretive
statements in the report. For example, the
Vineland Adaptive Scales, 2nd Ed. which
measuring of adaptive behavior from birth to
adulthood that usually uses a paper and pencil
type of test and for from birth to 90 years old, you
can use ASSIST software or do a manual scoring.
8. Other Tools
a. Videos – this assessment is used to determine
how an individual would respond to a situation at
the workplace.
b. Biofeedback Equipment – this tool measures
bodily reaction
c. Penile Plethysmograph – this tool is for the
measurement of male sexual arousal
D. The Assessment Enterprise - Who are the E. In what Types of Settings are Assessments
Parties? In What types of settings are Conducted, and Why?
assessments conducted? Why is assessment
1. Educational Settings – as mandated by law,
conducted? How are assessments conducted?
tests are administered early in school life to help
Where does one go for authoritative information
identify children who may have special needs.
about tests?
a. School Ability Test – an assessment in
1. Who are the parties?
identifying children with needs
a. Test Developer – they were the creator or
b. Achievement Test – another type of test use
developer of a tests or other methods of
in school which evaluates accomplishment or
assessment. Approximately, there are 20,000
degree of learning that has taken place.
psychological tests published each year.
c. Diagnostic Test – a tool of assessment used
a1. Standards for Educational and
to help narrow down and identify areas of deficit
Psychological Testing - this covers issues
to be targeted for intervention
related to test construction and evaluation, test
administration and use, and special applications such as in reading, mathematics, or other
of tests such as linguistic minorities. It was academic subjects.
published in 1954 but revisions were published in
1966, 1974, 1985, and 1999, 2014. d. Informal Evaluation – this tool is typically
nonsystematic assessment that leads to the
b. Test User – they were a wide range of formation of an opinion or attitude.
professionals which includes such as clinicians,
counselors, school psychologists, human 2. Clinical Settings – assessment tools in clinical
resources personnel, consumer psychologists, settings can be observed in public, private and
experimental psychologists, and social military hospitals, inpatient and outpatient clinics,
psychologists. private practice consulting rooms, and schools
and other institutions.
c. Test taker – this refers to anyone who is the
subject of an assessment or an evaluation can be a. Private Psychotherapy – where a client
a test taker or an assessee. wishes to be evaluated to see if the assessment
can provide any nonobvious clues regarding his
c1. Psychological Autopsy – this may be or her maladjustment.
defined as reconstruction of a deceased
individual’s psychological profile on the basis of b. School Psychologist – where she or he
archival records, artifacts, interviews previously clinically evaluates a child experiencing learning
conducted with the deceased assessee, and difficulties to determine what factors are primarily
interviews with people who knew him/her. responsible for it.

d. Society at Large – as society evolved and as c. Psychologist – a consultant retained by an

the need to measure different psychological insurance company is called on to give an opinion
variables emerges, test developers respond by as to the reality of a client’s psychological
devising new tests such as through court problems such as malingering or experiencing
decisions, where society at large exerts its problems.
influence on various aspects of the testing and d. There are many types of tests used in clinical
assessment enterprise. settings, such as intelligence tests, personality
e. Other parties includes organizations, tests, neurological tests, other specialized
companies, and/or governmental agencies. instruments and others depending on problem
area.
c. Testing in clinical settings can be conducted on 6. Government and Organizational
one individual at a time or it could be used for Credentialing – to have assurance and adhering
group testing as part of screening. The term the quality and its appropriate standards for
screening refers to identifying individuals who certain field of works, they may undergo a board
require further diagnostic evaluation. exams and assessment based on their
specialization.
3. Counseling Settings - assessment in this
context may occur in 7. Other settings
environments as diverse as schools, prisons, a. Court – they used assessment to determine if
government institutions, and privately owned defendant is competent to stand on a trial
institutions.
b. Health Psychology – assess current state of
a. The ultimate objective of counseling is to see affairs with regard to some disease or condition,
improvement of assessee in terms of adjustment, gauge treatment progress, and evaluate outcome
productivity or some related variable. This could intervention.
be attain by measuring the assessee’s social and
F. How Assessments are Conducted: Ethical
academic skills, personality, interest, attitudes,
Guidelines
and values.
1. Before a test is administered, stored in a way
b. Referral questions sample can be “How can a
that reasonably ensures its specific contents will
child better focus on tasks?” “For what career is
not be made known in advance.
the client best suited?” or “What activities are
recommended for retirement?” 2. Ensure that a prepared and suitably trained
person administers test properly.
4. Geriatric Settings – where older people might
require psychological assessment to evaluate 3. Familiar with test materials and procedures.
their cognitive, psychological, adaptive, or other
functioning. 4. Must have tests at the site and all materials
needed to properly administer the test.
a. In this assessment, the Quality of Life of the
person is being evaluated in terms of perceived 5. Selecting most appropriate test for the
stress, loneliness, sources of satisfaction, individual being tested.
personal values, quality of living conditions, and 6. Materials needed can be stopwatch, supply of
quality of friendships and other social support. pencils, and sufficient number of test protocols.
5. Business and Military Settings – the 7. Building rapport which refers to a working
assessment tools or tests are used in terms of relationship between the examiner and examinee.
decision making about careers of personnel. This This can be built from few words of small talk
settings may use variety of tests such as when examiner and examinee are introduced
achievement, aptitude, interest, motivational test without compromising rules of test administration
for hiring, promotions, transfer, job satisfaction, instructions.
and eligibility for further training.
8. Assessment of people with disabilities are the
a. Research to help people at home, in the same for people without disabilities, such as
workplace, and in the military. obtaining employment, earning professional
b. Diagnose needs of existing and older brands credential, and screen for psychopathology.
and products 8a. Alternate Assessment – this assessment is
and identify how they might be revitalized or accomplished by means of some accommodation
made more appealing. made to the assessee. The term accommodation
refers to adaptation of a test, procedure, or assessment, meaning attached to test scores,
situation, or the substitution of one test for and capabilities of the assessor.
another, to make the assessment more suitable
G. Where to Go for Authoritative Information:
for an assessee with exceptional needs.
Reference Sources
8b. Furthermore, Alternative Assessment refers
1. Test Catalogues – from publisher to test
to an evaluative or diagnostic or process that
varies from the usual, customary, or standardized 2. Test Manuals – detailed information
way a measurement is derived either by virtue of
some special accommodation made to their 3. Reference Volumes – mental measurement
assessee or by means of alternative methods yearbook
designed to measure the same variable. 4. Journal Articles – reviews, studies of
8c. Different type of accommodation such as psychometric soundness
capabilities of assessee, purpose of the 5. Online Databases
6. Other Source