What is Psychological Testing and Assessment?

Tests – may refer to the material itself, the administration process or the interpretation of test-scores.

Psychological Testing – refers to measuring psychology related variables by means or procedures designed to obtain a
sample of behavior.

Psychological Assessment – Gathering and integration of psychology – related data for the purpose of making a
psychological evaluation using different tools.

Process of Assessment

Referral for assessment Pre- assessment Selecting

(one or more) meeting for assessment tools
clarifications

Feedback sessions Evaluation, Integration

with assesse or and writing of report to Formal assessment
other party answer referral
question

PARTIES INVOLVED IN TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

*Test Developer
*Test Publisher
*Test Reviewer
*Test User
*Test Administrator
*Test Taker
*Society

TESTING vs ASSESSMENT
To gauge an ability or attribute (usually To answer a referral question, solve a problem or
numerical in nature) arrive at a decision through evaluation.
May be individual or group. Usually just adding Typically individualized since it focuses more on
up responses with little regard of the mechanics how an individual processes rather than simply
of such content the result of the process.
Tester is not the key to the process Assessor is the key to the process
Requires technician-like skills in terms of Requires educated selection of tools of
administering, scoring and interpreting test evaluation, skills in evaluating and organization
results. and integration of data.
Yields a test score or series of test scores Entails a logical problem-solving approach that
requires many sources of data to shed light on a
referral question.

The Role of a Psychometrician According to the Law (RA10029 or the Psychology Act of 2009)
- A natural person who has been registered and issued a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional
identification card as psychometrician by the board and commission in accordance with Sec.3 (d), Article III of R.A.
No.10029 and is authorized to do the ff:
*Administer and score objective personality tests excluding projective tests and higher level forms of psych tests
*Interpreting the results of these tests and prepare a written report on these results
*Conducting preparatory intake interviews of clients for psychological intervention
- All activities shall be supervised by the psychologist who shall take full responsibility for the integrity of the report.

LEVELS OF TESTS

*Level A- may be given by any responsible non-psychologist

-Types of test which do not require training and sufficient knowledge to administer.
-Guidance with test manual and a general orientation on the institution or organization one is working in
-Examples: classroom checklist, achievement tests, proficiency test etc.
*Level B- requires that the person has some technical knowledge on test construction and use with background
knowledge on psychology-related topics (i.e statistics, guidance, personnel psychology, etc.)
-Ethnically, these are types of tests you must have a license for (i.e. RPM) and/or must have training in so that you may
administer, score and interpret the test.
-Examples: Structured personality tests, group intelligence tests, aptitude tests, adjustment inventories for normal
populations
*Level C- requires that the test user has substantial knowledge of testing and supporting fields with supervised
experience in the use of such devices
-Usually requires a license (i.e. RPsyc) and sufficient understanding on different psychological perspectives.
-Examples: Individual intelligence tests, projective tests, tests used for clinical populations, neuropsychological tests

BRIEF HISTORY ON TESTING (MAJOR POINTS)

*Earliest evidence was in China (2,200 BCE) for civil service exams. Testing evolved depending on dynasty (Han- Test
Batteries; Ming- Multi-stage program; Song- focus on classical literature)
*Greco-Roman (332 BC-395 AD) writings on categorizing people by personality types (i.e. the Hippocratic-Galenic
humoral theory)
*Middle Ages (476 AD) – Tests and “witch trials” for those who were suspected to be in league with the devil.
*1828, Franz Joseph Gall proposed a pseudoscience called phrenology. Gall examined the shapes, sizes and the surfaces
of craniums in order to determine psychological aptitudes and mental ability.
*In 1832, English India company copied Chinese system of testing as a method of selecting employees for overseas
duty.
*In 1859, Charles Darwin spurs the interest on individual differences through his book “The Origin of Species”
*In 1860s, Francis Galton, a cousin of Darwin, explored and tried to quantify differences between people especially with
regards to heredity using measurements concerned with sensory and motor functioning (visual acuity, sharp sense of
hearing, physical strength) in his anthropometric lab in London; tried classifying people according to their “natural
gifts”
*In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental psych lab in Liepzig, Germany and tried to look for
similarities between people by looking for similarities between people by looking at reaction time, perception, and
attention span. It is with Wundt that the idea of standardizing test procedures originated.
*In 1890, Galton’s work was extended to the US by James Mckeen Cattell who coined the term mental test. Founder of
the Psychological Corp and helped mental testing flourish in America.
*In 1895, Alfred Binet and Victor Henri published several articles on human abilities (i.e. memory and social
comprehension).
*In 1905, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon created the first major intelligence test as commissioned by the French
minister of public instruction.

ALFRED BINET AND THEODORE SIMON

- The 30-item Binet-Simon Scale of 1905 was the first major intelligence test to be developed.
- Its main purpose was to help identify mentally retarded Paris school children in order to provide appropriate
educational experience.

*The Binet-Simon of 1905 had several issues including:

-lacked an adequate measuring unit to express results (3 classifications interpreted as idiot, imbecile & moron only)
-lacked adequate normative data and evidence to support its validity
-norms for the 1905 scale were based on only 50 children

Binet’s principles of test construction

*Age Differentiation- differentiating older children from younger children by the former’s greater capabilities
*General Mental Ability- total product of the various separate and distinct elements of intelligence

WORLD WAR I
-This historic event spurred the development of the first group test on intelligence
-Led by the president of the American Psychological Association of that time, Robert Yerkes, they developed two
structured group tests of human abilities: the Army Alpha and the Army Beta (1917-1918)
-These were recognized as prototypes for subsequent group-administered cognitive ability tests
-Army Alpha- were taken by literate recruits. It measured verbal ability, numerical ability, ability to follow directions.
Syntonym-antonym tests, analogies and knowledge of information.
-Army Beta- is the non-verbal counterpart of Army Alpha and was taken by illiterate, unschooled, or non-English
speaking draftees and volunteers. It consisted of picture completion tasks, running a maze, number work, etc.
Test on adjustment
-A concern with the general adjustment of the recruits arose as well during the period of World War I.
-Robert S. Woodworth, the chair on the Gov’t Committer on Emotional Fitness, developed a measure on adjustment
and emotional stability
-This was known as the first developed structured personality: the Personal Data Sheet. Recruits were asked to answer
“yes” or “no” to a series of stimuli
-However, the PDS never went beyond the experimental stages of testing and thus, was never commercially used.
-Based on the PDS, a personality test for civilian use called the Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory was created. This
was considered as the first self-report test for personality that was widely used.

Tools of Psychological Assessment

*Traditional Tests (pen-and-paper)
-Can either be an individual or group test
I. Human Ability Tests – Achievement, Aptitude, Intelligence tests
II. Personality Tests – Structured/Objective, Projective/Subjective
III. Other types of tests – Speed test, Power test, Performance test, Diagnostic test, Interest Inventories, Placement test

*Interviews (can either be structured or unstructured)- gathering of information through direct communication
involving reciprocal exchange.
*Portfolio- a collection of work products made by the individual
*Case history data- records, transcripts, or other accounts in written or pictorial form that preserve archival information
about the person being assessed
*Behavioral Observations- monitoring actions of others in either a controlled or natural environment
*Role play test- asking assess to act ‘as if’ they are in a particular situation. Directed and expressed thoughts, behaviors
and abilities are then recorded.
*Simulation- the realistic imitation of a real world process which may involve the use of computer programs and/or
modelled job equipment. In contrast to being directed, assesses are told to act as themselves during simulations.

Henry Goddard
*Oversaw the translation of the Binet-Simon test and distributed thousands of copies to professionals working in US
*He was the one who coined the term moron and used it as a classification of mental deficiency
*Controversial Ellis Island Intelligence Testing Program where most immigrants were labeled “feeble-minded”

Rights of Test Takers

*Right to Informed Consent- the right to know why they are being evaluated, how test data will be used, what
information will be released and to whom. Appropriate and understandable language is used to relay information.
-Sometimes, in research and experimental setting, full disclosure is not given and deception is involved.
*Right to be informed of Test Findings- it is ethnically and legally mandated to tell participants about their test
performance. Also, it was found to have therapeutic effects.
-Results are relayed non-technically, avoiding any jargon and in a way that is easily understood.
-Recommendations are relayed. If test data is voided, participants should be informed as well.
*Right to Privacy and Confidentiality
Privacy- “recognizes the freedom of the individual to pick and choose for himself the time, circumstance, and
particularly the extent to which he wishes to share or withhold from others his attitudes, beliefs, behavior, and
opinions”
Confidentiality- refers to disclosure of information outside of the courtroom or outside a certain professional
relationship. Also talks about safekeeping of test data.

Limits to Confidentiality- confidential information can also be disclosed without consent from the individual only as
mandated by law for the purpose of:
*Providing needed professional service
*Obtain appropriate professional consultations
*Protect the client, psychologist, or others from harm
*When there is suspected child abuse or elder adult physical abuse
*When the court compels the psychologist to testify what is discussed in therapy
*Obtain payment of services from client (in which instance disclosure is limited to a minimum that is necessary to
achieve the purpose; such as usage of collection agencies or legal methods to collect fee.
Right to the least stigmatizing label
-Test results should be able to facilitate positive growth and development by avoiding labels that degrade the humanity
of the client.
-Labels ( e.g moron, schizophrenic, bipolar, etc.) are not easily understood by the public and lead to discrimination.
-Labels also lead to self – fulfilling prophecies, decrease responsibility for illness, cause lower stress tolerance and
difficulty in treatment.

Raymond Cattell
-Created an objective personality test of 16 multidimensional personality attributes which was the 16PF.
-Able to derive “source” (16) and “surface traits” (32) of an individual
-The personality traits were derived using Factor Analysis and with the guiding theory of the Lexical Hypothesis. Catell
also examined LQ-T data because he believed these were major sources in personality research.

A glimpse of CTT
-A standard deviation of the distribution of errors for each person tells us about the magnitude of measurement error.
-A standard error of measurement describes the standard deviation of errors. It is the basic measure of error.

Standard error of measurement - allows us to estimate the degree to which a test provides inaccurate readings. The
larger SEM, the more the tool is unable to give the true value; the lower SEM, the better it is at giving the true value. It
tells us how much an observed score varies from the true score.

Correlation - the degree of correspondence between two things. A statistical tool used to look for relationships between
variables. Expresses relationship from -1 to +1

-CORRELATIONS ARE NOT CAUSATIONS!

- When looking at correlations, the direction, its magnitude and significance (in correlational research) is important.

Correlations have different types of linear relationships in terms of direction:

1. Positive (or directly correlated)
2. Negative (or inversely correlated)
-However, just like a perfect correlation, it is also nearly impossible to identify two variables that have zero correlation

Projective Tests/Techniques
-is influenced by the projective hypothesis—when a person attempts to understand ambiguous stimuli, their
interpretation reflects needs, feelings, experience, conflicts, desires, thought processes, etc..
-also called unstructured/subjective tests
-subtypes are: Association, Construction, Completion, Arrangement/Selection, Expression
-Have questionable psychometric properties (longstanding issue in psychological assessment history)

Exceptions in informed consent

a. when it is mandated by law
b. when it is implied such as in routine educational, institutional and organizational activity
c. when the purpose of the assessment is to determine the individual’s decisional capacity

Standard scores
-These are linearly transformed raw scores that express the position of scores relative to the mean, in standard
deviation units.
-Also used as a common ground in order to compare different test results with different means, SDs and score ranges as
long as the same reference group is used.
-Raw scores are converted into standard scores because you are able to derive more meaningful interpretations
Other example of standard scores:
> T-scores (Mean= 50, SD= 10)
> Deviation IQ (Mean= 100, SD= 15)
> Stanine (Mean= 5, SD= 2)
> Sten (Mean= 5.5, SD= 2)
> Scholastic Aptitude Tests (Mean= 500, SD= 100)
> Normal Curve Equivalents (Mean= 50, SD= 21.06)

LEVEL OF ONE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE TWO INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

MEASUREMENT
OF THE
DEPENDENT Two treatments More than two Factorial Design
VARIABLE Two Two Multiple Multiple Independent Matched Independent
Independent Matched Independent Matched Groups Group and
Groups Groups Groups Groups Matched
(within Groups
subjects)
INTERVAL OR T-test T-test One way One way Two way Two way Two way
RATIO independent matched ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA
groups (repeated) (repeated) (mixed)
ORDINAL Mann- Wilcoxon Kruskal- Friedman
Whitney U test Wallis test test
test
NOMINAL Chi-Square Chi-Square Chi-Square
test test test

Assumptions in Testing
1) Psychological Traits and States exist
2) Psychological Traits and States can be quantified and measured
3) Test-Related Behavior predicts non-test-related behavior
4) Tests and other measurement techniques have strengths and weaknesses
5) Various sources of Error are part of the Assessment Process
6) Testing and Assessment can be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner
7) Testing and Assessment benefit society

Intelligence Tests
-Components of an intelligence test depend on the test depend on the test developer (i.e. the theory he/she employs &
the definition of intelligence)
-May be individualized or group
-In general, intelligence tests are measures of a person’s general potential to solve problems, adapt to changing
circumstances, think abstractly, and profit from experience

Floor Level- lowest level of items in a test

Ceiling Level- highest level of items in a test
Floor Effect- when the test becomes too hard such that test takers at the lower end of the ability continuum cannot be
any more distinguished from one another
Ceiling Effect- when the test becomes too easy that test takers at the higher end of the ability continuum cannot be any
more distinguished from one another
Culture Loading- extent to which a test incorporates the vocabulary, concepts, traditions, knowledge and feelings
associated with a particular culture. (This is different from the concept of factor loading in FA—which represent how
much a certain variable explains a component) The lower culturally loaded the test is, the more functionally valid it is.

In case of emergencies.. providing services in emergencies

>We shall make available our service in emergency situations to individuals for whom the necessary mental health
services are not available even if we lack the training appropriate to the case to ensure these individuals are not
deprived of the emergency services they require at the time. However, we shall immediately discontinue said services as
soon as the emergency has ended, and ensure that appropriate competent services are made available.

Item Difficulty
-Refers to the proportion of people who correctly answered a certain item in a test
-The higher the item difficulty, the easier the item
-Example: If 50 out 100 test takers answered item 1 correctly then 50/100 or item difficulty is .5 (p1= .5)

Skewness- indication of how the measurements in a distribution is distributed. Having a skewed distribution has been
seen by many as a negative implication but that isn’t always the case.

Norm-referenced testing and assessment is the method of comparing a test taker’s score with scores of a group of test
takers
Criterion-referenced testing and assessment provides information about a person’s level of proficiency in or mastery of
some skill or set of skills relative to a set of criteria.

Percentiles and Percentile Rank

Percentiles- the specific scores or points within a distribution
Percentile Rank- describes the percent of scores which fall at or below a particular score (example 67th percentile in a
test; your score is greater than or equal to 67% of the test takers)
Both are derived scores which show relative performance
 Mean < Median < Mode= Negatively Skewed

Mean > Median > Mode= Positively Skewed

Psychometrics Properties
Validity (accuracy) – the test measures what it purports to measure. It refers to appropriateness of inferences drawn
from test scores
Reliability (dependability)- the test consistently gives out the same result with repeated administrations

Utility
-refers to a test’s usefulness
- refers to the practical value of using a test, program or intervention to aid in decision-making
-test scores are said to have utility if their use in a particular situation helps us to make better decisions—in the sense
of being more cost-effective

Content Validation Ratio (C.H. Lawshe) – essential, useful but not essential, not necessary

Evidences of Construct Validity

-The test is homogeneous , it measures a single construct
-Test scores increase or decrease as a function of , the passage of time or an experimental manipulation as predicted
by theory
-Test scores obtained after some event or mere passage of time (posttest scores) differ from pretest scores as
theoretically
-Test scores obtained by people from distinct groups vary as predicted by theory
-Test scores correlate with scores on other tests in accordance with what would predicted from a theory that covers
the manifestation of the construct in question.

Criterion Contamination
-happens when a criterion measure has been based on predictor measures (test results are used as both a predictor
and a criterion)
-Example: making a test to predict inmate’s potential for violence by gathering data from guards, inmates and other staff
then asking guards to rate each inmate again on their violence potential to validate the accuracy of the test

Incremental Validity
-extent to which additional predictors explain something not already explained by predictors in use.
-Example: using multiple tests to capture the condition of depression in a client

Classical Test Theory (True Score Model)

-assumes that each person has a true score that would be obtained if there were no errors in measurements
-a tool becomes more reliable when there is a greater proportion of the total variance attributed to true variance rather
than error variance
-true differences are assumed to be stable whether it be repeated administrations or equivalent forms of tests
-random error (not systematic error) is the problem in this case—it increases or decreases the test score by varying
amounts.
Error Variance: Random vs. Systematic error

Systematic Error – error that arise due to the characteristic of the tool, measurement process, or the participants’
characteristic (e.g. false reporting)
-this biases the measurement of the studied construct either in the positive or negative direction.
-persists under the same condition, with the same instruments, when testing the same subjects ( does not affect score
consistency)

Random Error –errors that arise at the same time of testing because of pure chance.
-effects that are momentary such as moods, feelings, distractions in the environment. Fluctuation in psychological state
-affects score consistency.

Assumptions in CTT
X=T=E
-Expected value of obtained scores (x) over time is equal to true score (T)
-Expected value of error (T) whether it be within a person or across people in a population, is 0. Thus, correlation of true
score with error score is o.
-Error scores on two tests are uncorrelated
-Error scores on one test are uncorrelated with true score on another test

Graduate Record Examination

-An aptitude test commonly used to determine if a student is capable of entering graduate school. Contains verbal tests
(analyze and evaluate materials and seeing relationships bet. Concepts), quantitative tests ( quantitative reasoning and
mathematical ability), and analytical writing ( critical thinking and creating articulate arguments).

Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory- 3rd edition

-A clinical tests designed to provide treatment information in the areas of personality disorders and clinical syndromes.
A self-report questionnaire assessing a wide range of information related to personality, emotionality and social
difficulties. Ex: Clinical personality patterns (schizoid, avoidant, depressive, etc.), Syndromes (Bipolar, Substance
dependence, etc.)

Miller’s Analogies Test

-another aptitude test for graduate school. It examines taker’s ability to look at relationships between concepts, general
intelligence, vocabulary and academic learning.

Metropolitan Readiness test

-A group administered battery test used to measure the development of reading and mathematical skills in the early
stages of schooling (elementary- school level). Has two levels of tests ( I- beginning to middle kindergarteners, II- end of
kinder up to first grade).

Beck Scales

-Beck Hopelessness Scale

-20 items measuring negative attitudes about the future. Originally developed in order to predict who would commit
suicide and who would not.

-Beck Anxiety Scale

-Developed to address the need for an instrument that would reliably discriminate anxiety from depression. More
useful than self-reports measures

-Beck Depression Inventory

-21- item, self-report instrument designed to determine presence and severity of symptoms of depression. The 21
items correspond to symptoms of depression. Not meant to be a test used for diagnosis but rather for identifying the
presence and severity of symptoms in relation to DSM-IV criteria.

Raven’s Progressive Matrices

-Developed by J. C. Raven
-An objective non- verbal intelligence test designed to measure a person’s ability to form perceptual relations and to
reason by analogy independent of language and formal schooling
-Usually used in school settings and industrial settings
Has 3 variations…
-Standard Progressive Matrices
-Original form, increasing difficulty. 60 items in 5 sets. Each set involves a different principle or “theme” for obtaining
the missing piece. For 6 yrs to adults.

-Colored Progressive Matrices

-For younger children, older people or those with mild to severe learning disability.

-Advanced Progressive Matrices

-Adults and adolescent with above average intelligence. Indicates a candidate’s potential for success in high level
technical or professional positions in an organization.

Bender- Visual Motor Gestalt Test

-A rapid, efficient measure of perceptual-motor and cognitive development in children. It is a drawing (copying) test to
demonstrate the perceptual tendencies to organize visual stimuli into configural wholes where participants reproduce
images on a blank sheet. Can be used to look for brain damage or intellectual disabilities

Benton Visual Retention Test

-Designed to assess visual perception visual memory, and visuoconstructive abilities. Measures perception and memory
for newly learned material which may help in clinical diagnosis of brain damage and dysfunction in children and adults.

-Otis-Lennon School Ability Test

-Designed to measure those verbal, quantitative, and figural reasoning skills that are most closely related scholastic
achievement. OSLAT comprises 7 levels that collectively assess the range of ability of students from Kindergarten
through grade 12.

Different Aptitude Test

-Assesses general cognitive ability, perceptual abilities, clerical and language skills related to a range of occupations (e. g.
Project manager, Programmer, Mechanic, Architecture, etc.) . Also used to predict success in a training program.

Rotter’s Incomplete Sentences Blank

-A projective sentence completion test which is a measure of maladjustment. Provide information on personality
conflicts, positive responses and neutral responses.

Personality Assessment Inventory

- A self-report questionnaire of adult psychopathology designed to provide information relevant to clinical diagnosis,
treatment planning, and screening. An alternative to MMPI for assessing abnormal personality traits (Ex. Scales:
Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia, Suicidal Ideation).

NEO PI-R (THE BIG FIVE)

-developed by McCrae and Costa
-A self-administered measure of five dimensions of personality (O.C.E.A.N.) used in clinical, industrial and research
settings with a total of 30 elements or facets which define each.

Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory II

-Developed by Starke Hathaway and J. Charnley McKinley
-An objective clinical test designed to assess a number of major patterns of personality, emotional, and behavioral
disorders.
-Consists of several clinical scales: Scale 1 (Hypochondriasis); Scale 2 (Depression); Scale 3 (Hysteria); Scale 4
(Psychopathic Deviate); Scale 6 (Paranoia); Scale 7 (Psychasthenia); Scale 8 (Schizophrenia); and Scale 9 (Hypomania).

California Psychological Inventory

-Originally developed by Harrison Gough
-An objective test that was designed to evaluate interpersonal; behavior and social interaction within normal
individuals.
-It was meant to gather information an individual’s typical behavior patterns, usual feelings and opinions, and attitudes
relating to social, ethical and family matters.
Child Behavior Checklist
-Developed by Thomas M. Achenbach and Craig Edelbrock
-designed to address the problem of defining child behavior problems empirically by examining behavioral problems and
social competencies of children as reported by parents/caregivers.
-Examined internalizing (i.e., anxious, depressive, and overcontrolled) and externalizing behaviors (i.e., aggressive,
hyperactive, noncompliant, and undercontrolled) of children.