Introduction to Psychological Testing

By
Ms. Sara Ishaq
Clinical Psychologist (PIMH)
Visiting Faculty Member (IAP, CCP)
In- Charge Counseling Cell (GIU)
 Basic Concepts

 What is a Test?
i. A test is a measurement device or technique used to
quantify behavior or aid in the understanding and
prediction of behavior.
ii. A test is a standardized procedure for sampling
behavior and describing it with categories or scores.
Most tests have norms or standards by which the
results can be used to predict other, more important
behaviors.
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iii. A psychological test is a systematic procedure for
obtaining samples of behavior, relevant to cognitive
or affective functioning, and for scoring and
evaluating those samples according to standards.
 Example: A spelling test measures how well someone
spells or the extent to which someone has learned to spell
a specific list of words.
 May not measure your full understanding of the material
(sample of a behavior).
 Not perfect measures of a behavior or characteristic.
 Assists in prediction process.
 Characteristics of a Test

i. Standardized Procedure
 Uniform procedures for administering.
 Depends to some extent on the competence of the
examiner.
 Tests can be rendered useless by a careless, poorly
trained, or ill-informed tester.
 Depends on directions for administration in the
instructional manual (oral instructions, comparable
stimulus materials to all testers).
• Example: Presenting digit series at a constant rate (i.e., one
digit per second). Reacting to unexpected responses such as a
subject asking, “Could you repeat that again?”
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ii. Sample of a Behavior

 Due to practical constraints a test measures only a
sample of behavior (i.e., neither the subject nor the
examiner has sufficient time for comprehensive testing).
 Permits the examiner to make inferences about the total
domain of relevant behaviors.
 Example: 35 words from a vocabulary subtest on the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) signals
the examinee’s general knowledge of vocabulary.
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iii. Derivation of Scores or Categories

 Anything that exists in amount can be measured.
 Psychological testing sums up performance in numbers
or classifications.
 Test yields one or more scores or provides evidence that a
person belongs to one category and not another.
 Purpose of the testing is to estimate the amount of the
trait or quality possessed by an individual.
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iv. Norms/ Standards

 Examinee’s test score is usually interpreted by
comparing it with the scores obtained by others on the
same test.
 Norms (a summary of test results for a large and
representative group of subjects.
 Norm group is referred to as the standardization sample.
 Standardization Sample (representative of the population
for whom the test is intended or else it is not possible to
determine an examinee’s relative standing).
 Norms allow the tester to determine the degree to which a
score deviates from expectations.
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v. Prediction of Non- Test Behavior

 The ultimate purpose of a test is to predict additional
behaviors, other than those directly sampled by the test.
 Ability of a test to predict non- test behavior is
determined by an extensive body of validation research.
 Example: IQ test scores are thought to predict academic
achievement
 Types of Behavior
i. Overt Behavior (an individual’s observable
activity).
 Some psychological tests attempt to measure the extent
to which someone might engage in a particular overt
behavior (i.e., aggression).
ii. Covert Behavior (takes place within an individual
and cannot be directly observed).
 Example: Feelings and Thoughts
 Types of Tests
Individual Test Group Test
 Tests that can be given to only one  Can be administered to more than
person at a time are known as one person at a time by a single
individual tests. examiner.
 Advantage: Examiner can gauge  Example: instructor giving
the level of motivation of the everyone a test in a class at the
subject and assess the relevance of same time
other factors (e.g., impulsiveness
or anxiety) on the test results.
 8 Types of Psychological Tests

i. Intelligence Tests
 Measures person’s general potential to solve problems,
adapt to changing circumstances, think abstractly, and
profit from experience.
 Include various sub- tests (i.e., verbal comprehension/
perceptual organization).
 Example: When a father scolds his daughter because she
has not done as well in school as she can, he most likely
believes that she has not used her intelligence (general
potential) to achieve (acquire new knowledge).
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ii. Aptitude Tests

 Aptitude refers to the potential for learning or acquiring a
specific skill.
 Aptitude tests are often used to predict success in an
occupation, training course, or educational endeavor.
 Example: SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) commonly
used aptitude test for college entrance.
 Verbal Section (word knowledge & reading
comprehension)/ Mathematics (algebra, geometry,
insightful reasoning) and a Writing section.
 Certain minimum scores on the SAT for admission are
used to predict academic success.
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iii. Achievement Tests
 Measure a person’s degree of learning, success, or
accomplishment in a subject matter.
 Refers to previous learning.
 Example: Test that measures or evaluates how many words
you can spell correctly is called a spelling achievement
test.
 In view of the considerable overlap of achievement,
aptitude, and intelligence tests, all three concepts are
encompassed by the term human ability.
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iv. Personality Tests
 Related to the overt & covert dispositions of the
individual.
 Example: tendency of a person to show a particular
behavior or response in a given situation.
 Does not require any special skill or ability (measures
typical behavior). 2 Types of Personality Tests:
1. Structured Personality Tests (provide a self- report
statement & require the subject to choose between two or
more alternative responses such as ‘True” or “False.’
2. Projective Personality Tests (either the stimulus (test
materials or the required response or both are
ambiguous).
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 Example: Projective tests assume that a person’s
interpretation of an ambiguous stimulus will reflect his or
her unique characteristics.
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v. Creativity Tests
 Assess a subject’s ability to produce new ideas (divergent
thinking), insights, or artistic creations that are accepted as
being of social, aesthetic, or scientific value.
 Example: Creativity test might ask the examinee to
imagine all the things that would happen if clouds had
strings trailing from them down to the ground. Students
who could come up with a large number of consequences
were assumed to be more creative.
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vi. Neuropsychological Tests

 Assessment of persons with known or suspected
brain dysfunction.
 Neuropsychologists use these specialized tests
and procedures to make inferences about the
locus, extent, and consequences of brain
damage.
 Example: Bender Gestalt Test (BGT) measures
neuropsychological impairment.
 Uses of Testing
1. Classification:
 Testing procedures are used to assign a person to
one category rather than another (i.e., basis for
differential treatment).
 Example: Granting or restricting access to a
specific college or determining whether a person
is hired for a particular job.
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2. Placement
 Sorting of persons into different programs
appropriate to their needs or skills.
 Example: universities often use a mathematics
placement exam to determine whether students
should enroll in calculus, algebra, or remedial
courses.
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3. Screening
 Quick & simple tests or procedures to identify
persons who might have special characteristics or
needs.
 Example: To identify children with highly
exceptional talent in spatial thinking, a
psychologist might administer a 10-minute paper-
and-pencil test to every child in a school system.
 Students who scored in the top 10 percent might
then be singled out for more comprehensive
testing.
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4. Diagnosis
 Determining the nature & source of a person’s
abnormal behavior.
 Classifying the behavior pattern within an
accepted diagnostic system.
 Important role in diagnosis and treatment
planning.
 Example: Intelligence tests are essential in the
diagnosis of intellectual disability.
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5. Certification
 Certification and selection both have a pass/ fail
quality. Passing a certification exam confers
privileges.
 Example: right to practice psychology or to
drive a car.
 Certification implies that a person has at least a
minimum proficiency in some discipline or
activity.