Assessment Chapter 3 Characteristics of Psychological Assessments Psychological

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Assessment Chapter 3

Assessment Chapter 3

Characteristics of Psychological Assessments • Psychological assessment: A broad range of measurement techniques, all

Characteristics of Psychological Assessments • Psychological assessment: A broad range of measurement techniques, all of which involve having people provide scorable information about their psychological functioning. • Clinicians use the assessment process to provide a diagnosis, or at least a tentative diagnosis, of an individual’s psychological disorder. • Used to evaluate an individual’s appropriateness for a particular job. • Useful when clinicians consult about an individual’s level of functioning in a specific area.

Psychological Testing • What Makes a Good Psychological Test? • Reliability - Consistency of

Psychological Testing • What Makes a Good Psychological Test? • Reliability - Consistency of the scores it produces. • Validity - Extent to which a test measures what it is designed to measure. • Standardization: Psychometric criterion that clearly specifies a test’s instructions for administration and scoring.

Clinical Interview • Unstructured interview: Involves a series of open-ended questions • Information sought

Clinical Interview • Unstructured interview: Involves a series of open-ended questions • Information sought through interviews • • • Reasons for being in treatment Symptoms Health status Family background Life history • Structured interview: Consists of a standardized series of questions with predetermined wording and order

Areas Covered in a Clinical Interview • Age and sex • Reason for referral

Areas Covered in a Clinical Interview • Age and sex • Reason for referral • Education and work history • Current social situation • Physical and mental health history • Drug/alcohol use and current medication • Family history • Behavioral observations

Mental Status Examination • Mental status examination: A method of objectively assessing a client’s

Mental Status Examination • Mental status examination: A method of objectively assessing a client’s behavior and functioning to the symptoms associated with psychological disturbance. • Outcome of the mental status examination is a comprehensive description of how the client looks, thinks, feels, and behaves. Designed to assess: • Appearance • Attitudes • Behavior • Mood and affect • Speech • Thought processes • Content of thought • Perception • Cognition • Insight • Judgment

Uses of Intelligence Testing • Overall cognitive evaluation • Diagnosis of learning disabilities •

Uses of Intelligence Testing • Overall cognitive evaluation • Diagnosis of learning disabilities • Determination of giftedness • Prediction of future academic achievement • Diagnosis of neurological and psychiatric disorders • Evaluation of the potential of employees Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Intelligence Testing (IQ TEST) • Stanford-Binet intelligence test • Average deviation IQ score is

Intelligence Testing (IQ TEST) • Stanford-Binet intelligence test • Average deviation IQ score is set at 100 with a standard deviation of 15. • Wechsler intelligence scales • All Wechsler tests are divided into two categories, verbal and performance.

Scales on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) Verbal comprehension Perceptual reasoning Working memory

Scales on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) Verbal comprehension Perceptual reasoning Working memory Processing speed

Personality Testing • Main forms • Self-report • Projective

Personality Testing • Main forms • Self-report • Projective

Self-Report Tests • Self-report clinical inventory: Psychological test with standardized questions having fixed response

Self-Report Tests • Self-report clinical inventory: Psychological test with standardized questions having fixed response categories • The test-taker completes the test independently, selfreporting the extent to which the responses are accurate • Advantage of self-report inventories • Relatively easy to administer and score. • The most popular self-report inventory is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), revised (MMPI-2).

Personality Testing • Clinicians use tests of personality to understand a person’s thoughts, behaviors,

Personality Testing • Clinicians use tests of personality to understand a person’s thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. • Self-report clinical inventory contains standardized questions with fixed response categories that the test-taker completes independently either on paper or on the computer. Test-takers rate the appropriateness of the item to themselves on a fixed scale. • Projective test: A technique in which the test-taker is presented with an ambiguous item or task and is asked to respond by providing his or her own meaning or perception. • The most famous projective test is the Rorschach Inkblot test. • Thematic Apperception test (TAT) • These tests differ in the nature of their items and in the way they are scored.

Behavioral Assessment • Unlike psychological tests, behavioral assessments record actions rather than responses to

Behavioral Assessment • Unlike psychological tests, behavioral assessments record actions rather than responses to rating scales or questions. • A form of measurement based on objective recording of the individual's behavior • Include descriptions of the events that precede or follow the behaviors.

Behavioral Assessment • Target behavior: A behavior of interest or concern in an assessment.

Behavioral Assessment • Target behavior: A behavior of interest or concern in an assessment. • In vivo observation: Process involving the recording of behavior in its natural context. • Analog observations: Assessments that take place in a setting or context such as a clinician’s office or a laboratory specifically designed for observing the target behavior. • Behavioral self-report: Individual provides information about the frequency of particular behaviors. • Self-monitoring: Client keeps a record of the frequency of specified behaviors. • Behavioral interviewing: Assessment process in which clinicians ask questions about the target behavior’s frequency, antecedents, and consequences.

Neuropsychological Assessment • Gathering information about a client's brain functioning on the basis of

Neuropsychological Assessment • Gathering information about a client's brain functioning on the basis of performance on psychological tests • Clinicians use neuropsychological assessment measures to: • Determine the functional correlates of brain damage by comparing a client’s performance on a particular test with normative data from individuals who are known to have certain types of injuries or disorders. • There is no one set procedure for conducting a neuropsychological assessment.