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Notes on

Psychological test and assessment

Rajitha TK

Consultant Rehabilitation Psychologists

Government Special Teacher Training Centre Chettipadi

A psychological test is a standardized measure used to assess an individual's mental health, personality, cognitive abilities, behaviors, or emotional functioning. These tests are typically designed and administered by trained professionals, such as psychologists, to gather information about an individual for diagnostic, clinical, educational, or research purposes.

Psychological assessment is a comprehensive process used by psychologists to evaluate an individual's mental health, cognitive abilities, emotional functioning, personality traits, and behavior. It involves the integration of multiple tools, techniques, and sources of information to understand a person's psychological functioning and make informed decisions about diagnosis, treatment, or other areas of concern.

Psychological testing and assessment involve the systematic use of tools and techniques to measure and evaluate a person's mental health, personality, intelligence, behavior, and abilities. These assessments are conducted by psychologists to gather information that aids in diagnosis, treatment planning, and understanding of an individual's strengths and challenges.

USES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS

● It is easier to get information from test then by clinical interview.

● They assist in clinical diagnosis example: Rorschach inkblot test Information from tests are more scientifically consistent then clinical interview

● They assist in the formulation of psychopathology and identification of areas of stress and conflict. Example: Thematic appreciation test

● They help to determine the nature of deficit present. Example: cognitive neuropsychological assessments

● They help in assessing severity of psychopathology and response to treatment. Example: Hamilton rating scale for depression, brief psychiatric rating scale They help in assessing general characteristics of the individual. Example: assessment of intelligence, assessment of personality

● These tests are also used for forensic evaluations regarding litigation, family court issues or criminal charges

● These tests assess the level of functioning or disability, help direct treatment and assess treatment outcome.

DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST

Analysis of the situation in which the tested skills are to be used. Tentative selection of the test items Development of a standardized method of administration and scoring Administration of all test items to a large representative group of individual Final selection of items Evaluation of the final test

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND TESTS

There are two broad categories to classify the psychological tests-

On the basis of test construction and administration-

1. Individual and group tests

2. Speed and power tests

3. Computer-assisted tests

4. Paper and pencil and performance tests On the basis of test of knowledge, skills and abilities-

1. Achievement tests

2. Aptitude tests

3. Intelligence tests and cognitive ability tests

4. Interest tests

5. Neuropsychological tests

6. Occupational tests

7. Personality tests

8. Specific clinical tests

Achievement & ability tests

1. STANFORD-BINET INTELLIGENCE SCALES:-

Devised in 1916 by Stanford psychologist Lewis Terman.

Consisting of questions and short tasks arranged from easy to difficult, the Stanford- Binet scale measures a wide variety of verbal and nonverbal skills.

Its fifteen tests are divided into

● verbal reasoning

● quantitative reasoning

● abstract/visual reasoning

● short-term memory

Binet Scale of Human Intelligence

IQ Over 140 Genius or Near-Genius/ Gifted 120 – 139 Very Superior

110 – 119 Superior

90 – 109 Average or Normal

80 – 89 Dull Normal

70 – 79 Borderline

50 – 69 Mild