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Unit I: Psychological Testing Refers To The Administration of Psychological Tests. A

Psychological testing refers to the administration of standardized tests to measure psychological constructs like achievement, cognitive ability, aptitude, and personality. A psychological test produces a score that reflects an individual's standing on the measured construct compared to others, while controlling for errors. Tests are classified based on the behavior sampled (like self-report), standardization, objective/projective nature, and dimension measured (like achievement, aptitude, intelligence, interests). Tests are used in occupational settings for careers guidance and personnel selection, in educational settings to diagnose learning needs and for admissions, and in health settings to identify conditions and determine appropriate treatment.

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108 views5 pages

Unit I: Psychological Testing Refers To The Administration of Psychological Tests. A

Psychological testing refers to the administration of standardized tests to measure psychological constructs like achievement, cognitive ability, aptitude, and personality. A psychological test produces a score that reflects an individual's standing on the measured construct compared to others, while controlling for errors. Tests are classified based on the behavior sampled (like self-report), standardization, objective/projective nature, and dimension measured (like achievement, aptitude, intelligence, interests). Tests are used in occupational settings for careers guidance and personnel selection, in educational settings to diagnose learning needs and for admissions, and in health settings to identify conditions and determine appropriate treatment.

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surabhi_lodha8709
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© © All Rights Reserved
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UNIT I

Psychological testing refers to the administration of psychological tests. A


psychological test is "an objective and standardized measure of a sample of
behavior". The term sample of behavior refers to an individual's
performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand. The
samples of behavior that make up a paper-and-pencil test, the most common
type of test, are a series of items. Performance on these items produce a test
score. A score on a well-constructed test is believed to reflect a psychological
construct such as achievement in a school subject, cognitive
ability, aptitude, emotional functioning, personality, etc. Differences in test
scores are thought to reflect individual differences in the construct the test is
supposed to measure. The technical term for the science behind
psychological testing is psychometrics.
Assumptions of Psychological Tests
1. Psychological tests measure what they purport to measure or predict
what they are intended to predict.
2. 2. An individuals behavior, and therefore test scores, will typically
remain stable over time.
3. 3. Individuals understand test items similarly (Wiggins, 1973).
4. 4. Individuals will report accurately about themselves (
5. 5. Individuals will report their thoughts and feelings honestly
6. The test score an individual receives is equal to his or her true ability
plus some error, and this error
may be attributable to the test itself, the examiner, the examinee, or
the environment.

Test Classification:
1. Maximal Performance, Behavior Observation, or Self-Report
2. Standardized or Nonstandardized
3. Objective or Projective
4. Dimension Measured
a. Achievement tests measure a persons previous learning in
a specific academic area
b. Aptitude tests assess a test takers potential for learning or
ability to perform in a new job or situation.
c. Intelligence tests, like aptitude tests, assess the test takers
ability to cope with the environment, but at a broader level.
Intelligence tests are often used to screen individuals for
specific programs.
d. Interest inventories assess a persons interests in
educational programs for job settings and provide information
for making career decisions.
e. Personality tests measure human character or disposition.

The distinctions among four commonly misunderstood terms: psychological


assessment, psychological test, measurement, and survey. First, although
both psychological assessments and psychological tests are used to gather
information, a psychological test is only one of many tools in the
psychological assessment process. Second, a psychological test can be
considered to be ameasurement when the sampled behavior can be
expressed in a derived score. Third, psychological tests are different from
surveys in that psychological tests focus on individual differences and often
report one overall derived score (or scaled scores), and surveys focus on
group similarities and typically report results at the question or item level.

Uses
1. The Occupational Setting in which tests are used in careers guidance, to
help select personnel, to assess their training and development needs, and
in promotion.

2. The Educational Setting in which tests are used to diagnose learning


difficulties, assess levels of educational attainment, learning and
instructional needs, and for entry into secondary and tertiary levels of
education.

3. The Health Related Setting in which tests are used to identify and assess
emotional and behavioural conditions and disorder as an aid to determining
appropriate treatments or therapy.

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