LecturePreview
Goals, Purposes, and Types of AssessmentReliability and ValidityInterviewingTypes of InterviewsPotential Threats to Effective InterviewingBehavioral ObservationsChecklists and Inventories
Physiological Testing
Since the foundation of psychology, assessment and testing have been important activities.
Psychological assessment is the process to collect and evaluate information to
make diagnoses, plan treatment, and
predict behavior.
-TO MEASURE THE BEHAVIOR
-TO PREDICT THE BEHAVIOR
-TO CONTROL THE BEHAVIOR
Assessmentmay include
interviewing the patient, reviewing past records (such as medical or school records), observing behavior, and administering psychological tests to measure various
cognitive,
behavioral,
personality,
family, and
even biological factors.
Psychological testing involves specific assessment techniques utilizing reliable and valid testing instruments. These instruments enable the psychologist to compare individual scores with the scores obtained from normative samples.
Goals,Purposes, and Types of Assessment
People ask questions such as:
«Am I crazy?»«Is my child mentally retarded?» or «Is my child gifted?»«Why do I feel so depressed when things in life appear to be going fine?»«How can I overcome my intense fear and panic whenever I drive over a bridge?
Before helping the patient, an initial assessment is necessary. The goal of assessment is fully understanding of the factors that contribute to the problem(s).
Sometimes the presenting problem or symptom is not the real problem. Someone may seek help for headaches. After a session or two, the patient reports that her marriage is in trouble. The headaches were a "ticket" into psychotherapy.
Assessmentcould include
clinical interviews with a patient or significant other (family member, friend, colleague);behavioral observations (classroom observation); the use of checklists, inventories, and psychological tests (IQ and personality tests); the review of previous records (medical charts, school records); anddiscussions with other professionals familiar with the person (physician, school teacher, school counselor).
Thechoice of assessment tools
depends on
the nature of the problem(s), the skills and perspective of the psychologist, the objectives and willingness of the patient, and
practical matters such as cost and time
Reliabilityand Validity
Assessment method must be reliable and valid. Assessment is used to make important decisions on people's lives, it is critical that reliable and valid procedures are used.
