Psychological Testing and Assessment

Ronald Jay Cohen, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Psychology, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Assessment Psychology (ABAP). He is a New York State licensed psychologist, and a scientist-practitioner and scholar-professional in the finest traditions of each of those terms. During a long and gratifying professional career in which he has published numerous journal articles and books, Dr. Cohen has had the privilege of personally working alongside some of the luminaries in the field of psychological assessment,including David Wechsler (while Cohen was a clinical psychology intern at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City) and Doug Bray (while working as an assessor for AT&T in its Management Progress Study). After serving his clinical psychology internship at Bellevue, Dr. Cohen was appointed Senior Psychologist there, and his clinical duties entailed not only psychological assessment but the supervision and training of others in this enterprise. Subsequently, as an independent practitioner in the New York City area, Dr. Cohen taught various courses at local universities on an adjunct basis, including undergraduate and graduate courses in psychological assessment.Asked by a colleague to conduct a qualitative research study for an advertising agency,Dr. Cohen would quickly become a sought-after qualitative research consultant with a client list of major companies and organizationsamong them Paramount Pictures,Columbia Pictures, NBC Television, the Campbell Soup Company, Educational Testing Service, and the College Board. Dr. Cohens approach to qualitative research, referred to by him as dimensional qualitative research, has been emulated and written about by qualitative researchers around the world. Working as a consultant to one major company that wanted to learn more about its corporate culture, Dr. Cohen developed the Discussion of Organizational Culture (a qualitative research instrument discussed in Chapter 16). It was Dr. Cohens work in the area of qualitative assessment that led him to found the scholarly journal Psychology & Marketing, which in 2012 celebrated some 30 years of consecutive publishing with Dr. Cohen as editor-in-chief. Mark E. Swerdlik, Ph.D., ABPP, is Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University,where he has taught the undergraduate psychological measurement course, conducted professional seminars addressing legal/ethical issues in assessment, and supervised practicum students in assessment. He has served as an editorial board member of several journals, written test reviews for several journals, reviewed test-scoring software for a major test publisher, and served as a reviewer for the Mental Measurements Yearbook.In various professional capacities, he has participated in the standardization of many psychological tests, including, for example, the WISC-R, the WISC-III, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), the Stanford-Binet IV, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, the Psychological Processing Checklist (PPC), and the Psychological Processing Checklist-Revised (PPC-R). As a licensed clinical psychologist,a nationally certified school psychologist, independent practitioner, and consultant,Dr. Swerdlik administers and interprets psychological tests, and conducts seminars to train fellow professionals in proper test administration, scoring, and interpretation procedures. He has also served as a program evaluator for many programs, a partial listing of which would include the Heart of Illinois Low Incidence Association (HILA),the Autism/Pervasive Developmental Delays Training and Technical Assistance Project, and the Illinois National Guard Statewide Reintegration Program for Combat Veterans(for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, from 2006 to the present).

PART I : An OverviewChapter 1: PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENTTESTING AND ASSESSMENTTesting and Assessment DefinedThe process of assessment THE TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTThe TestThe InterviewThe PortfolioCase History DataBehavioral ObservationRole-Play TestsComputers as ToolsOther toolsWHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW, AND WHERE?Who Are the Parties?The test developerThe test userThe testtakerSociety at largeOther partiesIn What Types of Settings Are Assessments Conducted, and Why?Educational settingsClinical settingCounseling settingsGeriatric settingsBusiness and military settingsGovernmental and organizational credentialingOther settingsHow Are Assessments Conducted?Assessment of People with DisabilitiesWhere To Go for Authoritative Information: Reference SourcesTest cataloguesTest manualsReference volumesJournal articlesOnline databasesOther sourcesClose-up: Should Observers be Parties to the Assessment Process?Everyday Psychometrics: Everyday Accommodations Meet a Test User:Meet Dr. Barbara PavloSelf AssessmentChapter 2Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical ConsiderationsA HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEAntiquity to the Nineteenth CenturyThe Twentieth CenturyThe measurement of intelligenceThe measurement of personalityThe academic and applied traditionsCULTURE AND ASSESSMENTEvolving Interest in Culture-Related IssuesSome Issues Regarding Culture and AssessmentVerbal communicationNonverbal communication and behaviorStandards of evaluationTests and Group MembershipPsychology, tests, and public policyLEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONSThe Concerns of the PublicLegislationLitigationThe Concerns of the ProfessionTest-user qualificationsTesting people with disabilitiesComputerized test administration, scoring, and interpretationThe Rights of TesttakersThe right of informed consentThe right to be informed of test findingsThe right to privacy and confidentialityThe right to the least stigmatizing labelClose-up: The Controversial Henry Herbert Goddard Everyday Psychometrics: Life-or-Death Psychological AssessmentMeet A Test User: Meet Dr. Diana D. JefferySelf-AssessmentPART II The Science of Psychological MeasurementChapter 3A Statistics RefresherSCALES OF MEASUREMENTNominal ScalesOrdinal ScalesInterval ScalesRatio ScalesMeasurement Scales in PsychologyDESCRIBING DATAFrequency DistributionsMeasures of Central TendencyThe arithmetic meanThe medianThe modeMeasures of VariabilityThe rangeThe interquartile and the semi-interquartile rangesThe average deviationThe standard deviationSkewnessKurtosisTHE NORMAL CURVEThe Area Under the Normal CurveSTANDARD SCORESz ScoresT ScoresOther Standard ScoresNormalized standard scoresClose-up: The Normal Curve and Psychological TestsEveryday Psychometrics: Consumer (of Graphed Data), Beware!Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Jeff LaurentSelf-AssessmentChapter 4OF TESTS AND TESTINGSOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENTAssumption 1: Psychological Traits and States ExistAssumption 2: Psychological Traits and States Can Be Quantified and MeasuredAssumption 3: Test-Related Behavior Predicts Non-Test-Related BehaviorAssumption 4: Tests and Other Measurement Techniques Have Strengths and WeaknessesAssumption 5: Various Sources of Error Are Part of the Assessment ProcessAssumption 6: Testing and Assessment Can Be Conducted in a Fair and Unbiased MannerAssumption 7: Testing and Assessment Benefit SocietyWHAT’S A "GOOD TEST"?ReliabilityValidityOther ConsiderationsNORMSSampling to Develop NormsDeveloping norms for a standardized testTypes of NormsPercentilesAge normsGrade normsNational normsNational anchor normsSubgroup normsLocal normsFixed Reference Group Scoring SystemsNorm-Referenced versus Criterion-Referenced EvaluationCORRELATION AND INFERENCEThe Concept of CorrelationThe Pearson rThe Spearman RhoGraphic Representations of CorrelationRegressionMultiple regressionINFERENCE FROM MEASUREMENTMeta-AnalysisCulture and InferenceClose-up: How "Standard" is Standard in Measurement?Everyday Psychometrics: Putting Tests to the TestMeet a Team of Test Users: Meet Dr. Howard Atlas and Dr. Steve JuliusSelf-AssessmentChapter 5RELIABILITYTHE CONCEPT OF RELIABILITYSources of Error VarianceTest constructionTest administrationTest scoring and interpretationOther sources of errorRELIABILITY ESTIMATESTest-Retest Reliability EstimatesParallel-Forms and Alternate-Forms Reliability EstimatesSplit-Half Reliability EstimatesThe Spearman-Brown formulaOther Methods of Estimating Internal ConsistencyThe Kuder-Richardson formulasCoefficient alphaMeasures of Inter-Scorer ReliabilityUSING AND INTERPRETING A COEFFICIENT OF RELIABILITYThe Purpose of the ReliabilityCoefficientThe Nature of the TestHomogeneity versus heterogeneity of test itemsDynamic versus static characteristicsRestriction or inflation of rangeSpeed tests versus power testsCriterion-referenced testsAlternatives to the True Score ModelGeneralizability theoryItem response theoryRELIABILITY AND INDIVIDUAL SCORESThe Standard Error of MeasurementThe Standard Error of the Difference Between Two ScoresClose-up: Item Response TheoryEveryday Psychometrics: The Reliability Defense and the Breathalyzer TestMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Bryce B. ReeveSelf-AssessmentChapter 6VALIDITYTHE CONCEPT OF VALIDITYFace ValidityContent ValidityThe Quantification of Content ValidityCulture and the Relativity of Content ValidityCRITERION-RELATED VALIDITYWhat Is a Criterion?Characteristics of a criterionConcurrent ValidityPredictive ValidityThe validity coefficientIncremental validityExpectancy dataDecision theory and test utilityCONSTRUCT VALIDITYEvidence of Construct ValidityEvidence of homogeneityEvidence of changes with ageEvidence of pretest/posttest changesEvidence from distinct groupsConvergent evidenceDiscriminate evidenceFactor analysisVALIDITY, BIAS, AND FAIRNESSTest BiasRating errorTest FairnessClose-up: Base Rates and Predictive ValidityEveryday Psychometrics: Adjustment of Test Scores by Group Membership: Fairness in Testing or Foul Play?Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Adam ShoemakerSelf-AssessmentChapter 7UTILITYWHAT IS UTILITY?Factors that Affect Test UtilityPsychometric soundnessCostsBenefitsUTILITY ANALYSISWhat is a Utility Analysis?How is a Utility Analysis Conducted?Expectancy dataThe Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser FormulaSome Practical Considerations The pool of job applicantsThe complexity of the jobThe cut score in useMETHODS FOR SETTINGS CUT SCORESThe Angoff MethodThe Known Groups Method IRT-based methodsOther Methods Close-up: Utility Analysis: An IllustrationEveryday Psychometrics: Re-thinking the Costs of Testing—and Not TestingMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Erik ViirreSelf-AssessmentChapter 8Test DevelopmentTEST CONCEPTUALIZATIONSome Preliminary QuestionsNorm-referenced versus criterion-referenced tests: Item development issuesPilot WorkTEST CONSTRUCTIONScalingTypes of scalesScaling methodsWriting ItemsItem formatWriting items for computer administrationScoring ItemsTEST TRYOUTWhat Is a Good Item?ITEM ANALYSISItem-Difficulty IndexItem-Reliability IndexFactor analysis and inter-item consistencyItem-Validity IndexItem-Discrimination IndexAnalysis of item alternativesItem-Characteristic CurvesItem response theoryOther Considerations in Item AnalysisGuessingItem fairnessSpeed testsQualitative Item Analysis"Think aloud" test administrationExpert panelsTEST REVISIONTest Revision as a Stage in New Test DevelopmentTest Revision in the Life Cycle of an Existing TestCross-validation and co-validationQuality assurance during test revisionThe Use of IRT in Building and Revising TestsEvaluating the properties of existing tests and guiding test revision. Determining measurement equivalence across research populations.Developing item banks.Close-up: Designing an Item BankEveryday Psychometrics: Psychometrics in the ClassroomMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Scott BirkelandSelf-AssessmentPART III The Assessment of IntelligenceChapter 9Intelligence and Its MeasurementWHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?Intelligence Defined: Views of the Lay PublicIntelligence Defined: Views of Scholars and Test ProfessionalsFrancis GaltonAlfred BinetDavid WechslerJean PiagetFactor-Analytic Theories of IntelligenceThe CHC modelThe Inf
ormation-Processing ViewMEASURING INTELLIGENCETypes of Tasks Used in Intelligence TestsTheory in Intelligence Test Development and InterpretationINTELLIGENCE: SOME ISSUESNature Versus NurtureInheritance and interactionismThe Stability of IntelligenceOther IssuesPersonalityGenderFamily environmentCultureA PerspectiveClose-up: Culture Fair/Culture LoadedEveryday Psychometrics: Being GiftedMeet A Test User: Meet John Garruto, M.S.Self-AssessmentChapter 10Tests of IntelligenceTHE STANFORD-BINET INTELLIGENCE SCALESThe Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales: Fifth EditionStandardizationPsychometric soundnessTest administrationScoring and interpretationTHE WECHSLER TESTSThe Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III)Standardization and normsPsychometric issuesThe Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)BackgroundThe test todayThe WISC-IV Compared to the SB5The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III)Wechsler, Binet, and the Short FormThe Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of IntelligenceThe Wechsler Tests in PerspectiveOTHER MEASURES OF INTELLIGENCETests Designed for Individual AdministrationTests Designed for Group AdministrationGroup tests in the militaryGroup tests in the schoolsMeasures of Specific Intellectual AbilitiesClose-up: Factor AnalysisEveryday Psychometrics: The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB): A Test You Can Take Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Rivka OlleySelf-AssessmentChapter 11Preschool and Educational AssessmentPRESCHOOL ASSESSMENTTools of Preschool AssessmentChecklists and rating scalesPsychological testsOther measuresACHIEVEMENT TESTSMeasures of General AchievementMeasures of Achievement in Specific Subject AreasAPTITUDE TESTSThe Elementary School LevelThe Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT)The Secondary School LevelThe Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT)The ACT Assessment (ACT)The College Level and BeyondThe Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)The Miller Analogies Test (MAT)Other aptitude testsDynamic AssessmentDIAGNOSTIC TESTSReading TestsThe Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (WRMT-R)Math TestsOther Diagnostic TestsPSYCHOEDUCATIONAL TEST BATTERIESThe Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II)The Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III)OTHER TOOLS OF ASSESSMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS Performance, Portfolio, and Authentic AssessmentPeer Appraisal TechniquesMeasuring Study Habits, Interests, and AttitudesClose-up: Tests of Minimum CompetencyEveryday Psychometrics: First ImpressionsMeet A Test User: Meet Dr. Rebecca AndersonSelf-AssessmentPART IV: THE ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITYChapter 12Personality Assessment: An OverviewPERSONALITY AND PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT DEFINEDPersonalityPersonality AssessmentTraits, Types, and StatesPersonality traitsPersonality typesPersonality statesPERSONALITY ASSESSMENT: SOME BASIC QUESTIONSWho?The self as the primary referentAnother person as the referentThe cultural background of assesseesWhat?Primary content area sampledTesttaker response stylesWhere?How?Scope and theoryProcedures and item formatsFrame of referenceScoring and interpretationIssues in personality test development and useDEVELOPING INSTRUMENTS TO ASSESS PERSONALITYLogic and ReasonTheoryData Reduction MethodsThe Big FiveCriterion GroupsThe MMPIThe MMPI-2The MMPI-2-RFThe MMPI-AThe MMPI and its revisions in perspectivePERSONALITY ASSESSMENT AND CULTUREAcculturation and Related ConsiderationsClose-up: Assessing Acculturation and Related VariablesEveryday Psychometrics: Some Common Item FormatsMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Eric A. ZillmerSelf-AssessmentChapter 13PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT METHODSOBJECTIVE METHODSPROJECTIVE METHODSInkblots as Projective StimuliThe RorschachPictures as Projective StimuliThe Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)Other tests using pictures as projective stimuliWords as Projective StimuliWord association testsSentence completion testsSounds as Projective StimuliThe Production of Figure DrawingsFigure-drawing testsProjective Methods in PerspectiveAssumptionsPsychometric considerationsBehavioral Assessment Methods:The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of ItWho?What?When?Where?Why?How?Approaches to Behavioral AssessmentBehavioral observation and rating scalesSelf-monitoringAnalogue studiesSituational performance measuresRole playPsychophysiological methodsUnobtrusive measuresIssues in Behavioral AssessmentA PERSPECTIVEClose-up: Personality, Life Outcomes, and College Yearbook PhotosEveryday Psychometrics: Confessions of a Behavior RaterMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Tonia CaselmanSelf-AssessmentPART V Testing and Assessment in ActionChapter 14Clinical and Counseling AssessmentAN OVERVIEWThe Diagnosis of Mental DisordersBiopsychosocial assessmentThe Interview in Clinical AssessmentTypes of interviews Psychometric aspects of the interviewCase History DataPsychological TestsThe psychological test batteryCULTURALLY INFORMED PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTCultural Aspects of the InterviewCultural Considerations and Managed CareSPECIAL APPLICATIONS OF CLINICAL MEASURESThe Assessment of Addiction and Substance AbuseForensic Psychological AssessmentDangerousness to oneself or othersCompetency to stand trialCriminal responsibilityReadiness for parole or probationDiagnosis and evaluation of emotional injuryProfilingCustody EvaluationsEvaluation of the parentEvaluation of the childChild Abuse and NeglectPhysical signs of abuse and neglectEmotional and behavioral signs of abuse and neglectIssues in reporting child abuse and neglectRisk assessmentTHE PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTThe Barnum EffectClinical Versus Mechanical Prediction Close-up: Assessment of Dangerousness and the Secret ServiceEveryday Psychometrics: Elements of a Typical Report of Psychological AssessmentMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Alan RaphaelSelf-AssessmentChapter 15Neuropsychological AssessmentTHE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND BEHAVIOR Neurological Damage and the Concept of OrganicityTHE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONHistory Taking, the Case History, and Case StudiesThe InterviewThe neuropsychological mental status examinationThe Physical ExaminationNeuropsychological TestsTests of general intellectual abilityTests to measure the ability to abstractTests of executive functionTests of perceptual, motor, and perceptual-motor functionTests of verbal functioningTests of memoryNEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST BATTERIESOTHER TOOLS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTClose-up: Fixed Versus Flexible Neuropsychological Test Batteries and the LawEveryday Psychometrics: Medical Diagnostic Aids and Neuropsychological AssessmentMeet a Test User: Meet Dr. Kathleen SalomoneSelf-AssessmentChapter 16Assessment, Careers, and BusinessCAREER CHOICE AND CAREER TRANSITIONMeasures of InterestThe Strong Interest InventoryOther interest inventoriesMeasures of Ability and AptitudeThe General Aptitude Test BatteryMeasures of PersonalityMeasuring personality traitsMeasuring personality typesOther MeasuresSCREENING, SELECTION, CLASSIFICATION, AND PLACEMENTThe Resume and the Letter of ApplicationThe Application FormLetters of RecommendationInterviewsPortfolio AssessmentPerformance TestsThe assessment centerPhysical TestsDrug testingPRODUCTIVITY, MOTIVATION, ATTITUDE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTUREMeasures of Cognitive AbilityPersonnel selection and diversity issuesProductivityMotivationBurnout and its measurementAttitudeJob satisfaction Organizational commitmentOrganizational CultureOTHER APPLICATIONS OF TOOLS OF ASSESSMENTConsumer PsychologyThe Measurement of AttitudesMeasuring implicit attitudesSurveysMotivation Research MethodsBehavioral observationOther methodsClose-up: Validity Generalization and the GATBEveryday Psychometrics: Assessment of Corporate and Organizational CultureMeet a Test User: Meet Rob Kaiser, M.S.Self-AssessmentReferences R-1Credits C-1Name Index N-1Glossary/Index I-1