How to Write and Evaluate Psychological Reports (eBook)

Contents 7
Chapter 1 Introduction 13
1.1 Goals 13
1.2 Overview 14
1.3 Notes on using this book 16
Chapter 2 Fundamentals of our approach 17
2.1 Decision-oriented psychological assessment 17
2.2 Our view of psychology 20
2.3 Goals of decision-oriented assessment 21
2.4 Conditions for psychological assessment 22
2.5 General criteria for evaluating psychological reports 24
Chapter 3 The client’s question 26
3.1 Deciding for or against a client’s question 26
3.2 Required assumptions 28
3.3 Requirement profile 29
3.4 Required knowledge for assessment work 31
3.5 Prediction of individual behavior 32
3.6 Citing the client’s question in the psychological report 33
Chapter 4 Selection of variables 34
4.1 Behavioral equation 34
4.2 Environment variables 36
4.3 Organism variables 37
4.4 Cognitive variables 39
4.5 Emotional variables 41
4.6 Motivational variables 43
4.7 Social variables 45
4.8 Three classes of information for the explanation and prediction of 46
4.9 Criteria for the selection of variables 47
Chapter 5 Psychological Questions (= Hypotheses) 49
5.1 The function of psychological questions 49
5.2 Constructing psychological questions 50
5.3 Formulating psychological questions 50
5.4 Number of psychological questions 52
Chapter 6 Workthrough of example clients’ questions 54
6.1 Client‘s question 54
6.2 Information available before the beginning of the assessment 55
6.3 Requirement profile 56
6.4 Psychological questions 57
6.4.1 Grouping the psychological questions according to the behavioral equation 57
6.4.2 Psychological questions relating to motivational conditions 58
6.4.3 Psychological questions relating to intellectual conditions 58
6.4.4 Psychological questions relating to the ability to withstand emotional and physical strain 58
6.4.5 Psychological questions relating to social conditions 59
6.4.6 Alternative ways of structuring psychological questions 60
6.4.7 Decision-oriented construction of hypotheses for judicial questions regarding parental custody 60
6.4.7.1 Goals of decision-oriented assessment in custody questions 60
6.4.7.2 The requirement profile 61
6.4.7.3 Selection of the relevant variables 63
6.4.7.4 The formulation of psychological questions 63
6.4.7.5 Shortened psychological questions 66
Chapter 7 Planning the assessment 67
7.1 Role of the assessment plan 67
7.2 Broad plan of the assessment 68
7.3 Detailed plan of the assessment 69
7.4 Ratio of costs to benefits as a criterion for planning a 70
Chapter 8 Analysis of the a-priori strategy 72
8.1 Analysis of the a-priori strategy for single-case questions 72
8.2 Qualitative analysis of the a-priori strategy 73
8.3 Optimizing the assessment strategy 74
8.4 Quantitative analysis of the a-priori strategy for institutional 75
8.5 Analysis of the a-priori strategy for institutional questions 75
Chapter 9 Features of assessment information sources 77
9.1 Functions of the features of assessment information sources 77
9.2 Nature of the observer 78
9.3 Contents of the observation 80
9.4 Time and duration of the observation 81
9.5 Nature of the observation 82
Chapter 10 Standardized assessment procedures 84
10.1 Criteria for the selection of standardized assessment procedures 84
10.2 A theory definition for psychological work 85
10.3 Functions of theories for assessment procedures 86
10.4 Objectivity of standardized procedures 87
10.4.1 Objectivity in execution 87
10.4.2 Measures for increasing the objectivity in execution 88
10.4.3 Objectivity in scoring 89
10.4.4 Objectivity of interpretation 91
10.5 Reliability of standardized procedures 93
10.5.1 Deciding on a type of reliability 94
10.5.2 Evaluating the reliability 94
10.6 Validity of standardized procedures 95
10.7 Some comments on the size of validity coefficients 97
Chapter 11 Part I of the assessment plan for the example client’s question relating to aptitude assessment 99
11.1 Standardized procedures 99
11.2 Decisions when selecting standardized procedures 100
11.3 Selection of standardized procedures 102
11.4 Description of the standardized procedures in the psychological 103
Chapter 12 Decision-oriented interviewing 105
12.1 Definition 105
12.2 Aims of various types of interview 106
12.3 Interview guide for the decision-oriented interview 107
12.4 Function of interview guides 108
12.5 Characteristics of interview guides 110
12.6 Broad structure of an interview guide 111
12.7 Detailed structure of an interview guide 113
12.8 Features of efficient questions 114
12.9 Poor questions 116
12.10 Degree of openness of a question 117
12.11 Degree of directness of a question 118
12.12 Preconditions for carrying out decision-oriented interviews 119
12.13 Conditions for a successful assessment interview 120
Chapter 13 Part II of the assessment plan for the example of a client‘s question concerning aptitude assessment 122
13.1 Interview guide for the decision-oriented interview 122
13.2 Selection of the partly-standardized and non-standardized 127
13.3 Description of the partly-standardized and non-standardized 128
Chapter 14 Person perception and assessment judgments 130
14.1 Person perception in daily life and assessment judgments 130
14.2 The importance of social psychological research into person 131
14.3 Individual differences in assessment judgments 133
Chapter 15 Errors and biases in the process of forming assessment judgments 134
15.1 Description of errors and biases in the process of forming 134
15.2 Errors and biases in psychological questions 135
15.3 Errors and biases of judgment when planning assessments 138
15.4 Errors and biases of judgment when presenting the results of the 139
15.5 Errors and biases of judgment in the conclusions 140
15.5.1 Generally observable errors and biases of judgment in the conclusions 140
15.5.2 Errors and biases of judgment in the conclusions which are determined by the personality of the assessing psychologist 142
Chapter 16 Possibilities of minimizing errors and biases in assessment decision-making 144
16.1 Extending knowledge 144
16.2 Initial conditions 145
16.3 Combining statements 147
16.4 Decision criteria 148
16.5 Attributing traits to people 148
16.5.1 Four types of behavioral description 148
16.5.2 Features of personality traits 149
16.6 Development of documented assessment plans 150
Chapter 17 Evaluating behavioral observations 151
17.1 Types of behavioral observation 151
17.2 Scoring tests 152
17.3 Presenting the test results 154
17.4 Decision-oriented interviews: analysis 156
17.5 Interview results: presentation 156
17.6 Presentation of interview results in indirect speech 158
Chapter 18 The data section of the example psychological report 159
18.1 Aptitude assessment sample case: 4. Data Section 159
Chapter 19 The results section 166
19.1 Aims of the assessor in the results section 166
19.2 Procedure of the assessor in the results section 167
19.3 Recommendations and suggestions in the psychological report 169
19.4 Formulations in the results section 170
Chapter 20 Results section of the example psychological report 172
Chapter 21 Foundations of a theory of decision-oriented psychological assessment 183
21.1 Assumptions of the theory 183
21.2 Beliefs as cognitions directing actions 184
21.3 Expectations as cognitions directing actions 186
21.4 On the testability of the theory 188
21.5 First results of empirical tests of the theory of decision-oriented 189
21.5.1 Assessment in family law: how it is and how it can be 189
21.5.2 On the development of assessment strategies 190
21.5.3 Decision-oriented interviewing in psychological assessment 190
21.5.4 Training in psychological assessment 191
21.5.5 Guidelines for the Assessment Process (GAP) 192
21.6 Decision-oriented assessment – a useful technology 192
21.6.1 A technology – a necessity in psychological assessment 192
21.6.2 Utility as the highest criterion of a technology 193
21.6.3 Optimization of assessment strategies 193
Chapter 22 Aids for the evaluation of psychological reports by non-psychologists 195
22.1 Structure of a psychological report 196
22.2 Transparency of the psychological report 197
22.3 Formulations in the psychological report 197
22.4 Client’s question 198
22.5 Formulation of psychological questions 198
22.6 Description of the assessment plan in the psychological report 199
22.7 Scoring and analyzing tests and questionnaires in the data 200
22.8 Description and analysis of interviews and non-standardized 201
22.9 Results section of a psychological report 202
22.10 Recommendations and suggestions in the psychological report 204
Chapter 23 Checklists to support the psychological assessor during the assessment process and the writing of a psychological report 206
Unknown 1
23.1 Checklist: The client’s question 206
23.2 Checklist: Profile of requirements 206
23.3 Checklist: Knowledge 207
23.4 Checklist: Selection of groups of variables 207
23.5 Checklist: Selection of environment variables 207
23.6 Checklist: Selection of organism variables 208
23.7 Checklist: Selection of cognitive variables 208
23.8 Checklist: Selection of emotional variables 209
23.9 Checklist: Selection of motivational variables 209
23.10 Checklist: Selection of social variables 210
23.11 Checklist: Criteria for the selection of variables 210
23.12 Checklist: Formulating psychological questions (= hypotheses) 210
23.13 Checklist: Selection of sources of information 211
23.14 Checklist: Detailed planning of the assessment 211
23.15 Checklist: Costs and benefits of every source of information 211
23.16 Checklist: Evaluation of an observer 212
23.17 Checklist: Contents of observations 212
23.18 Checklist: Characteristics of scientific behavioral observations 212
23.19 Checklist: Criteria for the selection of standardized procedures 213
23.20 Checklist: Objectivity of execution of psychological assessment 213
23.21 Checklist: Criteria for scoring and analyzing psychological 213
23.22 Checklist: Conditions for the highest possible degree of 214
23.23 Checklist: Reliability of standardized psychological assessment 214
23.24 Checklist: Validity of standardized psychological assessment 214
23.25 Checklist: Planning a decision-oriented interview (DOI) 215
23.26 Checklist: Broad structure of an interview guide 215
23.27 Checklist: Detailed structure of an interview guide 216
23.28 Checklist: Formulating “good” questions 216
23.29 Checklist: Suggestive questions 217
23.30 Checklist: Conditions for decision-oriented interviews 217
23.31 Checklist: Presenting the plan of the assessment in the 218
23.32 Checklist: Scoring of tests and questionnaires and presenting the 218
23.33 Checklist: Analysis and presentation of information from 219
23.34 Checklist: The results section of a psychological report 219
23.35 Checklist: Recommendations and suggestions in a psychological 220
23.36 Checklist: Formulations in the results section of a psychological 221
23.37 Checklist: Structure of a psychological report 221
Chapter 24 Checklists for the evaluation of psychological reports by non-psychologists 222
24.1 Structure of a psychological report 222
24.2 Transparency of the psychological report 222
24.3 Formulations in the psychological report 222
24.4 Client’s question 223
24.5 Formulation of psychological questions 223
24.6 Description of the assessment plan in the psychological report 223
24.7 Scoring and analysis of tests and questionnaires in the data section 223
24.8 Analysis and presentation of information from interviews and non-standardized 224
24.9 Results section of a psychological report 224
24.10 Recommendations and suggestions in the psychological report 225
References 226