Testing
College Board’s Curriculum Model Testing and Individual Differences
Good Activities!
Functions and Characteristics of Psychological Testing
Functions
Assessing knowledge, skills and performance
Identify levels of ability (job selection, school placement, career guidance and such)
Measure personality traits and characteristics
Individual Differences Sir Francis Galton
(1822-1911)
Father of Differential Psychology
Developed the statistical construct of correlation and used normal distribution to explain the hereditary bases of characteristics such as intelligence
Characteristics
Standardization
How would you define this term?
Characteristics
Standardization
How would you define this term?
Uniform procedures established to assure that the test is administered and scored in a consistent manner.
Examples?
Characteristics
Norms
How would you explain this?
Characteristics
Norms
How would you explain this?
Score as it relates to a larger number who are similar to those for whom the test is designed
Characteristics
What is reliability?
How would you explain this?
Characteristics
What is reliability?
How would you explain this?
Refers to the consistency with which a test yields a similar score on repetition
Examples
Test-retest
Split-half reliability
Inter-rater Reliability
Characteristics
Validity
What makes a test valid?
Characteristics
Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to
Validity
What makes a test valid?
Types of validity
Face validity
Content validity
Construct validity
Predictive validity
Concurrent validity
Assessment of Intelligence
(a quick review) It is difficult to devise a valid measure of a construct about which there is no agreed upon definition
Assessment of Intelligence
Theories of Intelligence
Charles Spearman
L. L. Thurstone
Howard Gardner
J. P. Guilford
Robert Sternberg
History of IQ Tests
Alfred Binet Lewis Terman
History of IQ Tests
David Wechsler
Wechsler Intelligence Scale
Individual Tests
Stanford - Binet
Wechsler Intelligence Scales
WAIS
WISC-R
WPPSI
Normed with mean of 100 and SD of 15
Group Tests
SAT
PSAT
CLEP
AP Exams
Aptitude vs.. Achievement Tests
Assessment of Personality The chosen assessment depends
on the personality theory chosen
There are three major approaches to personality assessment
objective (self-reports)
projective
behavioral assessments
Objective tests Objective Tests:
Most frequently used assessment
Standard written format
Select from provided choices
Also called self-report (assume you know yourself better than anyone else)
Examples?
Problems with objective tests?
ExamplesMinnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale
Many others
Objective (Self Reports)
Strengths Weaknesses
Objective (Self Reports)
Strengths
Easily administered
Can be interpreted fairly quickly
Weaknesses
People may lie
Overuse-used for inappropriate purposes like hiring
Projective Tests Projective Tests:
Free response format
Relatively unstructured stimuli which can be perceived in many ways
Theoretically, the individual “projects” personality onto task
Examples?
Problems with projective tests?
Inkblots
(Hermann)Rorschach
Inkblots The examiner
observes a variety of things such as
How the cards are held,
How long it takes to respond,
When the test is administered
Inkblots
Major elements for interpretation
Location
Determinants
Content
Popularity
Other contributors (Wayne) Holtzman Inkblot Test
(John) Exner Scoring System
Thematic Apperception Tests
Test developed by Henry Murray and Christina Morgan is the most widely used projective test
Called TAT
TAT Test taker is
required to make up stories about a series of ambiguous pictures on cards
Cards (pictures) are different for males, females and children
Stories are analyzed for topics, recurring themes and Murray’s “needs”
TAT
TAT
TAT
TAT
Strengths/Weaknesses
Strengths
Have generated a wide variety of research on clinical syndromes
“Faking” is less of a problem than with self reports
Test lack rigor
Tests do not yield objective scores
Behavioral Assessments
Involves techniques such as naturalistic observation and situational testing
Is favored by some psychologists because they have good face validity
On to College Board’s Curriculum Model
Testing and Individual Differences
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