Psychological Testing and Assessment Chapter 2

Some truth-in-testing laws require providing descriptions of

1) the tests purpose and its subject matter 2) the knowledge and skills the test purports to measure 3) procedures for ensuring accuracy of scores 4) procedures for notifying testtakers of errors in scoring 5) procedures for ensuring the testtakers' confidentiality

Alfred Binet/Theodore Simon

Binet scale of intelligence, credited with starting the intelligence and clinical testing movement Theodore Simon published 30-item measuring scale of intelligence designed to help identify mentally retarded Paris schoolchildren

ethics

a body of principles of right, proper, or good conduct

quota system

a selection procedure whereby a fixed number or percentage of applicants from certain backgrounds were selected

individualistic culture

characterized by value being placed on traits such as self-reliance, autonomy, independence, uniqueness, and competitiveness -Dominant in U.S and Great Britain

Francis Galton

classify people according to their natural gifts, devising or contributing to the development of many contemporary tools of psychological assessment including questionnaires, rating scares, and self-report inventories

James McKeen Cattell

coined the term mental test, founding the Psychological Corporation

Victor Henri

collaborate with Alfred Binet on papers suggesting how mental tests could be used to measure higher mental processes

confidentiality

confidentiality concerns matters of communication outside the courtroom, privilege protects clients from disclosure in judicial proceedings

Hermann Rorschach

created the Rorschach test (best known projective tests)

Robert S. Woodworth

developed measure of adjustment and emotional stability, created first self-report test of personality (developed personality test called Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory)

culture: standards of evaluation

difference cultures think different things are better, different things to compare it to

Emil Kraepelin

early experimenter with the word association technique as a formal test

culture: nonverbal comm and behavior

facial expressions mean different things, some cultures show more on the face than others, eye contact etc.

minimum competency testing programs

formal testing programs designed to be used in decisions regarding various aspects of students' education

Wilhelm Max Wundt

founded the first experimental psychology laboratory, focused on how people were similar

informed consent

full knowledge of why they are being evaluated, how the test data will be used, and what if any information will be released to whom

projective test

individual is assumed to project onto some ambiguous stimulus his or her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivations

privileged information

information withheld is such a manner is privileged

David Wechsler

introduced test to measure adult intelligence, revised several times (Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale)

culture: verbal communication

language is key in assessment process, differs among cultures/nationalities, even translators provide problems, things lost in translation

Lightner Witmer

little-known founder of clinical psychology, founded first psychological clinic in the US, founded journal Psychological Clinic

WWI

need to screen intellectual functioning of recruits, need to screen general adjustment, started personality testing, used in diverse settings

Charles Spearman

originating the concept of reliability as well as building mathematical framework for the statistical technique of factor analysis

self-report test

people report their own answers

Henry A. Murray, Christiana D. Morgan

popularized use of pictures as projective stimuli

truth-in-testing legislation

primary objective was to provide test takers with a means of learning the criteria by which they are being judged

Sigmund Freud

psychoanalysis, believed motivation came a lot from nonverbal behavior, everything is sex

Henry H. Goddard

raised questions in using a test with multiple cultural backgrounds, but was very controversial and determined most immigrants to be mentally deficient

code of professional ethics

recognized and accepted by members of a profession, defines the standard of care expected of members of that profession

privacy right

recognizes the freedom of the individual to pick and choose for himself the time, circumstances, and particularly the extent to which he wishes to share or withohold from others his attitudes, beliefs, behavior, and opinions

laws

rules that individuals must obey for the good of the society as a whole (or thought to be good)

culture

socially transmitted behavior, patterns, beliefs, and products of work of a particular population, community, or group of people

Charles Darwin

spurred scientific interest in individual differences

culture-specific tests

tests designed for use with people from one culture but not from another

Litigation

the court-mediated resolution of legal matters of a civil, criminal, or administrative nature -also been refered to as a judge made law

psychoanalysis

theory of personality and psychological treatment developed by Freud, symbolic significance is assigned to many nonverbal acts

Collectivistic cultures

value is placed on traits such as conformity, cooperation, interdependence, and striving toward group goals Dominant in countries throughout Asia, Latin America, and Africa

affirmative action

voluntary and mandatory efforts undertaken by federal, state, and local governments, private employers, and schools to combat discrimination and to promote equal opportunity in education and employment for all