The major
assumptions and fundamental questions associated with psychological testing
will be addressed. The term test will be
defined. The major categories of tests
will be examined in addition to the major uses and users of these tests. Reliability and validity will be compared and
contrasted. This paper will also discuss
how reliability and validity affects the field of psychological testing.
Defining the Term “Test”
The term test
refers a standardized and objective measure of a sample of behaviors (Domino
& Domino, 2002). This definition
focuses on three elements, which are standardization, objectivity, and a
sample. Standardization means that the
test will be administered, interpreted, and scored in the same way every
time. Objectivity refers to the test
being interpreted and scored on specific criteria, not the opinion of the
individual administering the test. The
third and final element is a sample of behavior, which means that the test
examines the behavior display by the tested individual. Obviously, psychological tests do not know
the thoughts and secrets of an individual so the test has to be conducted based
on the behavior he or she displays.
Another way
the term test can be described is as an interview. An interview is conducted to test the
knowledge, understanding, opinion, and experience of an individual. Many interviews have a list of question or
criteria that the interviewee needs to meet to pass the “test.”
Major Categories of
Tests
The five
major categories of psychological tests are mental ability, achievement,
personality, interests and attitude, and neuropsychological tests. Some of these categories also have
subcategories. Mental ability refers to
cognitive functions. For example,
spatial visualization, memory, and creative thinking are all tested using
mental ability tests. Achievement tests
are used to test an individual’s knowledge.
This type of test is the most commonly used tests and come in a wide
variety of forms. School tests are
included in achievement testing and include science, social studies, and
language arts. Achievement tests may include
several subjects, such as the Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) or may only
cover one area such as Italian or Sociology.
Personality
tests come in many types, such as object personality tests like the Beck
Depression Inventory. There are several
techniques on administering personality tests.
One popular example is the Rorschach Inkblot Test, but also includes
reaction to pictures, human figure drawings, and sentence completion (Hogan,
2007). The fourth major category of
psychological tests includes tests that measure attitude and interests. People often use vocational interest measures
to decide what his or her major will be in college or to figure out what type
of job he or she will go into. The
Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (2009) defines neuropsychological tests as a “wide variety of tests that are designed to explore,
evaluate and diagnose disorders due to particular kinds of neurological
dysfunctions” (para. 1). Neuropsychology
tests are used in other categories as well, but this category was created for
tests that measure brain function.
Uses
and Users of Tests
Hogan (2007) came up with four categories for the uses of psychological
tests, which are clinical, educational, personnel, and research. Within the clinical setting psychological
tests are used often to help people dealing with several types of problems from
severe to mild. Individuals must have
specific training to administer the test and assess the results properly. Often the people administering these tests
are school counselors, neuropsychologists, or clinical psychologists. Also included in the use of psychological
tests are the educational purposes.
These tests are primarily administered to groups to measure achievement
and ability. The users of these tests
are parents, teachers, the general public, and educational administrators. The American College Test (ACT) is commonly
used in educational settings.
Employment or personnel testing is the third test usage category. These tests are used by employers to assess
the ability of their employees. They
also use personality and placement tests during the application process to get
an idea of the individual’s personality and where he or she would fit best in
the company. The fourth and final
category of test usage is research.
These tests are administered by any person conducting research, which
can include scientist, teachers, parents, students, employers, employees, and
anyone else conducting research.
Reliability and
Validity
Reliability and validity are two
fundamental questions asked about tests.
Reliability refers to “the stability of test scores,” while validity
refers to “what the test is actually measuring” (Hogan, 2007, p. 17). In order for a test to be reliable it must
give the same measurements every time it is tested on the same subject. This is a way of testing the reliability of a
test. In order for a test to be valid it
must measure what it states that it measures.
For example, if a test is designed to test for bipolar disorder, it must
fairly tests for bipolar disorder.
Fairness refers to how fair the test is across gender, ethnicity, age,
and geographic area. A test can be valid
without being reliable, but it cannot be reliable without being valid.
Reliability
and validity give psychological tests their value. If a test is unreliable or invalid it is likely
not going to be used because there would be no point in taking the test. If the test does not measure with consistency
what it is supposed to measure, then it has no value.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the term test refers to the objective and
standardized measure of behavior. The
five major categories of tests are “mental
ability, achievement, personality, interests, and neuropsychological tests,
with several subdivisions within some of the major categories” (Hogan, 2007, p.
41). Each of the major categories has
either specific training (clinical) for the test or is used widely by the
public (research). Reliability and
validity are important in the field of psychological testing an give the tests
their value.
References
Domino,
G., & Domino, M. (2002). Psychological testing : an
introduction . West
Nyack, NY: Cambridge University Press .
Hogan, T. P. (2007). Psychological testing: A practical
introduction (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Neuropsychological
tests. (2009). In Penguin
Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved from
http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/content/entry/penguinpsyc/neuropsychological_test/0?searchId=c494b817-b390-11e3-8a7a-0aea1e3b2a47&result=0
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