specially designed apparatuses and measurement

procedures.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT NOTES

SET 1
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Psychological Assessment
Table of Specifications
Outcome
Apply technical concepts, basic
principles, and tools of
psychometrics and psychological
assessment.
Describe the process, research
methods, and statistics used in test
development and standardization
Identify the importance, benefits,
and limitations of psychological
assessment.
Identify, assess, and evaluate the
methods and tools of psychological
assessment relative to the specific
purpose and context: school,
hospital, industry, and community.
Evaluate the administration and
scoring procedures of intelligence
and objective personality tests and
other alternative forms of tests.
Apply ethical considerations and
standards in the various
dimensions of psychological
assessment.

Standardized tests are administered to large groups similar to

the group for whom the test has been designed.

Weight

Items

20%

29

20%

29

10%

19

20%

29

15%

Standardization
Uniformity of procedure in administration, scoring,
and interpretation
Uses of standards for evaluating test results
*norms are derived from the normative or the standardization
sample.

Brief History
Early precursor: used by the ancient Chinese empire
to select the meritorious individuals for government
positions.

Modern testing: Alfred Binet was appointed to a

commission charged with devising a method for
evaluating children who, due to mental retardation
and other developmental delays, could not profit
from regular classes and would profit from special
classes.

1905, Binet with collaborator Theodore Simon

published the first useful instrument in measurement
of general cognitive abilities or global intelligence.
The test was known as the 1905 Binet-Simon scale.

In 1911, William Stern proposed that a mental level

can be calculated to represent quality of
performance. Mental age/Chronological Age x 100.
This became known as the intelligence quotient or
IQ.

Upon entry of the United States into World War I in

1917, APA president Robert Yerkes organized a
committee of psychologists to assemble an
intelligence test for selecting new recruits. The result
is what was then known as Army Alpha.

22

15%

22

100%

150

*To be qualified as having passed the licensure examination

for psychologists and psychometricians, a candidate must
have obtained a weighted general average of at least
seventy-five percent (75%) for all subjects, with no grade
lower than sixty percent (60%) in any given subject.
Psychometrician
Authorized to:
a. Administer and score objective personality tests, excluding
projective tests and other higher level of psychological tests
b. Interpret results and prepare written report
c. Conduct preparatory intake interviews for psychological
intervention sessions
Testing vs. Assessment
A psychological test is a systematic procedure for
obtaining samples of behavior, relevant to cognitive
or affective functioning, and for scoring and
evaluating those samples according to standards.
Psychological Assessment is the gathering and the
integration of psychology-related data for the
purpose of making a psychological evaluation that is
accomplished through the use of tools such as tests,
interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and

Assumptions
Psychological traits and states exist
Psychological traits and states can be quantified and
measured
Test-related behavior predicts non-test related
behavior
Tests have strengths and weaknesses
Various sources of error is part of the assessment
process
Testing can be fair and unbiased
Norm vs. Criterion
Norm Referenced Test deriving meaning from test
scores by comparing it with other group of testtakers
Criterion Referenced Test deriving meaning from
test scores through reference to a set standard

DR. CARL E. BALITA REVIEW CENTER TEL. NO. 735-4098

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Classifications of Test
Objective vs. Projective
Achievement vs. Aptitude
Intelligence, Personality
Others?
Reliability
Consistency in measurement
Doesnt mean that test is good or bad
Measured by the reliability coefficient, ratio of true
score variance and the total variance.
The greater the proportion of the total variance attributed to
true variance, the more reliable the test.
Variance
Standard deviation squared
TRUE VARIANCE: Variance from true differences
ERROR VARIANCE: Variance from irrelevant, random,
sources.
Sources of Error Variance
TEST CONSTRUCTION
Item sampling/ Content Sampling
TEST ADMINISTRATION
Temperature, materials, testtaker variables,
examiner-related variables
TEST SCORING AND INTEPRETATION
Scoring and scoring systems, human & electronic
RELIABILITY ESTIMATES
Interscorer
Differences
Time
Sampling
Error
Time
Sampling
Error
Inter-item
inconsistency

Defined manual for scoring, training

of scorers and interpreters
Test-Retest Reliability
Alternate form reliability, Split-half
reliability

Internal consistency measures:

Kuder Richardson, Coefficient
Alpha/Cronbach Alpha
Test-Retest Reliability
Estimate of reliability obtained by correlating pairs of scores
from the same people on two different administrations of the
same test.
ISSUES
It assumes that what is being measured is stable
over time
It assumes no significant learning occurs in the time
between administrations
Most appropriate for measuring reaction time and
perceptual judgments
*If the interval is more than 6 months, the reliability estimate is
called coefficient of stability.
Parallel Forms and Alternate Forms Reliability Estimate
Parallel forms reliability refers to an estimate of the extent to
which item sampling and other errors have affected scores on
versions of the same test.

Alternate forms are simply different version of a test

that has been constructed so as to be parallel.
(Equivalent in content, difficulty)
Parallel Forms and
Alternate Forms Reliability Estimate
The degree of relationship between various forms of
a test is measured by a coefficient of equivalence.
Split-Half Reliability Estimate
Split half reliability is obtained by correlating two
pairs of scores obtained from equivalent halves of a
single test administered once.
* A Measure of internal consistency or inter-item consistency
or test homegeneity

Split-Half Reliability Estimate

STEP 1: Divide test into equivalent halves
STEP 2: Calculate Pearson r between scores of the two
halves
STEP 3: Adjust the half test reliability using the SpearmanBrown formula
Split-Half Reliability Estimate
Simply splitting a test in the middle is
not
recommended.
Split-Half Reliability Estimate
Randomly assign items to one or the other half of the
test.
Odd-Even Split
Divide by content so that each half is equivalent in
content and difficulty
Interscorer Reliability
Degree of agreement or consistency between two or
more scorers with regards to a particular measure.
Index if measurement is the coefficient of interscorer
reliability.
ERRORS vs. SOLUTIONS
Interpreting Reliability Coefficient
Validity
Validity is an estimate of how well a test
measures what it purports to measure.
3 Categories:
Content validity evaluation of subjects, topics, or contents in
a test
Criterion-related validity evaluation of the relationship of
scores to scores on other tests or instruments
Construct validity comprehensive analysis of theoretical
framework + scores on other tests
Content Validity
Describes a judgment of how adequately a test samples
behavior representative of the universe of behavior that the test
is designed to sample.

DR. CARL E. BALITA REVIEW CENTER TEL. NO. 735-4098

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Criterion-related Validity
Judgment of how adequately a test score can be used to infer
an individuals most probably standing based on some
measure of interest --- the measure of interest being the
criterion.
2 types:
Concurrent
Predictive
Criterion
Relevant
Valid
Uncontaminated
Construct Validity
Judgment about the appropriateness of inferences drawn
from test scores regarding individual standings on a variable
called construct.
Construct Validation Techniques
If test is homogenous
If test scores increase or decrease as a function of
age, time, experimental manipulation as theoretically
predicted
If test scores from distinct groups vary as
theoretically predicted
If test scores correlate with scores on other tests in
accordance with what is theoretically predicted
Convergent vs. Discriminant
Convergent evidence high relationship with
measures construct is supposed to be related to.
Discriminant evidence low relationship with
measures construct is NOT supposed to be related
to.
*Both can be discovered through factor analysis
Validity
Face validity is a judgment on how relevant the test
items appears to be.
Face validity relates more to what a test appears to
measure to the person being tested than to the test
itself.
In sum
Test Interpretation
Raw score is a number (x) that summarizes or
captures some aspect of a persons performance in
the carefully selected and observed behavior
samples that make up psychological tests.
On its own, raw scores dont have any meaning.
Validity, Bias, and Fairness
Rating errors
Leniency/ Generosity Error
Severity Error
Central Tendency Error
Validity, Bias, and Fairness
Halo Effect

Test Fairness
DR. CARL E. BALITA REVIEW CENTER TEL. NO. 735-4098

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