Psychological Testing Unit 3

Reliability: Is the test consistent? Do you get the same result under any circumstance? Test-retest Reliability: Is the test consistent? Do you get the same result under any circumstance? Test-retest Validity: Does the test measure what it is supposed to? The longer = more valid Validity: Does the test measure what it is supposed to? The longer = more valid Standardization: (IOWA, LEAP, ACT) Standardization: (IOWA, LEAP, ACT)  Tests are given and scored the same way every time  Establishes a norm, or the average score, made by a large group of people Percentile System: “grading on the curve” Percentile System: “grading on the curve” *Scores are placed in order from highest to lowest and are assigned a percentile

Measurement Tests 1) Achievement tests measure people’s skills & the knowledge they have in specific academic areas 2) Aptitude tests (taken before training) measure specific abilities or skills; determine whether a person is likely to do well in a field ex. SAT 3) Interest Inventories determine whether their interests are similar to people in line of work Ex. Kuder Preference Record & Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory

I. INTELLIGENCE TESTING: Intelligence: the ability to acquire new ideas and new behavior and to adapt to new situations

Gardner’s Theory of Intelligence: *Came up with 8 types of intelligences 1. Verbal: speaking 2. Logical-mathematical: formulas & theories 3. Spatial: ability to find your way around an environment 4. Musical: ability to create and perceive pitch and rhythm patterns 5. Body-kinesthetic: body movement (athletics) 6. Interpersonal: communication with others 7. Intrapersonal: knowledge of oneself 8. Naturalist: a person’s ability to identify and classify patterns in nature

IQ Scores (Intelligence Quotient): dividing a child’s mental age (the average age of those who also received the same score as that child) by chronological age (actual age) and multiplying by 100 IQ Scores (Intelligence Quotient): dividing a child’s mental age (the average age of those who also received the same score as that child) by chronological age (actual age) and multiplying by 100 IQ = Mental Age x 100 Chronological Age Chronological Age *average score is 100; >100 (intelligent); 100 (intelligent); <70 (handicapped) *2% or above 130

II. PERSONALITY TESTING: *used to identify personality characteristics and to identify problems and psychological disorders *personality includes a person’s characteristics, habits, preferences, and moods

A) TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS: forced-choice tests; must select from possible answers; (-) must rely on a person’s self- reports A) TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS: forced-choice tests; must select from possible answers; (-) must rely on a person’s self- reports (1) MMPI: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (1930s & 1940s) *this test has 567 statements to which the person can respond true, false, or cannot say *EX: I like tall women; I am envied by most people; I am seldom troubled by headaches *reveals habits, fears, delusions, and symptoms of disorders

(2) Meyers-Briggs Test: (2) Meyers-Briggs Test: characterizes personality into 4 scalescharacterizes personality into 4 scales DescriptionDescriptionDescription 1. Extrovert vs. introvert: out-going or keep to yourself 2. Intuitive vs. sensing: sensing something without knowing why or seeing to believing 3. Feeling vs. thinking: heart or mind 4. Judging vs. perceptive: organized, structured, or flexible

(B) TYPES OF PROJECTIVE TESTS: respond freely; no written choices to choose from; presented with ambiguous stimuli or sentence fragments…ex. “When I see myself in the mirror, I…” (B) TYPES OF PROJECTIVE TESTS: respond freely; no written choices to choose from; presented with ambiguous stimuli or sentence fragments…ex. “When I see myself in the mirror, I…” (+) flexible, relaxed atmosphere  (1) Rorschach Inkblot Test: 10 cards with inkblot designs (5 black and gray; 2 with red; 3 mixture of colors)  show inkblot and person says what they see; no right or wrong answers

Types of Projective Tests cont.  (2) TAT…Thematic Apperception Test  Developed by H.A. Murray  20 figures in ambiguous situations  p. 469  One key is to see if the subject identifies with hero of the story or minor characters