Chapter 7: Assessment (Appraisal)

Question 1

APPRAISALS (TESTS AND DIAGNOSIS)
Tests are nearly old as the profession of counseling, but agreement
over whether tests are useful has varied a great deal. According to
expert Anne Anastasi, a test is an objective standardized measure of
behavior. Critics note that tests can be faked, are mechanical, often measure irrelevant factors, and can invade privacy. Testing can also
create prejudice in the sense that the counselor perceives the client
in a different manner.

Question 2

Standardized tests have uniform procedures for scoring and
administration. In addition, these instruments have validity and reliability and norm data which has been investigated and analyzed.
The Mental Measurements Yearbook and Tests in Print from the
Buros Institute provide counselors with information on thousands of
tests. Online versions are now available. Approximately 2,500 of the
tests have been critically analyzed by Buros.

Question 3

A score is “raw” if it is unaltered. Raw scores can be converted to
standard scores (e.g., t scores, z scores, percentile rank, standard deviation or stanine) so that the scores relate to the normal
bell curve. The range is the highest score minus the lowest score
(some exams will add 1 to the answer.)

Question 4

Percentile rank tells the counselor the percent of scores equal
to or below the score you are investigating. Hence, a client who is at
the 75th percentile scored equal to or better than 75% of the people
who took the exam. It does not necessarily imply that he or she got
75% of the answers correct since a score of 20% correct might be higher than 75% of the examinees!

Question 5

Three measures of central tendency: the mean or arithmetic
average (e.g., if your gas bill for a year is $144, then your mean bill per
month is $12 or 144 divided by 12); the mode is the most frequently
occurring score or category: and the median or middle score when
the data are ranked from highest to lowest. In a normal curve they
all have the same point in the center of the bell shape. When a curve
leans, we say it is skewed. If the tail points to the left, the curve is
negatively skewed; if it points to the right, it is positively skewed.

Question 6

Standard deviation (SD) is a measure of variability or dispersion of scores. Are the scores bunched up close to the mean
or are the scores spread out? A standard deviation of 1 is a z-score
or standard score of one. A standard deviation of -2 is a z-score of
negative 2, and so on. T scores have a mean of 50 and the standard
deviation is 10. If your test asks: What is a T score when the standard
deviation is 2; the answer is 70. If it asks: What is the T score for a
standard deviation of -3; the answer is 20.

Question 7

Areas under the normal curve you should commit to memory. 68% of the scores will fall between plus/minus 1 standard deviation from the mean; 95% of all scores will fall between plus/minus 2
standard deviations; and 99.7% of all scores fall between 3 plus/minus standard deviations. It is safe to say that virtually all scores fall
between plus/minus 3 standard deviations of the mean. This is known
as the empirical 68-95-99.7 normal curve rule.

Question 8

Validity is the most important property of a psychological test.
Does the test, test what it purports to test? The validity of standardized tests in our fi eld is said to be on a par with instruments used in
the medical fi eld.

Question 9

Reliability: Is the test consistent? Will it give the similar results
if we administer it again and again. If an IQ test yields a score of 100
today and 130 for the same client tomorrow it is not valid!

Question 10

A reliable test is not always valid, but a valid test is always
reliable

Question 11

Interrater reliability describes the consistency of two or more
raters. If two counselors read the same test reports and come up with
the same diagnosis, then interrater reliability or agreement is
high. If they come up with different diagnoses then it is low.

Question 12

A test or instrument that is only normed on the majority culture
is not appropriate for cultural minorities since it is misleading and
could cause discrimination.

Question 13

Tests can give a false positive or a false negative.

Question 14

Aptitude tests predict potential. For example, a high score on
an aptitude test for music doesn’t imply that you are a great musician
but that with the correct training and practice you could excel in this
area.

Question 15

Achievement tests give you the current accomplishments, what
has been learned or the level of performance achieved up to this point
in time (e.g., she is reading at the sixth grade level).

Question 16

Intelligence tests or IQ tests such as the Wechsler or the
Binet attempt to measure mental abilities. IQ tests are very controversial and have been a source of debate for counselors.

Question 17

Power tests Time (slow performance) is not a factor like it is in
so-called speed tests.

Question 18

Projective tests There is no correct answer. The client merely
looks at an ink blot, a vague picture, or an incomplete sentence. The
client’s answer is assumed to be a projection of his or her personality.
Thus two clients look at the same Rorschach Ink blot Card or TAT
picture and see something totally different.

Scoring projective tests is subjective. Thus one rater could score
it differently than another rater. Again, this phenomenon is
called interrater reliability.

Question 19

Regression to the mean states that if a client scores exceptionally low or exceptionally high on a test, then the client with the low
score will go up on the next administration; while the client with the
high score will go down toward the mean or average. Chance factors
or everyday luck probably infl uenced the fi rst score.

Question 20

Diagnosis generally implies that a label is placed on the
client using a classifi cation system, generally the DSM. Insurance companies virtually always require a diagnosis before they will
pay for treatment. Moreover, most other professionals (e.g., psychologists and psychiatrists) use diagnostic terminology and thus counselors need to use the same classifi cation system and terminology.