Lecture 3: Contract Clarification and Formulation of psychological questions

Question 1

Who/What is the focus on the question?

Answer 1

1. Individual assessment
2. Institutional assessment
3. Systematic assessment

Question 2

Reaching an agreement on global question (what are the questions?)

Answer 2

• Who/What is the focus of the question?
• What is the consequence of the diagnosis?
• Which temporal stability is the diagnosis supposed to have?
• Is the question tenable from en ethical point of view?
• Can the question be answered in principle?
• Do I - as a contractor - posess the professional competence needed to answer the question?

Question 3

What is the consequence of the diagnosis?

Answer 3

• Selection assessment
• Modification assessment

Question 4

Assumptions of selection assessment

Answer 4

• trait characteristics are relatively stable
• conclusion by analogy, prognosis intended

Question 5

Assumptions of Modification assessment

Answer 5

• behavior conditions can be changed
• conclusion by induction: the same behavior is liekely to be shown in the same situation again.

Question 6

What is the consequence of diagnosis? - What exactly is assessed in this context?

Answer 6

• Selection assesment: STATUS assessment
  (cross-sectional)
• Modification assessment: PROCESS assessment (longitudinal)

Question 7

Temporal stability of diagnosis?
- If a prognosis is required …

Answer 7

• the utilized info should be temporally stable (retest reliability)
• correlated with the anticipated behavior (criterion validity)

Question 8

Is the question ethically teneable?

Answer 8

• If there is any ethical doubt the question should be modified.
• if that is NOT possible, no contract should be signed.

Question 9

Can the question be answered in principle?

Answer 9

Is it likely (!) that one (you) can answer the question with
- the help of the measures available (to you)
- and based on the current scientific evidence?

Question 10

Do I - as the contractor - possess the professional competence needed to answer the question?

Answer 10

• Do I have enough knowledge, skills and experience to answer the question?
• Realistic self-asssessment!

Question 11

Key-lock principle (definition)

Answer 11

Fit between information gained from assessment and information needed due to demands posed by the question

Question 12

Why is a normative model helpful?

Answer 12

• helpful for classifying all potential influences
• all subject areas which may be relevant for answering the question are searched systematically for information.

Question 13

Behavior (B) is a function of …

Answer 13

1. Environemental variables
2. Organismic variables
3. Cognitive variables
4. Emotional variables
5. Motivational variables
6. Social variables
7. And all interaction effects.

Question 14

Extensive approach (where is it applicable?)

Answer 14

• only applicable to questions were the focus is on individual persons

Question 15

Systematic approach (where is it applicable?)

Answer 15

• Questions with an institutional/ environmental focus

Question 16

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personality (KSAs + P)

Answer 16

1. Knowledge: in (un-) specific subject areas
2. Skills: can be learned or trained
3. Abilities: general or specific cognitive abilities which are untrainable (intelligence, concentration)
4. Personality: traits

Question 17

General advice for formulating hypotheses

Answer 17

1. One issue per hypothesis
2. Formulate as question
3. Need to discriminate

Question 18

What is the goal of client talks?

Answer 18

contract clarification

Question 19

What included contract clarification?

Answer 19

• reasons behind the need to investigate
• what exactly does the client want to know?
• boundaries of psychological assessment
• realibale and valid measures take time (info for the client)

Question 20

What is important regarding the contract clarification?

Answer 20

• transparent proceeding
• need for documentation

Question 21

What is the results of client talks?

Answer 21

documented agreement on a specific question which includes the necessary means and the expected final prodcuct.

Question 22

What is important for the (general) questions?

Answer 22

• which info should be included
• choice of norm
• direction/use of cutoffs

Question 23

Hypotheses in relation the global question - what should be included?

Answer 23

• in important info left out
• irrelevant info should be left out
• determine the relevancy of each hypothesis