Week 2: Writing Psychological Reports Flashcards
What is the key function of a report?
To present the assessment findings in a clear and integrated way.
What does the report communicate?
It communicates any recommendations and is written in direct response to the referral questions.
What are the four themes proposed by the Society for Personality Assessment when assessing report writing proficiency?
- Comprehensiveness
- Integration
- Validity
- Client-centred
What does “comprehensiveness” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
It refers to aspects such as the length, identification of the referral source and the referral question, the presentation of client history as relevant to the referral questions, behavioural observations from the assessment process, and a summary of impressions that integrates the client history, behavioural observations and the test results to address the referral question.
What does “integration” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
It refers to how well the test interpretations are geared towards responding to the specific referral questions. The aim is to give the reader a good feel for the person as a whole. It is important to ensure conflicting or ambiguous findings are identified and addressed or explained.
What does “validity” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
This relates to ensuring that the emphasis of the conclusions are appropriate and linked to evidence-based approaches for interpretation. It is important to not make sweeping generalisations or firm predictions; to use a more tentative tone and link interpretations to examples, evidence and research where possible; and to be precise in the terms used to describe the client’s results.
What does “client-centred” refer to when assessing report writing proficiency?
This refers to how focused the report is on the specific concerns of the client. It should be presented in the context of the client’s relative strengths. The report should give an impression of the person rather than a list of assessment data and should link back to the referral questions, as well as be presented in a way that can be understood by the client and target audience.
What are the four writing styles when it comes to report writing?
- Literary
- Clinical
- Scientific
- Professional
What is a literary writing style?
It uses everyday language, is creative and often dramatic. It can be imprecise and prone to exaggeration.
What is a clinical writing style?
It focuses on pathological dimensions of a person and provides information on areas in need of change or targets for intervention. This style tends to omit areas of strength and/or wellbeing, and can be one-sided.
What is a scientific writing style?
It refers to concepts, theories and data and emphasises normative comparisons and accurately describing test data. There is less emphasis on integration and developing a narrative. It can be impersonal and miss getting a sense of the individual.
What is a professional writing style?
It focuses on using short words that have common usage and precise meaning. The sentence structure is varied to maintain the reader’s interest. Paragraphs are short and focused on a single concept.
What is the preferred writing style for a report?
Professional.
What is included in the referral question section of a report?
This section includes a brief description of the reason for assessment and the nature of the problem.
What is included in the evaluation procedures section of a report?
It includes a list and brief description of the assessment measures that were administered, but no actual test results.
