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NB 3 Dev & Psych > Psychological Testing > Flashcards

Flashcards in Psychological Testing Deck (25)
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1
Q

name 4 methods to determine reliability of a test

A
  • test-retest method: correlation between performance of subjects on the same form of the test at different times
  • alternate forms method: correlation between performance of subjects on two equivalent forms of the test
  • internal consistency method: several different methods involving establishing the correlation between diff. parts of the exam
  • inter-scorer (or inter-rater) method: establishes the correlation (agreement) between scores obtained by different clinicians when scoring the test
    • generally not an issue with objective tests, but an issue with subjective tests (Rorscharch) and TAT
2
Q

describe the 2 types of validity

A
  • content validity: are the test items representative of the domain sampled?
    • commonly used to validate teacher-made tests
  • criterion-referenced validity: how well do test results correlate with a direct and independent measure (criterion) of what the test is desinged to measure?
3
Q

describe the 2 types of criterion-referenced validity

A
  • predictive validity: (correlation between test score and score on criterion test in the future)
    • test: MCAT
    • criterion: final med school GPA
  • concurrent validity: (correlation between test score and score on criterion test now)
    • test: HAM-D
    • criterion: current clinician’s ratings of depression
4
Q

list the most common IQ tests in the US

A
  • WAIS-IV
  • WISC-V
  • Stanford-Binet scale
5
Q

describe aptitude tests

A
  • measure specific abilities relevant to performance in academic or vocational settings
    • SAT
    • GRE
    • MCAT
    • US civil service exams
6
Q

describe acheivement tests

A
  • assess how much a person has learned in a specific educational domain
    • in the US, tests given in primary school such as the Iowa and Stanford achievement tests
7
Q

describe neuropsychological batteries

A
  • assess behavioral, cognitive and personality deficits following head trauma or neurological disease
  • based on these behavioral deficits, inferences are made regarding localization of damage to brain
8
Q

describe intelligence and intelligence testing

A
  • intelligence is considered to be an individual’s innate capacity for learning
    • mostly inherited
    • highly correlated with educational achievement
  • tests are culturally-specific and may be subject to cultural bias, asking about objects, words and practices common in one culture but not in others
9
Q

describe IQ (intellience quotient)

A
  • IQ is a standard score
    • mean: 100
    • standard deviation (SD): 15
  • tends to be stable throughout adulthood, but fluctuates in teens
  • IQ in mental disorders:
    • IQ varies across all ranges across disorders
    • symptoms may interfere with IQ assessment
    • IQ not related to suicide risk
10
Q

describe IQ distribution

A
11
Q

describe how IQ changes with age

A
  • very little decline in elderly
  • verbal ability holds up best
  • perceptual and motor abilities show some decline
  • increased exposure to verbal behavior early in life leads to higher IQ
12
Q

describe the WISC-V test

A
  • the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: intelligence test for children ages 6-16
  • the WISC-V yields measures of general intelligence along with specific indicies including verbal comprehension, visual spatial, fluid reasoning, working memory, processing speed
13
Q

describe personality tests and the 2 types

A
  • assess those relativfely enduring and stable beliefs, values, attitudes and traits that characterize behavior across situations and over time
  • 2 types:
    • objective: objective question format, norms and stadardization (MMPI-2)
    • projective: subjective format and scoring (Rorschach)
14
Q

describe the MMPI-2 test

A
  • most commonly used personality test in field of mental health
  • objective format and scoring
    • 567 T/F questions yield scores on 10 personality dimensions
  • computer-scoring yields a narrative report of the patient’s important personality features
15
Q

describe the usage of MMPI-2

A
  • commonly used in inpatient psychiatric evaluations for differential diagnosis and in expert witness forensic cases
  • in medical cases involving physical symptoms with no apparent organic basis, the MMPI-2 assists in identification of patients who:
    • are preoccupied with their health
    • tend to exaggerate and complain about physical symptoms
    • tend to convert psychological conflict into physical symptoms
16
Q

the MMPI was developed through the method of _____

A

the MMPI was developed through the method of empirical criterion keying

17
Q

describe the HAM-D scale

A
  • the clinician rates symptoms and severity
  • one of the most widely used depression scales
  • good reliability and validity–becoming gold standard as outcome variable in psycho-pharmacological clinical trials
18
Q

describe the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)

A
  • assesses symptoms of depression such as:
    • cognition - guilt, feelings of being punished
    • physical symptoms - fatigue, weight loss, lack of interest in sex
  • 21 items, self-administered
  • scored by summing the value (0-3) of the statement selected for each question item
19
Q

describe what the BDI-II is based on

A
  • the BDI-II is based on Beck’s view of depression as a “negative triad” involving negative views of self, world and future
    • negative schema developed early in life
    • results in the world being viewed as negative and hopeless
    • theory assumes such negative cognitions to be the cause of depression, not the result
20
Q

describe when screening for depression in primary health care settings is recommended

A
  • screening within at-risk populations such as pregnant and postpartum women allows for earlier and more effective intervention (e.g. CBT, ADs)
  • the BDI and Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9) are commonly used
21
Q

describe type A behavior pattern

A
  • a cluster of personality traits associated with increased prevalence of coronary heart disease
  • such traits include a strong sense of time urgency, and being impatient, highly competitive and easily angered
22
Q

describe why projective personality tests are not as good

A
  • ambiguous test stimuli
  • subjective scoring
  • lower reliability
  • validity: difficult to demonstrate due to subjectivity and psychodynamic concepts
23
Q

describe the projective hypothesis

A
  • when confronted with an ambiguous stimulus and asked to make sense of it, a person’s response will reflect unconscious dynamics and conflicts
  • that is, stimuli from the environment (including test stimuli) are interpreted according to the patient’s needs, motives and unconscious conflicts
24
Q

describe the thematic apperception test (TAT)

A
  • features ambiguous scenes of human interaction
    • patient is asked to provide a narrative story of what’s going on in the scene on the card
    • scoring is subjective and involves looking for common themes that run through patient’s stories
  • characteristic ways of addressing conflict, authority, sexuality, etc, lead to hypotheses about underlying motives, concerns, and how patient views social world
25
Q

summarize psychological testing

  • measure of reliability and validity
  • types of psychological tests
A