Section 11: Assessment

Question 1

Norm vs criterion referenced score

Answer 1

A norm referenced score provides information on how a person performed relative to others in the group. (e.g. standard scores, t scores, percentiles)

A criterion referenced score provides information on how much of the content the person has mastered (e.g. the number of correct items obtained on the test, or percentage correct)

Question 2

Objective vs subjective tests

Answer 2

An objective test does not rely on a rater’s judgment for scoring, and it has a scoring key used to score the items. Examples include MMPI-2 and the EPPP.

Subjectively scored tests involve some element of the rater’s judgment such as the TAT and the Rorschach.

Question 3

Normative vs ipsative score

Answer 3

A normative score tells us how someone performed relative to others (e.g. t score, percentile rank)

An ipsative score provides information on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the person only and does not compare the person to others. (Examples: vocational preference tests such as the Strong Campbell)

Question 4

Empirical criterion keying

Answer 4

A process for selecting items to be used in a test. The items are keyed to an external criterion, and are intended to differentiate between groups of people who have a particular trait and those who do not.

(e.g. the developers of the MMPI first generated a pool of items for possible use on the Scale 8 (schizophrenia scale). Only those items that were found to differentiate between normals and people with schizophrenia were ultimately included in the test. )

Question 5

“G factor”

Answer 5

Spearman proposed that intelligence is a single factor which he termed “g factor”. Spearman observed that scores on various tests of mental abilities tend to correlate with each other.

The most widely used tests of intelligence ( e.g. the Wechsler tests and the Stanford-Binet) measure the “g factor”

Question 6

WAIS IV factors: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory,
Processing Speed

Answer 6

• WAIS IV is appropriate for 16-0 to 90-11 years of age.
• Has 10 core subtests and 5 supplemental subtests.
• Allows calculation for of FSIQ, 4 primary index scores and General Ability Index
• IQ score and indexes have a mean of 100, Standard deviation of 15, subtests have a mean of 10 and standard deviation of 3

Question 7

WAIS-IV: VCI

Answer 7

Verbal comprehension index includes subtests of similarities, vocabulary, and information.
- comprehension is a supplemental subtest
- is a measure of verbal comprehension abilities. which typically are considered to be a form of crystallized intelligence.

Question 8

WAIS-IV: PRI

Answer 8

Perceptual Reasoning Index includes the subtests of block design, matrix reasoning, and visual puzzles.
-picture completion and figure weights are supplemental subtests
- is a measure of perceptual reasoning abilities which are considered to be a form of fluid abilities.

Question 9

WISC-IV/WAIS-IV factors: WMI

Answer 9

Working memory Index includes digit span and arithmetic. Letter number sequencing is a supplemental subtest.

Question 10

WISC-IV/WAIS-IV factors: PSI

Answer 10

Processing speed index consists of the subtests of symbol search and coding. Cancellation is a supplemental subtest.

Question 11

WISC-IV/WAIS-IV factors: GAI

Answer 11

Optional general ability index consists of a composite of scores on the verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning subtests. Its used when examiners want to calculate a summary score that minimizes the influence of working memory and processing speed.

Question 12

Pattern or scatter analysis

Answer 12

-look at discrepancies between subtests. Such analysis has not been found to be valid for making diagnoses and in particular can result in too many false positives. Measurement error alone may account for differences noted between subtests

Question 14

When to use PIQ vs VIQ

Answer 14

Are no longer provided. When these scores are required for clinical decision making or to fulfill legal or educational regulations, the verbal comprehension index may be substituted for the VIQ and the PRI may be substituted for the PIQ.
- VCI is a measure of verbal comprehension abilities, typically considered to be a form of crystallized intelligence.
-PRI is a measure of perceptual reasoning abilities which are considered to be a form of fluid abilities.

Question 15

L, F, K on MMPI

Answer 15

• L is the Lie scale. A high score indicates that teh person is making a naive attempt to present him or herself in an overly favorable light. (typically in the normal range
• F is the infrequency (fake bad) scale, includes items that were endorsed by less than 10% of people in the standardization sample
• K scale is the guardedness scale. High scores suggest that the person is making a more sophisticated attempt to present him or herself in a positive light (“fake good”)

Question 16

Thurstone

Answer 16

Argued that there are seven distinct primary mental abilities:
1. verbal comprehension
2. word fluency
3. numerical fluency
4. spatial visualization
5. associative memory
6. perceptual speed
7. reasoning

Question 17

Cattell

Answer 17

Proposed that a “g factor” exists with two subtypes, fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence

Fluid Intelligence: the capacity to acquire new knowledge and solve new problems, and it is partially determined by biological and genetic factors.

Crystallized Intelligence: refers to the knowledge and learning gained over one’s lifetime through an interaction between fluid intelligence and environment (culture, education, etc).

Question 18

Gardner

Answer 18

Gardner has identified 8 distinct intelligences:
1. linguistic
2. logical-mathematical
3. spatial
4. musical
5. bodily-kinesthetic
6. interpersonal
7. intrapersonal
8. naturalistic

Gardner argues that people differ in their profile of intelligence, by which he means they have relative strengths and weaknesses among the eight areas.

Question 19

Sternberg

Answer 19

Sternberg’s theory focuses on process rather than product, specifically the thinking processes used to arrive at answers to problems. Sternberg has proposed 3 aspects of intelligence:
1. the internal components (those we use to acquire, store, perceive, and remember),
2. the capacity to adapt to environmental changes, and
3. the ability to apply past experience to current novel problems

Question 20

Cattell-Horn-Carroll

Answer 20

According to this theory, intelligence can be understood in three levels: general inelligence or “g” (stratum III);

about 10 broad cognitive abilities, such as fluid reasoning, short term memory, visual processing, reading and writing (stratum II),

and finally about 70 narrow cognitive abilities (stratum I).