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Psychological Testing: A Brief But Useful Introduction
Testing and the whole notion of individual difference is
something that psychology has embraced, investigated and
developed throughout its history.
Broadly speaking psychological testing can be defined as
the use of one or more standardized measurement
instruments, devices, or procedures including the use of
computerized psychological tests, to observe or record
human behaviour.
This is a useful definition insofar as it highlights the
main purpose of psychological testing i.e. to observe or
record human behaviour, but what it does not do is
differentiate between the two main types of testing,
namely projective testing and psychometric testing. Two
very different types of testing that you need to be aware
of.
Projective testing
The best-known projective psychological test is the
Rorschach inkblot test and it dates back to 1921. It’s
named after the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach.
Hermann Rorschach had a great interest in psychoanalysis
and in 1918 he began experimenting with inkblots with his
own patients. Encouraged by what he found, he published
his findings in 1921.
Rorschach always cautioned that his findings were
preliminary and stressed the importance of much more
experimentation; sadly he could not do much of this
himself as he died the following year in 1922. Initially
Rorschach’s work received little attention but in time his
inkblot test became a popular method of psychological
evaluation.
During the assessment patients are shown a series of
inkblots and are asked to to say the first thing that
comes to mind. Because the stimulus is ambiguous, it is
claimed that the patient must impose his or her own
structure and in doing so they reveal their thoughts,
feelings, and themes, some of which are unconscious and
have been projected into the inkblot image. (hence the
term projective testing)
Psychometric testing
The important thing to note about psychometric testing is
that it’s governed by 3 key principles:
1. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE
To what extent does the individual being tested differ
from other individuals in relation to the ability, trait
or construct in question?
2. TEMPORAL DIFFERENCE
To what extent does the same individual differ in relation
to the ability, trait or construct in question when
measured on different occasions?
3. STATISTICAL ADHERENCE
In order to make an informed judgement about an individual
you must have a normative frame of reference in place in
order to analyse the test result.
Put simply you need a benchmark so that you can compare
the test score you’re interested in with the scores
obtained from a representative sample.
If you’re serious about pursuing a career as a
psychologist, there is a very good chance that you will
have learn about and become comfortable with the
statistical procedures associated with psychometric
testing.
This statement alone is enough to make most people
consider an alternative career path but don’t be phased by
the thought of statistics because the principles you need
to come to terms (although extending beyond the confines
of this discussion) are actually very straight forward.
Honest!
If you'd like to find out more about psychological
testing, you can do so by visiting
http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/psychological-testing.html
Having worked as a lecturer in psychology in the UK, I
recently moved to sunny Spain with my family, where I now
work as a distance learning tutor and research
dissertation supervisor.
Since 2000, I've been involved in collaborative research
with teams of forensic scientists in the UK, US and
Canada.
Keep up-to-date with the world of forensic psychology by
reading the forensic psychology blog. This regularly
updated blog addresses the most common issues and
questions raised by those thinking of or currently
studying and working in the field. Among the topics
covered are career and study options, forensic job
opportunites, conference listings, internships, forensic
research and psychological research methods.
http://student-guide-to-forensic-psychology.blogspot.com/
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_A_Webb
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