First psychological assessment techniques were intelligence
tests used in French school system by Binet
Final score on the test presented as intelligence quotient
(IQ)
The Wechsler tests yield general IQ, performance IQ, and verbal
IQ
Intelligence tests are carefully designed and have high internal
consistency, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity
Intelligence tests may be culturally biased
Intelligence testing may reflect a too narrow view of mental
abilities
Projective Personality Tests
Projective personality tests based on assumption of
psychodynamic in drawing out people's real motives by responding
to ambiguous stimuli
The Rorshach Inkblot Test
Rorshach Psychodiagnostic Inkblot Test consists
of 10 cards (5 chromatic, 5 achromatic) with inkblots to which
the subject must react (Hermann Rorschach)
Has a free-association phase and an inquiry phase
Highly structured scoring methods using a detailed manual
The TAT (Thematic Apperception Test)
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is series of
pictures (Henry Murray)
Subject asked to describe picture, story, and character(s)
Is used to detect specific kinds of information
Evaluation of projective tests
Poor interjudge reliability
Supporters claim that projective tests are only method
that is open and flexible enough to provide information about
unconscious processes
Self-Report Personality Inventories
Self-report personality inventories ask subjects about
themselves
The MMPI and MMPI-2 (objective personality test)
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2
compares subject responses to those with psychiatric diagnoses
(McKinley and Hathaway)
Test items that differentiate between normal and abnormal
groups comprise the MMPI
Test results in scores on ten clinical scales
MMPI-2 consists of control scales to determine validity
of responses and can be used to assist interpretation
Pattern of scores is used for interpretation and indicating
the degree of overall disturbance
Some concern regarding response set such as social
desirability and acquiescence
Can be scored by computer
The MCMI-III (Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory)
Intended to assist in diagnosis of personality disorders
Yields ratings on DSM personality disorders
Psychological Tests of Organic Impairment
Diagnosis must distinguish between psychogenic causes and
biogenic causes
Tests can determine the type of neurological problem
Paper and pencil tests are valid measures
Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (BVMGT) requires subjects
to reproduce designs (Laura Bender)
Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery assesses functioning
of specific areas of brain (Ward Halstead and Ralph Reitan)
Laboratory Tests
Direct testing of structure and function of nervous system
Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures electrical activity
of brain cells
Sophisticated measures have been developed
Computerized axial tomography (CAT) or computerized tomography
(CT) uses a series of x-ray scans