INTRODUCTION ,

NATURE
&
USES OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TESTING
• When you consult an ophthalmologist for an
issue with your vision, they will conduct a series
of tests on you. they will make you do an exam
or check your eyes for signs of an infection.
• The results of these tests will help them arrive at
a diagnosis and put you on the correct treatment
plan: spectacles or just eye drops.
• Similarly, psychologists and psychiatrists conduct
tests to understand an individual’s functioning
and behavior to arrive at a diagnosis of a mental
health issue and the corresponding treatment.
 What is a psychological assessment?
• Psychological assessment is a series of tests conducted by a
psychologist, to gather information about how people think, feel,
behave and react.
• The findings are used to develop a report of the person’s abilities
and behavior known as a psychological report which is then used as
a basis to make recommendations for the individual’s treatment.
• Psychological assessments and reports are used in other fields as
well like in the case of career planning for young adults or in the job
application process to determine how well an applicant will fit into
the open role.
The procedures used to create an assessment are:
• Interviews
• Observation
• Written assessment
• Consultation with other mental health professionals
• Formal psychological tests
• Psychological assessment is also used in other fields, like:
• Education to assess a student’s ability to learn, and progress in
the classroom
• Legal system to assess the mental health status of a person
 What is a psychological test?

• A psychological test is used to measure an individual’s

different abilities, such as their aptitude in a particular
field, cognitive functions like memory and spatial
recognition, or even traits like introvertedness. These
tests are based on scientifically tested psychological
theories.

• The format of a test can vary from pencil and paper

tasks to computer-based ones. They include activities
such as puzzle-solving, drawing, logic problem solving,
and memory games.
• Some tests also use techniques , known as projective techniques
which aim to access the unconscious. In these instances, the
subject’s responses are analyzed through psychological
interpretation and more complex algorithms than the non-
projective techniques mentioned above.
• For example, the Rorschach test, popularly known as the ink-blot
test can provide insight into the person’s personality and emotional
functioning.
• Psychological tests may also involve observing someone’s
interactions and behavior. Based on the result of the test, an
inference will be drawn about the individual’s inherent abilities and
potential.
 What do psychological tests measure?
Psychological testing covers several different areas:
1. Mental Health Assessment
• A mental health assessment includes information about a person’s medical history,
their family history, and the current status of their mental health. The assessment helps
identify if there are any mental health issues present, and determine a diagnosis and
treatment accordingly.
• A psychologist or psychiatrist is likely to start an appointment with a mental health
assessment, which will enable them to correctly diagnose and treat you.
• The purpose of clinical tests is to assess the presence of symptoms of psychopathology .
• Examples of clinical assessments include the
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory MMPI , Millon
Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV, Child Behavior Checklist, Symptom Checklist 90 and
the Beck Depression Inventory BDI, Beck Anxiety Inventory BAI etc.
2. Adaptive behavior assessments

• This measures the social and practical skills of a person, to determine

their ability to function on a daily basis at home, school or work; and
are usually conducted along with cognitive tests.
• For example, it may be used to assess a child’s ability to function in
social activities with other students in school like Sollson Intelligence
test.
 Aptitude testing

• An aptitude test measures a person’s ability to perform different kinds of tasks.

This is done to determine the areas in which their skills are the strongest. Some
people may be better with quantitative tasks that require math and logical
reasoning skills, some at language, and some at creative thinking.
• These tests are used by vocational therapists to measure ability, and figure out
the kind of professions or job roles a person may be suited for. They may also
be used by career counselors to guide people towards higher education in
fields where they demonstrate high ability.
• The SAT, which used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, had its named
changed because performance on the test is sensitive to training
 Cognitive testing

• A cognitive test measures a person’s cognitive abilities problem

solving, reasoning, vocabulary, comprehension, and memory.
• They are more commonly known as intelligence or IQ tests, and are
used in the field of education to identify a person’s strengths and
potential for example Weschler Adults Intelligence scale WAIS ,
WISC etc
• For instance, a child may be given a cognitive test to measure their
ability in different subjects; allowing educators to help the child
work on the subjects they’re having trouble with.
 Educational/achievement
testing
• Educational testing is conducted to test how much an
individual has progressed in learning a specific subject like
mathematics, reading comprehension to identify any
difficulties they may have had in it.
• Achievement tests are the examinations that students take
in schools and colleges.
• The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement is an
example of an individually administered achievement test
for students
 Forensic psychological testing

• Forensic testing is used in the legal field, to determine

whether a suspect is capable of committing the crime they
have been accused of.
• It comprises cognitive, personality, and neuropsychological
tests.
• Galvanic skin response or detector and many psychological
checklist use to assess the criminal personality ,hidden
motives or conflicts.
 Neuropsychological testing

• Neuropsychological tests analyze how an

individual’s brain works, in order to identify any
problems in its functioning.
• For instance, a person with a head injury may
have to undergo neuropsychological tests to
check their brain’s ability to retain information.
• Bender Gestalt Test (BGT)the example of
neuropsychological test .
 Personality assessment

• A personality test focuses on the personality traits of an individual. It helps

evaluate if a person is more introverted or extroverted, cautious or
spontaneous, and how they may react or respond to various life situations.
• Examples of personality constructs include traits in the Big Five, such as
introversion-extroversion and conscientiousness.
• Personality constructs are thought to be dimensional. Personality
measures are used in research and in the selection of employees. They
include self-report and observer-report scales.
• Examples of norm-referenced personality tests include the NEO-PI, the
16PF, the Occupational personality Questionnaire (OPQ) , and the FFPI-C
Interpretation of psychological
tests
Psychological tests are not meant to be interpreted without the
context of the person being tested their environment,
socioeconomic status or physical health. While the tests do use
scientifically verified scales, using its results as a stand-alone
criteria can lead to misinterpretation.
For example, in the case of a blood work report it is necessary for a
doctor to read the numbers in relation to your symptoms and
general physical health to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
 Interest inventories

• Psychological tests include interest inventories. These tests are used primarily
for career counseling. Interest inventories include items that ask about the
preferred activities and interests of people seeking career counseling.
• The rationale is that if the individuals of activities and interests is similar to
the modal pattern for people who are successful in a given occupation, then
the chances are high that the individual would find satisfaction in that
occupation.
• A widely used interest test is the Strong Interest Inventory, which is used in
career assessment, career counseling, and educational guidance.
 Attitude scales

• An attitude scale assesses an individual's disposition regarding an event (e.g., a

Supreme Court decision), person (e.g., a governor), concept (e.g., wearing face
masks during a pandemic), organization (e.g., the Boy Scouts), or object (e.g.,
nuclear weapons) on a unidimensional favorable-unfavorable attitude
continuum.
• Attitude scales are used in marketing to determine individuals' preferences for
brands. Historically social psychologists have developed attitude scales to
assess individuals' attitudes toward the United Nations and race relations.
• Typically Likert scales are used in attitude research. Historically, the
Thurstone scale was used prior to the development of the Likert scale. The
Likert scale has largely supplanted the Thurstone scale.
Projective tests
• Projective testing originated in the first half of the 1900s.pu
• Examples of projective tests are story-telling, drawings, or sentence-
completion tasks.
Public safety employment tests
• Vocations within the public safety field (i.e., fire service, law enforcement,
corrections, emergency medical services) often require
Industrial and Organizational Psychology tests for initial employment and
advancement throughout the ranks.
• The National Firefighter Selection Inventory - NFSI, the
National Criminal Justice Officer Selection Inventory - NCJOSI, and the
Integrity Inventory are prominent examples of these tests