Psychological Tests

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Psychological Tests

• Ch 15 notes

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Psychological Tests

• Assess abilities, feelings, attitudes, and
  behaviors
• Help predict a persons future behavior
• Uses
• Make important decisions
• Measure behavior directly
• Behavior-rating scales (used to measure behavior
  in specific places like a classroom or at work)
• Most though are based on self-reports of
  attitudes, feelings, and behavior

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Features of Psych. Tests

• Standardized administered and score the same way
  every time
• Reliability consistency
• Validity tests what it is meant to
• Validity scales questions that if answered a
  certain way, tell the psychologist that the
  test-taker is not being honest
• Helpful but not foolproof
• Norms established standards of performance that
  are designed to tell test administrators which
  scores are average, high, or low
• Use norm group

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Achievement Tests

• Measure skills and knowledge that a person has in
  specific academic area(s)
• Most tests youve taken in high school

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Aptitude Tests

• Measure more specific abilities/skills than
  intelligence tests do but broader ones than
  achievement tests
• Generally used to determine whether a person is
  likely to do well in a given field of work/study
• Ex SATs, MCATs

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How can you tell the difference?

• Aptitude tests intended to measure potential for
  learning in a specific area
• Aptitude tests usually given before person has
  had any training in a specific area
• Used to predict how well person will do once
  receive training in area
• BUT they rely on past achievements
• All aptitude tests rely on some kind of prior
  achievement

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Vocational Interest Inventories

• Help determine whether a persons interests are
  similar to those of people in various lines of
  work
• Ex
• Kuder Preference Records forced-choice format
• Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory not as
  obvious or direct
• Compares test takers interests to those people
  who are in various kinds of work
• Interest does not guarantee ability in an area

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Personality Tests

• Can be used to help diagnose psychological
  problems and disorders
• Kinds
• Objective Tests standardized group of test items
  in form of questionnaire
• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
  (MMPI)
• Validity and clinical scales
• Used to diagnose and classify psychological
  disorders
• California Psychological Inventory
• Measures 15 normal personality traits
• Larger norm group

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Projective Tests

• Have no clearly specified answers
• Open-ended format
• Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Attempts have been made to standardize
• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
• Validity and reliability not real great

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Tips for Taking Tests

• Gather information about the test
• Practice regular study periods
• Be test-wise read directions and follow them,
  have right equipment
• Multiple-Choice Questions
• Answer before look at answers
• Consider every option
• Look for opposites
• Look for best choice
• Mark difficult questions to come back to
• Guess only when odds of gaining points outweigh
  the odds of losing them
• Change answer if you think you have made a mistake

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• True-False Questions
• For it to be true, every part must be true
• Be wary of absolutes like always and never
• Items that provide info and are longer than
  others tend to be true
• Short Answer Questions
• Answer in brief but complete sentences
• Include significant terms
• Use detail if time and space allow
• Essay
• Read directions
• Make a quick outline of answer
• Express strongest ideas first

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Test Anxiety

• Quite normal to be uncomfortable before a test
• Not always a bad thing because shows we
  understand it is important
• Can be overcome
• Be prepared
• Overlearn
• Think helpful thoughts
• Cognitive restructuring consciously changing
  thoughts you have in a particular situation