Psychological Testing Paper
Psychological Testing Paper University of Phoenix
PSY/475: Psychological Test and Measurements
MU10BSP10
Psychological Testing Paper
Introduction
There comes a time when we all come across a specific test such as school tests, driving test, or even as simple as food tasting test. However, there is a difference between regular tests and testing’s when referring to psychological testing. There are several different psychological tests that many psychiatrists, psychologists, and school counselors use to determine certain abilities, however each of the tests are used for a specific purpose. It is vital for the individuals to contain high knowledge of the tests before applying it to others.
Defining “Test” According to the medical dictionary, psychological tests are defined as written, visual and verbal evaluations administered to assess the cognitive and emotional functions of children and adults (Psychological Tests, 2012). The purpose for psychological testing is to determine the mental abilities, personality traits, achievements and abilities, and neurological functioning. Although, we all have a basic idea of what the definition of “test” is, however according to (Hogan, 2007), they developed six-element to define “test”: A test is a standardized process or device that yields information about a sample of behavior or cognitive processes in a quantified manner (Hogan, 2007).
Major Categories of Tests There are five major categories of tests that are applied by trained professionals in the field of psychology. The five major categories are mental ability tests, achievement tests, personality tests, interests and attitudes tests, and neuropsychological tests (Hogan, 2007). The mental ability test is applied to test the cognitive functions, such as memory, spatial visualization, and creative thinking (Hogan, 2007). Within the category of mental ability tests, it is separated into other categories of tests that may also be
PSY/475: Psychological Test and Measurements
MU10BSP10
Psychological Testing Paper
Introduction
There comes a time when we all come across a specific test such as school tests, driving test, or even as simple as food tasting test. However, there is a difference between regular tests and testing’s when referring to psychological testing. There are several different psychological tests that many psychiatrists, psychologists, and school counselors use to determine certain abilities, however each of the tests are used for a specific purpose. It is vital for the individuals to contain high knowledge of the tests before applying it to others.
Defining “Test” According to the medical dictionary, psychological tests are defined as written, visual and verbal evaluations administered to assess the cognitive and emotional functions of children and adults (Psychological Tests, 2012). The purpose for psychological testing is to determine the mental abilities, personality traits, achievements and abilities, and neurological functioning. Although, we all have a basic idea of what the definition of “test” is, however according to (Hogan, 2007), they developed six-element to define “test”: A test is a standardized process or device that yields information about a sample of behavior or cognitive processes in a quantified manner (Hogan, 2007).
Major Categories of Tests There are five major categories of tests that are applied by trained professionals in the field of psychology. The five major categories are mental ability tests, achievement tests, personality tests, interests and attitudes tests, and neuropsychological tests (Hogan, 2007). The mental ability test is applied to test the cognitive functions, such as memory, spatial visualization, and creative thinking (Hogan, 2007). Within the category of mental ability tests, it is separated into other categories of tests that may also be
References: Dewey, R. (2007). Reliability and Validity. Retrieved from http://www.intropsych.com/ch01_psychology_and_science/reliability_and_validit y.html Hogan, T. P. (2007). Psychological testing: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Psychological Tests. (2012). Retrieved from http://medical- dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Psychological+tests