Psychological Testing Article Analysis

Psychological Testing Article Analysis

The field of psychological testing revolves around one basic principle: the understanding, application and analysis of tests. When a person thinks of tests, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the education-based definition of a test, which is a “tool used to systematically obtain a sample of what a student knows or can do” (Madaus, Russell, and Higgins, 2009). However, testing covers a wide range of tools that can be used to find a host of information. Specific to psychological testing, a test is used for one of four major types of assessments: mental ability, achievement, personality and neuropsychology testing. These are the types of tests that are studied by psychologists interested in how assessments can be used to obtain information.

Mental ability tests are used to gauge cognitive functions, such as memory, spatial visualization, and creative thinking (Hogan, 2002). These tests are usually used to assess levels of intelligence. However, there are non-intelligence-based mental ability tests as well. The three forms of mental ability tests most widely used and administered are the individually administered intelligence tests, the group administered intelligence tests and other ability tests. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale provides a worthy example of an individually administered intelligence test, where a person will sit with a trained psychologist, who administers a test that will help evaluate that person's mental abilities. Group administered intelligence tests like the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test are taken in a group setting. The OLSAT is administered to a group of students and is used to judge a student's abilities in regards to certain subjects that involve mental ability. The Scholastic Assessment Test is one of the most recognized non-intelligence based mental ability tests in America and is used to evaluate a student's ability to succeed in an institute of higher learning.

Another form of psychological testing, achievement tests, are used to gauge a person's knowledge or skill in a particular domain (Hogan, 2002). The average person takes these tests most frequently; standardized testing in elementary school is a form of achievement testing. Many occupational fields, such as physical therapy or teaching require achievement tests to be taken and passed before certification is given. Graduate Record Examinations are administered to test a student's knowledge of a particular subject area, such as applied mathematics or psychology. Though most achievement tests can be taken in group settings, other achievement tests such as those that test for learning disabilities are usually individually administered.

Personality tests include wide-ranging categories, such as objective personality tests, projective techniques and vocational interest measures. Objective personality tests are administered in such a way as to have scoring take place in a purely objective measure. This usually involves the use of true-false questions and multiple-choice answers. These tests are then scored and compared to scores that others have received. Projective techniques are a category of personality tests that are administered in order to attempt to find out more about a particular subject's personality. The most famous of these tests is most ...