Psychological Testing and Assessment : An Introduction to Tests and Measurement

by Cohen, Ronald Jay; Swerdlik, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780073129099
• ISBN10: 0073129097
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-09
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and Measurementis the standard-setting text that through seven editions has overviewed measurement in psychology with unrivaled depth, breadth, and clarity. Logically organized and lucidly written, this book acquaints readers with important historical, legal, ethical, and cultural issues, and then proceeds to provide readers with the information necessary to understand psychometric concepts such as reliability, validity, and utility. Through writing that effectively anchors abstract concepts to real-life applications--and through the use of innovative teaching tools such as "Just Think" questions and the "Everyday Psychometrics" features in the text--readers will come away with a well-rounded, working knowledge of psychometrics and the assessment enterprise in a contemporary, real world context.

Table of Contents

An Overview

Psychological Testing And Assessment Testing And Assessment Testing and Assessment Defined

The process of assessment

The Tools Of Psychological Assessment

The Test

The Interview The Portfolio Case History Data Behavioral Observation Role-Play Tests Computers as Tools Other tools Who, What, Why, How, And Where?

Who Are the Parties?

The test developer

The test user The testtaker Society at large Other parties In What Types of Settings Are Assessments Conducted, and Why?

Educational settings Clinical setting Counseling settings Geriatric settings Business and military settings Governmental and organizational credentialing Other settings How Are Assessments Conducted?

Assessment of People with Disabilities Where To Go for Authoritative Information: Reference Sources Test catalogues Test manuals Reference volumes Journal articles Online databases Other sources Close-up: Should Observers be Parties to the Assessment Process?

Everyday Psychometrics: Everyday Accommodations Meet a Test User: Meet

Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical Considerations

A Historical Perspective Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century

The Twentieth Century

The measurement of intelligence

The measurement of personality

The academic and applied traditions

Culture And Assessment Evolving Interest in Culture-Related Issues Some Issues Regarding Culture and Assessment Verbal communication Nonverbal communication and behavior Standards of evaluation Tests and Group Membership Psychology, tests, and public policy

Legal And Ethical Considerations

The Concerns of the Public Legislation Litigation

The Concerns of the Profession Test-user qualifications Testing people with disabilities Computerized test administration, scoring, and interpretation

The Rights of Testtakers

The right of informed consent

The right to be informed of test findings

The right to privacy and confidentiality

The right to the least stigmatizing label Close-up: The Controversial Henry Herbert Goddard Everyday Psychometrics: Life-or-Death Psychological Assessment Meet A Test User: Meet

The Science of Psychological Measurement

A Statistics Refresher

Scales Of Measurement

Nominal Scales Ordinal Scales Interval Scales Ratio Scales Measurement Scales in Psychology

Describing Data

Frequency Distributions Measures of Central Tendency

The arithmetic mean

The median

The mode Measures of Variability

The range

The interquartile and the semi-interquartile ranges

The average deviation

The standard deviation Skewness Kurtosis

The Normal Curve

The Area Under the Normal Curve

Standard Scores z Scores

T Scores Other Standard Scores Normalized standard scores Close-up: The Normal Curve and Psychological Tests Everyday Psychometrics: Consumer (of Graphed Data), Beware! Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Jeff Laurent Self-Assessment

Of Tests And Testing Some Assumptions About Psychological Testing And Assessment

Psychological Traits and States Exist

Psychological Traits and States Can Be Quantified and Measured

Test-Related Behavior Predicts Non-Test-Related behavior

Tests and Other Measurement Techniques Have Strengths and Weaknesses

Various Sources of Err

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