CNL523_T4_Psychological Testing and Assessment Selection
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Psychological Testing and Assessment Selection
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
CNL-523: Assessments Tests and Measurements
June 14
th
, 2023
Psychological Testing and Assessment Selection
1
There is a popular quote circling around social media that has been attributed to Albert Einstein, which states, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”. Although the actual origins of the quote are unknown, and whether “everyone is a genius” is certainly debatable, the fact that judging a fish’s capabilities based on its ability to climb a tree would most definitely be unfair to the fish – and ultimately an invalid assessment. This applies to measures of intelligence and mental health in people as well. When it comes to psychological testing and assessment, it is imperative that mental health professionals select effective and appropriate tools for evaluating clients. The following will discuss resources that are available to assist counselors in determining the right tests and/or assessments for clients, diagnostic factors for practitioners to consider, as well as the role of client demographics in selecting the appropriate instrument. Available Resources
First and foremost, when a counselor is contemplating what testing or assessment tool to utilize for psychological evaluation, they must know where to look and what is available to them for help in the process. Resources can be found online or in physical form. American Psychiatric Association (2013) provides the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
, 5th ed.
(DSM-5) which is a mental health professional’s guide to psychiatric disorder diagnosis. The DSM-5 lists all the official mental health diagnoses currently recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, all the criteria that must be met in order to assign as diagnosis, and a summary of information about the disorder. Each disorder has varying levels of severity, and the DSM-5 provides guidance as to how to determine this based on the number of criteria met over a specified amount
of time.
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Pearson Assessments (2023) is an example of an online resource that provides a comprehensive list of professional assessment tools organized by category such as behavior, cognition, and personality/biopsychosocial. Each category contains an alphabetized list of assessment tools and description of each, along with information on how to purchase. The acquisition of the various assessment tools is regulated based on credentials. Products are assigned a qualifications level, and clinicians must provide verification of degree, certification, organization membership, and/or licensure where applicable (Pearson, 2023). The instruments can be used to evaluate a client’s level of intelligence or aptitude in a multitude of areas, or in conjunction with the DSM-5 in determining diagnosis of mental health disorder. Diagnostic Factors
In the assessment selection process, there are several diagnostic factors that must be considered. Key factors include validity, reliability, objectivity, and standardization. Validity means that the test is appropriate, measures the intended criteria, and the results can be used for diagnosis and to effectively help the client (Foster, 2010). The instrument must also be determined to be reliable. Reliability is established when a test yields consistent results over multiple tests over a period of time (Foster, 2010). Additionally, counselors must always remember to remain objective, and this applies to the assessment process as well. Objectivity means that the test provides unbiased results and considers the client’s best interest (Foster, 2010).
There should also be an element of standardization
, utilizing a population base determined to be the “norm”, in which to compare the client’s results to (Cohen, et al., 2022). Counselors must be sure to administer tests and assessments with the same conditions as those that occurred during the standardization. The American Counseling Association (2014) provides 3
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guidance in the ACA Code of Ethics
section E.8. where it states, “Counselors select and use with caution assessment techniques normed on populations other than that of the client
” (pg. 12). Practitioners should be aware of the impact that demographic aspects such as age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status have on potential test and assessment outcomes. These are just a few examples of diagnostic factors that should be considered. Clinicians are encouraged to seek the guidance of a supervisor or peer if there is ever a question about whether an assessment instrument is appropriate. Demographics
The analogy of the fish and the tree points out the importance of specific attributes of a test taker to be considered. If a client is to take a test that was normed with a population that was entirely different than them, the results will not be a true illustration of their true capacity. So, how can a counselor determine that a test is appropriate for a client? At the initial interview, demographic data is collected. This includes name, age, sex and gender, religion, family composition, race, ethnicity, occupation/grade level in school, relationship status, socioeconomic
status, address, and telephone number (Cohen, et al., 2022). With this data, a culturally competent mental health professional will gain insight as to whether an assessment is appropriate
for the client. Cohen, et al. (2022) define culturally informed psychological assessment
as “an approach
to evaluation that is keenly perceptive of and responsive to issues of acculturation, values, identity, worldview, language, and other culture-related variables as they may impact the evaluation process or the interpretation of resulting data” (p.514). This means that the clinician will want to not only identify the client’s cultural attributes, but also what role the client’s demographics have on them as an individual, such as their worldview and how they identify 4
within their culture (i.e., level of acculturation, preferred language, etc.). After selecting an appropriate assessment and providing it to the client, the assessor would be advised to review the
results for any possible adverse impact of culture-related factors before making final judgements (Cohen, et al., 2022). Conclusion
Psychological testing and assessment require that mental health professionals utilize effective and appropriate tools for evaluating clients, otherwise the results are irrelevant and not helpful to the client. Counselors can determine the correct assessment tools by considering diagnostic factors such as reliability, validity, objectivity, and standardization, as well as the demographics of the client in selecting the appropriate instrument. If there is ever a hesitation, or question as to whether an assessment is appropriate for a client, counselors should seek guidance from a supervisor or colleague. 5
References
American Counseling Association (2014). ACA Code of Ethics
. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Cohen, R. J., Schneider, W. J., & Tobin, R. M. (2022). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement
(10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN-13: 9781260837025
Foster, D. F. (2010). Worldwide testing and test security issues: Ethical challenges and solutions. Ethics & Behavior
, 20(3/4), 207-228.
Pearson (2023). Pearson Assessments. https://www.pearsonassessments.com/
2
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