Write at least five pages, following APA formatting, identifing a test category relevant to a chosen specialization or profession. Within this category, identify three tests and compare and contrast the tests bases on its purpose, sampling procedures, and training.
As a psychologist, social worker, counselor, therapist, researcher, mental health professional, or educator, your profession will employ some form of tests and measurements. Even if you do not plan on administering tests, you still need to understand the results described in evaluation reports. And, even if you will not need to read reports of evaluations, you will need to keep current with the professional literature.
When test users (e.g., psychologists) select psychological tests as part of an assessment of a client, they must consider whether the intended purpose of the test matches the purpose for assessing the client. In addition, test users also consider whether the client they will assess is similar to the test’s norm group or sample in terms of age, gender, race, geographic region, language, and other demographic characteristics. If the test’s norm group or sample is not a good match for the client, then the results could be considered invalid. The publishers of psychological tests also have training requirements for test users. Test users should only use tests for which they have appropriate training and expertise. Pearson Assessments, a large-scale psychological test publisher, has established a level system for test user qualifications based upon the education, training, and expertise needed to purchase, administer, score, and interpret each test. Qualification levels range from qualification level A (no special qualification needed) to qualification level C (a doctorate degree in psychology, education, or a closely related field).
Download the Assessment 1 Template: Evaluation of Test Purpose, Population, and Training [DOCX] and use it as the basis of your assessment. The template contains instructions to guide you through each element of the assessment.
This assessment requires you to focus on what will likely be a common task in your future career, regardless of the area of specialization you are studying at Capella: the review and selection of an appropriate, quality, standardized test. There is a multitude of published tests in the fields of education and psychology, and many purport to measure the same constructs, content, or skills. Therefore, test users must select tests that best match their purpose for assessing clients and are appropriate for the populations they assess.
In your assessment, be prepared to do the following:
Visit the publisher’s website for each test to obtain additional information.
- If the test is not owned by a publishing company, you will need to find this information in other sources, such as journal articles.
- Use the MMY database in the Capella library to locate and read a review for each test.
Not all tests have been reviewed by the MMY. If your test has not been reviewed, you will need to find the information in another source, such as a journal article.
Note: Be sure to use the Assessment 1 Template: Evaluation of Test Purpose, Population, and Training [DOCX].
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Identify a test category that is relevant to your academic specialization or a related profession. The List of Tests by Type [DOCX] identifies the 11 categories you may choose from. They include:
- Intelligence/cognitive abilities.
- Achievement/aptitude.
- Personality.
- Behavior.
- Adaptive behavior.
- Neuropsychological.
- Career/business/organization.
- Autism.
- Depression.
- Preschool.
- Behavior analytic skill assessments.
- Select three tests from a single category using the List of Tests by Type [DOCX].
- Note: If you have an interest in a particular test that is not on this list, then you may submit a request to your instructor to include it in your first assessment with two other tests on the list in the same category. Your instructor will review it and determine if you may proceed with including that test in your assessment or recommend that you select three tests from the list.
- Compare and contrast these three tests based on the following:
- The purpose for testing, the content, skills, or constructs assessed and evaluated based on one’s area of specialization or a related profession.
- The normative sample, sampling procedures, and the intended population and evaluation based on the anticipated populations served by one’s specialization or related profession.
- The training required to administer, score, and interpret and evaluate based on one’s anticipated assessment training or the training of a related profession.
- Use the Capella library to search for articles that discuss the test.
- Do bibliography mining to find the original source of the test.
- Do cited reference searching to find articles that use the test and their research or discuss the test
- See the PSY7610 Research Guide for additional guidance. An optional worksheet is also provided to you in the resources to facilitate your research and literature review.
- Use RefWorks or another organization strategy to keep track of the articles you find. Even if you don’t use the articles for this assessment, you may use it in a future assessment in this course.
- Template: Assessment 1 Template: Evaluation of Test Purpose, Population, and Training [DOCX] to complete the assessment.
- References: A minimum of nine references is required for this assessment. These resources may include all of the reference sources identified in your Psychological Testing and Assessment text but must include:
- Three journal articles (one for each test).
- Three test publisher websites (one for each test).
- If there is no test publisher website for a selected test, you must substitute this with another type of source.
- Three MMY test reviews (one for each test if available). If an MMY review is not available for one or more of your selected tests, you must substitute it with another type of source.
- Length of paper: A minimum of five double-spaced pages of content, not including the title page or references (an abstract is not required).
- Font and font-size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
- APA format: Current APA format and style is required throughout. Refer to Academic Writer for guidance on APA style and format as you prepare all of your assessments for this course.
- Competency 1: Apply terminology, principles, statistical concepts, and psychometric features related to the construction and application of psychological tests.
- Describe how three selected tests and categories are related to one’s area of specialization or a related profession.
- Define the purpose for testing, the content, skills, and/or constructs assessed for the three tests, and evaluate based on one’s area of specialization or a related profession.
- Describe the normative sample, sampling procedures, and intended population for three tests and evaluate based on the anticipated populations served by one’s specialization or related profession.
- Competency 4: Evaluate the legal, ethical, and professional issues related to test usage.
- Describe the training required to administer, score, and interpret the three tests and evaluate based on one’s anticipated assessment training or the training of a related profession.
- Competency 7: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological profession.
- Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations for members of an identified field of study, using APA style and formatting.
