-
Psychological testing
Part 1 introduction
Psychological testing is the
administration of psychological tests, which are
designed to be
refers to an
individual's performance on tasks that have
usually been prescribed beforehand. The
samples of behavior that make up a
paper-and-pencil test, the most common type of
test, are a
series of items.
Performance on these items produce a test score. A
score on a well-constructed
test
is
believed
to
reflect
a
psychological
construct
such
as
achievement
in
a
school
subject,
cognitive ability, aptitude, emotional
functioning, personality, etc. Differences in test
scores are
thought
to
reflect
individual
differences
in
the
construct
the
test
is
supposed
to
measure.
The
science behind psychological testing is
psychometrics.
A
psychological
test
is
an
instrument
designed
to
measure
unobserved
constructs,
also
known as latent variables.
Psychological tests are typically, but not
necessarily, a series of tasks or
problems
that
the
respondent
has
to
solve.
Psychological
tests
can
strongly
resemble
questionnaires,
which
are
also
designed
to
measure
unobserved
constructs,
but
differ
in
that
psychological tests ask
for a respondent's maximum performance whereas a
questionnaire asks
for the respondent's
typical performance.[2] A useful psychological
test must be both valid (i.e.,
there is
evidence to support the specified interpretation
of the test results[3]) and reliable (i.e.,
internally consistent or give
consistent results over time, across raters,
etc.).
In
a
word,
the
test
method
is
a
way
to
study
the
law
of
psychological
activities
through
psychological tests,
that is, to collect data by means of a set of
standardized questions, according
to
the
prescribed
procedures
and
by
means
of
measurement.
Psychological
test
is
a
scientific
means
to
deduce
and
quantify
the
general
law
of
psychological
activities
by
observing
a
few
representative behaviors
or phenomena. First, tests are conducted according
to certain standards
and procedures
rather than subjective experience. Secondly, the
test measures human behavior,
that is,
to measure an individual's behavior according to
an objective, standardized procedure.
Thirdly, a test generally measures only
a part of a person's behavior, but not all of his
behavior.
Part 2 History
The first large-scale tests may have
been examinations that were part of the imperial
examination
system in China. The test,
an early form of psychological testing, assessed
candidates based on
their
proficiency
in
topics
such
as
civil
law
and
fiscal
policies.
Other
early
tests
of
intelligence
were made for entertainment rather than
analysis. Modern mental testing began in France in
the
19th century. It contributed to
separating mental retardation from mental illness
and reducing
the neglect, torture, and
ridicule heaped on both groups.
Englishman
Francis
Galton
coined
the
terms
psychometrics
and
eugenics,
and
developed
a
method
for
measuring
intelligence
based
on
nonverbal
sensory-motor
tests.
It
was
initially
popular, but was
abandoned after the discovery that it had no
relationship to outcomes such as
college
grades.[8][9]
French
psychologist
Alfred
Binet,
together
with
psychologists
Victor
Henri
and
Théodore
Simon,
after
about
15
years
of
development,
published
the
Binet-Simon
test
in
1905,
which focused on verbal abilities. It was intended
to identify mental retardation in school
children.
The origins of
personality testing date back to the 18th and 19th
centuries, when personality was
assessed
through
phrenology,
the
measurement
of
the
human
skull,
and
physiognomy,
which
assessed
personality
based
on
a
person's
outer
early
pseudoscientific
techniques
were eventually replaced with more empirical
methods in the 20th century. One of
the
earliest
modern
personality
tests
was
the
Woolworth
Personality
Data
Sheet,
a
self-
report
inventory developed for World
War I and used for the psychiatric screening of
new draftees.
Part 3
Characteristics of tests
?
1.
According
to
the
explicit
behavior
of
the
subjects,
infer
their
internal
psychological
process
or
psychological
characteristics,
so
the
psychological
and
educational
test
is
a
scientific research form of
?
2. relativity.
The results measured by the Mental and Educational
Test Scale generally reflect
individual
differences
only
from
the
ranking
order.
Therefore,
scientifically
speaking,
the
results of psychological
and educational tests are only a relative
quantity, compared with the
behavior of
the majority of the subjects in the group or some
artificially determined criteria.
?
3.
objectivity.
Although
psychological
and
educational
tests
are
indirect
and
relative,
they
still have objectivity.
Part 4 Principles
Proper
psychological testing consists of the following:
?
Standardization
- All procedures and steps must be conducted with
consistency and under
the same
environment to achieve the same testing
performance from those being tested.
?
Objectivity -
Scoring such that subjective judgments and biases
are minimized, with results
for each
test taker obtained in the same way.
?
Test Norms -
The average test score within a large group of
people where the performance
of
one
individual
can
be
compared
to
the
results
of
others
by
establishing
a
point
of
comparison or frame of reference.
?
Reliability -
Obtaining the same result after multiple testing.
?
Validity - The
type of test being administered must measure what
it is intended to measure.
Part 5 Types
(1)
classification by function.
?
y test --
practical ability and potential ability.
?
2. achievement
test - academic achievement
?
3.
Personality
test
-
personality,
temperament,
interest,
attitude
and
other
psychological
characteristics