Psychological Testing: Measurement, Test Types, and Assessment

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What is a psychological test?

A structured procedure that samples a person's behavior under prescribed conditions. Trained evaluators score responses according to guidelines, and scores are used to draw conclusions about a target construct.

What does psychometrics study?

Psychometrics is the science of psychological measurement, including how tests are developed, scored, and evaluated.

What are latent variables?

Latent variables are underlying constructs, such as depression or ability, that cannot be observed directly and must be inferred from observable responses or performance.

How do validity and reliability differ?

Validity concerns whether evidence supports the interpretation that a test measures its intended construct. Reliability concerns the consistency of scores across items, raters, forms, or occasions.

How is assessment different from testing?

Testing is one method of gathering information. Psychological assessment is a broader process that integrates test results with interviews, records, observations, and other relevant information.

Quiz questions

1. What do achievement tests primarily assess?Answer: Knowledge a person has learned in a subject area.
2. Why are aptitude test scores not pure measures of untutored ability?Answer: Past learning and training can influence performance.
3. What response format is commonly used in attitude scales?Answer: A Likert format rating a position along a response continuum.
4. What do projective tests ask a person to respond to?Answer: Ambiguous stimuli intended to elicit interpretations or responses.
5. In direct observation, what is time sampling?Answer: Recording behavior at specified intervals.