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Module Overview13.html

Psychometrics

Psychometrics refers to the theory and technique of psychological measurement. Understanding the different types of statistics utilized in assessments is essential in understanding how and why a test was developed, how a test is administered, and the results of the test itself. Without understanding these concepts, it would be very difficult to examine data and extract a meaningful interpretation, which is the whole point of conducting a psychological assessment. As you will see, there are a wide range of statistics utilized within assessments that serve a variety of purposes.

In your previous courses, you learned about many psychometrics, such as t-tests, z-scores, and type I and type II errors. In this module, you will revisit these psychometric concepts from your previous courses and apply them to psychological assessments. The foundational understanding of these concepts will allow you to understand how these statistics are utilized within the administration and results of psychological assessments. You will begin to explore what it is like to interpret data in a meaningful way and apply these psychometrics to examine the assessment utilized in your final project vignette. After this week, you should have gained a thorough understanding of the application of statistics to psychological assessments. In addition, you will submit your first milestone activity in this module.

Reading and Resources3.html

Required Resources

The following is a list of resources that will help you complete the activities in this module. Below each resource are a few guiding questions to consider as you read and review. You do not need to record or submit your answers to these questions.

Textbook:  Psychological Testing and Assessment, Chapter 3 As you read, think about the following

• What is the difference between nominal, interval, ordinal, and ratio scales?
• In which scenarios might someone choose a specific type of scale
• What is the difference between a positive and a negative skew?
• What are two types of kurtosis?
• What is the difference between a t-score and a z-score?
• What does correlation mean?

Two-Part Video Series:

• Video One:  Intelligence and Ability Assessment: Psychometrics (22:48) This video reviews various types of psychometric instruments and discusses APA ethical requirements related to psychometrics. This resource will help you with this module’s worksheet.
• Video Two:  Personality and Forensic Assessment: Psychometrics (26:53) This video reviews the history of personality assessments. This resource will help you with this module’s worksheet.

Deliberate Context-Driven Conceptualization in Psychological Assessment This article stresses the importance of considering context when assessing a patient’s condition.

Additional Support (Optional)

Learning Potential in Narrative Writing: Measuring the Psychometric Properties of an Assessment Tool This article provides an overview of the development and associated psychometrics of an assessment measure known as the Computerized and Dynamic Writing Test (TIDE). It demonstrates how psychometrics are used (e.g., validity and reliability) to create a viable assessment.

Module Four Worksheet Guidelines and Rubric.html

PSY 550 Module Four Worksheet Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

In this assignment, you will review assessment scores and interpret data about content scales, symptom scales, and settings. You will also offer possible diagnoses and explanations. You will be applying knowledge of previously learned statistics as you interpret the tests. The final project will include similar statistics you will need to interpret in a similar way as you answer the referral question.

Prompt

For this worksheet, you will read the following scenario and interpret specific data about content scales, symptom scales, and settings. You will also answer five follow-up questions about this information.

In the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales self-report, any t-score over 55 is considered “clinically significant,” with scores over 65 being “very elevated.” Examine the data below, and answer the following questions. This data is a self-report for a 14-year-old Caucasian male who recently transferred to a new school. He has had some academic difficulties in the past, but he is failing most subjects this year. He presents with a depressed mood most days and states that “learning is hard.”

The follow-up questions will ask you to identify which content scales are considered “very elevated” and which content scales are considered “clinically significant” but not “very elevated.” You will also be asked to identify in which settings the symptoms appear. Lastly, you will need to explain possible diagnoses based on “very elevated” interpretation and provide two plausible explanations of why this individual is having a difficult year.

What to Submit

Complete all follow-up questions in the Module Four Worksheet and submit your finished assignment to your instructor.

Module Four Worksheet Rubric

Criteria	Proficient (100%)	Needs Improvement (75%)	Not Evident (0%)	Value
“Very Elevated” Content Scales	Identifies which content scales are considered “very elevated”	One or more “very elevated” content scale is missing; response is incomplete	Does not identify which content scales are considered “very elevated”	20
“Clinically Significant” Content Scales	Identifies which content scales are considered “clinically significant,” but not “very elevated”	One or more “clinically significant” but not “very elevated” content scale(s) are missing; response is incomplete	Does not identify which content scales are considered “clinically significant” but not “very elevated”	20
Settings	Identifies in which settings the symptoms appear	One or more symptoms are missing; response is incomplete	Does not identify in which settings the symptoms appear	20
Possible Diagnoses	Explains possible diagnoses based on “very elevated” interpretation	One or more possible diagnoses are missing; response is incomplete	Does not explain possible diagnoses based on “very elevated” interpretation	20
Explanations	Provides two plausible explanations of why this individual is having a difficult year	Provides only one explanation and/or response is incomplete	Does not provide two plausible explanations of why this individual is having a difficult year	20
Total:	100%