Abstract
Psychological testing and assessment are important in virtually every aspect of professional psychology. Assessment has widespread application in health, educational, occupational, forensic, research, and other settings. This chapter provides a historical and theoretical introduction to psychological testing, discussing basic terminology, major types of psychological tests, and types of scores that are used for interpreting results. Assumptions that underlie psychological assessment are considered as well as the rationale for using tests to make important decisions about people. Common applications and common criticisms of testing and assessment are reviewed, and characteristics of those involved in the testing process are presented. The chapter ends with a discussion of expected changes to current testing to meet new demands for test applications in the twenty-first century.
Why do I need to learn about testing and assessment?
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Recommended Reading and Internet Sites
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association,, and National Council on Measurement in Education. (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. In practically every content area this resource is indispensable!
American Psychological Association. www.apa.org. In addition to general information about the Association, this site has much information on psychology as a field of study, current reviews, and archival documents such as specialty definitions and practice guidelines. Links to the divisions’ websites are provided here as well as applications for student membership.
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Reynolds, C.R., Altmann, R.A., Allen, D.N. (2021). Introduction to Psychological Assessment. In: Mastering Modern Psychological Testing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59455-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59455-8_1
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