180 Intro Web

Outline : 

Outline What is a test? Why use a test? History of testing Physical qualities Mental qualities What tests measure How tests are administered How results are interpreted

1. What is a test? : 

1. What is a test? “A test is a measurement device or technique used to quantify behavior or aid in the understanding and prediction of behavior” “A psychological test is a set of items that are designed to measure characteristics of human beings that pertain to behavior.”

2. Why use a test? : 

2. Why use a test? Testing is a way of fighting fascism our interest in testing reflects the idea that individual people are important in their own right

2. Why use a test? : 

2. Why use a test? Testing is a way of fighting fascism Empirical research improves our understanding of human psychology Testing allows us to use resources – including human resources – more productively

3. History of Testing : 

3. History of Testing Physical quantities Length “foot”, rule of thumb Time Calendars, early clocks http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html Position on the Earth’s surface

3. History of Testing : 

3. History of Testing Mental quantities Chinese civil service exams British East India Company exams 19th century psychophysics France 1905 – Binet & Simon

4. What tests measure : 

4. What tests measure The most common uses of psychological tests are to measure ability or personality Ability: present competence to perform some task Personality: enduring dispositions to behave in certain ways, consistent over the lifespan of the individual.

4. What tests measure : 

4. What tests measure 3 types of ability test: Achievement The result of previous learning Aptitude Potential to acquire a particular skill Intelligence General potential to solve problems, think abstractly, adapt to change, and learn the lessons of experience

4. What tests measure : 

4. What tests measure Intelligence tests 1905 First Binet-Simon test 1916 First American version: Stanford-Binet Importance of military testing during WWI Growth of interest in testing reflected increasing importance of distinguishing among people 1939 First Wechsler test Distinguished between verbal and non-verbal performance

4. What tests measure : 

4. What tests measure Personality tests Structured Projective 1943 – MMPI: used empirical methods to determine meaning of test items

5. How tests are administered : 

5. How tests are administered Individual administration Group administration

6 How test results are interpreted : 

6 How test results are interpreted Objective scoring E.g., multiple choice exams, stats exams Subjective scoring E.g., essay exams Projective scoring Examiner a source of variability in test results

7. Current status of testing : 

7. Current status of testing After being attacked in the sixties and seventies, in the last two decades, testing has proven useful in many applied areas: Neuropsychology I/O Health psychology Forensic psychology Child psychology

7. Current status of testing : 

7. Current status of testing We are rich – we have time for testing and we can pay people to do it We are used to approaching problems scientifically: drawing conclusions based on empirical data Modern people have complex behaviors requiring complex learning, so individual differences are important to smooth running of society