Difference Between Psychological Tests And Psychological Assessments (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

Psychological Testing and Assessment
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1 Explain the difference between psychological tests and psychological assessments.
Psychological evaluation entails the process of collecting information on an individual with the goal of developing comprehensive overview on a person’s behavior or performance. This evaluation is primarily carried out through testing and assessment. A psychological test can be described as a system of behavior and performance observation that relies on a numerical or categorical scale to establish changes and differences. This particular approach is preferable when there is a need to establish changes and differences over time or between one individual and another (Cohen, Swerdlik and Sturman, 2013). The numerical scale is preferred because it allows for easier comparisons between individuals within a group and establishing the degree of change in a person’s behavior or performance over time. A psychological assessment on the other hand refers to the process of collecting relevant data through the use of questions, interviews and observations. The distinctive feature of this approach is that it incorporates the analysis and interpretation of data. Assessments are thus instrumental in helping define and understand underlying causes of behavior.
2 Explain the significance of utilizing both psychological tests and assessments within the counseling field.
The choice of psychological evaluation is instrumental in determining the effectiveness and efficacy of psychological the Combining numerical scale approaches in psychological tests and the observatory and data analysis aspects of psychological analysis provide a solid basis for understanding the psychological makeup of an individual. Psychological tests provide basic information, while assessments delve deeper into the analysis of an individual’s behavior by including the element of observation (Meyer et al. 2001). Assessments are instrumental in helping uncover subliminal aspects of behavior or performance. Psychological tests tend to rely on standardized approaches of evaluation and can thus be limiting in the collection of data. However, the open structure that is synonymous with psychological assessments is vital in helping establish an in-depth overview of the psychological wellbeing of a person (Shum, et al. 2017). Testing can be looked at as part of the assessment process and such using it as a standalone approach to understanding behavior or performance is limiting. Using the two psychological evaluation approaches is instrumental in providing a psychologist with a clear view of a person’s limitations and strengths.
3 How have tests had a historically positive impact? How have tests had a historically negative impact?
Testing is primarily associated with numerical and categorically collection of data from an individual. The administration of standardized approaches in the determination of psychological wellbeing has been in introducing scientific credibility to the field of psychology. A number of challenges have also been identified in relation to the use of tests in psychology. Besides the element of scientific credibility that is introduced by psychometric approaches, these tests have also made it possible for objectivity in the assessment process through the standardization approaches that it adheres to (Gregory, 2004). The element of bias that is often cited in psychology is also eliminated through the use of psychometrics. By utilizing a standardized measuring tool across board, psychological biases are eliminated. On the downside however, the standardized approaches of testing are looked as a limiting factor in that they result in compartmentalization of individuality into classes. In this way therefore, many argue that they foster the development of unbalanced psychological evaluation. The greatest challenge is that a great deal of subliminal or underlying information is likely to be missed when standardized tests are used.
4 Briefly describe a historical overview of significant events which occurred during the development of appraisals within the counseling field.
Psychological appraisals can be traced back to the onset of the nineteenth century. A number of events contributed to the advancement of this aspect of psychology with the most notable one being the First World War, that saw the introduction of testing in the placement of military p...