Psychological Measurement – PSYC 421

Course Description

This course is an in-depth study of standardized tests in psychology, counseling, and education. Course content includes personality, aptitude, general ability, achievement, and interest tests. It will also cover elementary statistics necessary to test usage and interpretation.

Rationale

Thousands of psychological tests are used in the fields of psychology, counseling, business, and education.  However, not all of these tests meet accepted standards of reliability and validity.  It is important for the student to be able to evaluate if a particular psychological test meets accepted standards. In addition to identifying proper tests, the student must also be aware of the many types of tests used in clinical settings and how these tests are used, the limitations of tests, the information derived from these tests, and how they are used to formulate treatment.

Course Assignment

(CLO A, B, C, D, E, F)

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 6 Discussions throughout the term. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction among students in regard to relevant, current course topics. The student is required to post 1 thread of at least 350 words as well as replies of at least 150 words to 2 other students’ threads. For each initial thread, the student must support their assertions with at least 1 scholarly citations in APA format. Each reply must also incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook and peer-reviewed journal articles. The Bible may also be included as an additional reference citation, in APA format (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F).

This assignment provides the student the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills of formal testing in a real-world scenario.  Through a fictitious case study, the student will gain experience in assessment methods including case review and history, interview, and test evaluation and selection. The student will submit interview questions, areas of case history to investigate, relevant psychological tests, and a biblical reflection. This section of the assignment will be 850 words minimum. A references page will also be included with a minimum of 3 sources and at least 1 biblical reference (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F).

The student will create a PowerPoint presentation on how to properly conduct a clinical Psychological Interview. The presentation must be 8-10 slides of content, not including title and reference slides. In addition to the slide visuals, each slide must include an audio recording describing the content of the slide. The student must integrate course content and scholarly research into his/her choice of presentation. 3 reference citations are required. The student will be graded based on his/her presentation’s content, aesthetics, and adherence to current APA formatting (CLO: B, C, E).

Within this course, the student will be required to read and interact with the textbook within the third party platform, Smartbook. The student must complete each reading and item in the textbook in order to earn the points associated with the assigned reading (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F).

Through this quiz, the student will demonstrate understanding of core statistical concepts and procedures (e.g., frequency, median, mode, range, average and standard deviation, variance, central tendency, variability, z-scores, and T–scores). The quiz will contain 10 multiple-choice questions, be limited to 1 hour, and allow 1 attempt (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F).

Through this quiz, the student will demonstrate understanding of core concepts in test item creation and evaluation. The quiz will contain 10 multiple-choice questions, will have a time limit of 1 hour, and allow 1 attempt (CLO: A, B, D, E).

This is a comprehensive assessment covering key concepts presented in weeks 1 - 8 of the course. The quiz will contain 30 multiple-choice questions, will have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes, and will allow 1 attempt (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F).