Psychological Assessment & Testing Psychological Assessment ...

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Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications, 5th ed. Boston ... Developing and using educational and psychological tests and measures: The ...
Psychological Assessment & Testing Course Syllabus, Winter 2008 PSY-352 Professor: Office: Office Hours:

Tue/Thur 1:55-3:40 pm Cay Anderson-Hanley, Ph.D. Bailey 301C Tue & Thur 9:45-10:45, Tue 3:45-4:45, and by apptmt

Room: Bailey 300 Email: [email protected] Website: http://minerva.union.edu/andersoc/ Phone: (518) 388-6355

Reading List: Gregory, R. J. (2007). Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications, 5th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Additional Readings: Gould, S. J. (1996). The Mismeasure of Man. NY: W.W. Norton and Co. (select chapters) Ellis, M. V. & Blustein, D. L. (1991). Developing and using educational and psychological tests and measures: The unificationist perspective. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69, 550-555. Caruso, D., Mayer, J., & Salovey, P. (2002, October). Relation of an ability measure of emotional intelligence to personality. Journal Of Personality Assessment, 79(2), 306-320. Additional Resources: www.apa.org (American Psychological Association – see links for disorders and also student info) www.psychologicalscience.org (American Psychological Society) www.apa.org/topics/psychologycareer.html (links for info on careers, applying to graduate schools, etc…) Catalog Description: Learn about one of psychology's most important and unique practical contributions. Examine assessment tools that are key to the practice of clinical and counseling psychology (e.g., diagnostic and personality tests). Review issues related to test construction (e.g., reliability and validity). Practice construction and validation of a new test. Professor’s Notes: Welcome! In this course you will have the opportunity to learn about one of the distinctives of the field of psychology, that is, assessment and the use of psychological tests in that process. Having a good understanding of the process of psychological assessment is one of the things that sets apart the field of psychology, and psychologists in particular from other clinical disciplines. For example, many psychological tests (such as intelligence and personality tests) may only be administered by psychologists (as contrasted with psychiatrists or social workers), due to the specialized training required in correct use and interpretations of results. Course Requirements: You are responsible to read and understand, in full, the contents of this syllabus and to seek clarification as needed. In order to stay informed about announcements and updates to this course you are responsible to check your Union email regularly or have your Union email forwarded to another account that you do check routinely (please check your personal email settings in Blackboard). How to succeed in this course: • participate in class (ask Qs, offer answers, be alert, take good notes, check the syllabus regularly, connect learning with real life…) • read each chapter 3 times (once lightly/for fun, once deeply/outline or highlight, last for review of the harder points) “3-FOR-A!” • budget 10 hrs/wk outside of class to read, review notes, and study (being a student = 40 hr/wk job – each class = 13 hrs/wk) • office hours – come see/call/email me if you are having any trouble, have Qs, etc… Examinations: Two exams will be given - part multiple-choice (usually 50-70 items) and short-answer (usually 2 pages) – usually about 50% of grade from each part. One will occur around the first third of the term and the other at about the two-thirds point (please see schedule). The second exam is not cumulative in the traditional sense; however, there are several topics, terms and concepts that necessarily build upon one another (e.g., concepts such as reliability and validity).

Papers: Additional details about each of these papers/reports/presentations will be provided at a future date. 1. Psychological Test Review. This paper will be a technical paper reviewing a psychological test. It will be one-page, single spaced. Each student will work with the instructor to select an appropriate test from the categories to be covered in class, to review and present to the class. Each student will make a 20 minute presentation to the class describing, demonstrating, and reviewing the reliability and validity data on the test. 2. Psychological Assessment – Practice Report. Each student will have a chance to administer, score and interpret a battery of common psychological tests. This report will be 6-8 double-spaced pages, with additional pages (assessment data and forms) attached. 3. New Test Development Report. A 6-8 double-spaced page report on the process and results of developing a new test will be due at the end of the term. This paper will be partly technical and partly reflective. Additional pages (data and analyses) will be attached as appendices. Participation/Attendance Policy: Attendance at every class is in your best interest for a number of reasons, not the least of which is your educational experience! Class time will incorporate lecture, exercises, demonstrations, and discussions that should not only facilitate your learning, but should also be quite interesting. There is traditionally a strong relationship between class attendance and grades. That is, students who attend class regularly tend to achieve higher grades. Prolonged personal illness or family crises should be brought to my attention and for special accommodations will require documentation from appropriate officials. I will take attendance to aid in my understanding of each student’s progress in the course, and attendance will be a component of participation which figures into the final grade (>2 absences will often result in a lower grade, such as B+ to B; lateness = ½ absence). On the other hand being a regular attendee only will usually result in an average grade for participation (that is a 70), while active, thoughtful contributions in class will result in a higher participation grade. If you are participating in a sport, during the first 2 weeks of class, please provide me with a list of dates that you will need to miss for team travel. Students who score well in participation typically have excellent attendance, have completed the readings, ask informed questions, make thoughtful comments about readings and other material, and have positive interactions with other students in the class (e.g., respect differing opinions, have constructive debates, etc.). During the first 2 weeks of classes, students with disabilities that require accommodations should bring to me a copy of the letter from the Dean of Students which indicates what accommodations are approved. Academic Honesty and Integrity: The policies of Union College regarding academic honesty and integrity will be upheld and enforced as necessary. This includes policies regarding: cheating (dishonesty in a test situation), plagiarism (dishonesty in presentation of materials in a paper or report, the extensive use of quotations and paraphrasing should not be used), and other abuses (see the college catalog for more details). Grading: First Exam Psychological Test Review Second Exam

20% 15% 20%

Psychological Assessment New Test Development Report Attendance/Participation

15% 15% 15%

The final course grade will be based on the cumulative percent score earned by each student as follows: A+ 100

A A96 93 superior work

B+ 89

B 86

BC+ 93 79 satisfactory work

C 76

CD+ 73 69 poor quality work

D 66

F 63 no credit

Final notes: Please do not hesitate to speak with me regarding any aspect of the course material or other topics of interest to you. Remember that as your instructor, I am here to help facilitate your learning. If you do not let me know how things are going, I will be less able to assist you. It is your responsibility to prepare yourself to learn (be rested, fed and read ahead of class), and to speak up if you are having some difficulty. Remember, there are no “dumb” questions in college – you are here to learn! What you get out of this course and college in general has a lot to do with what you put into it, so “Carpe diem!” That is, “Seize the day!” Be aware that it is quite common, when taking a psychology course, to find that the material “stirs” something in you. Please feel free to speak with me if you have any concerns while studying various topics; I may be able to direct you to additional readings or other resources. Students should also feel free to take advantage of the Counseling Center available on campus in Silliman Hall (x6161). I am also available if you would like to discuss careers in psychology or if would like to discuss my clinical or research work in more detail. My masters’ degree is in school counseling and my doctorate is in counseling psychology. I have worked as a clinician and a researcher in the areas of geropsychology, health psychology and neuropsychology. I’d be happy to discuss any of these areas of psychology or help point you toward resources for other aspects of psychology. In addition to office hours, email is usually a very reliable way to reach me and you are also welcome to leave a message any time of day at my number above. Let’s have a great term!

Tentative Course Outline Week

Day

Date

Topic for Class

1

Tue

1/8

Psych Testing – what is it and why?

1

Thur

1/10

History & Ethical issues

2

Tue

1/15

Norms & Reliability

3

Thur

1/17

Validity

4

Tue

1/22

Test Construction

4

Thur

1/24

Exam

Tue

1/29

Neuropsychological

Thur

1/31

IQ

Tue

2/5

Achievement & Ability

Thur

2/7

Personality

Tue

2/12

I/O & Occupational

Thur

2/14

Forensic

Tue

2/19

Exam

Thur

2/21

Tue

2/26

Test Development (start) Administration (start) Score/Norm Tests & Interpretation

Thur

2/28

Tue

3/4

Thur

3/6

Test Development (continued) - data analysis Test Development (continued) *** mastery option for Exam 1 *** Test Development Discussion

Tue

3/11

Assessment Report Writing Techniques

Thur

3/13

Assessment Report Discussion

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Assignments Due

Readings

student presentations: _________ & _________ student presentations: _________ & _________ student presentations: _________ & _________ student presentations: _________ & _________ student presentations: _________ & _________ student presentations: _________ & _________

10 5 6 8

11 11

10 Assessment Data Table due

3

Test Development data due Assessment draft due Test Development Report Due

Assessment Report Due

(Note: tentative schedule - changes in required readings, topics, assignments, or exams may be made)

3,4