The State of Psychological Assessment in Asia.

The collection of articles in this special section provides a much-needed examination of the state of psychological assessment in various Asian countries or societies. In particular, the contributors review and critique assessment of personality, depression and anxiety, children and adolescents, and neuropsychological evaluation. The reviews cover the use of, and research on, imported measures (Western derived) as well as indigenous measures that were developed locally. The articles make a valuable contribution toward understanding not only the state of assessment in Asia but also larger issues such as the universal applicability of assessment instruments and the cross-cultural validity of models of human behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the Special Section on Incremental Validity and Utility in Clinical Assessment.

This special section focuses on the incremental validity and utility of clinical assessment data. The lack of replicated incremental validity research limits the ability of psychologists to establish their assessment practices on a solid empirical footing. The articles in this section deal with conceptual, methodological, and content issues in the development and use of clinical measures. The authors addressed several aspects of incremental validity research, including (a) the evaluation of the magnitude of validity increments, (b) the use of incremental validity data for test development and validation, (c) the costs of assessment, (d) the use of multi-informant and multimethod assessments, and (e) the treatment utility of assessment. Obstacles limiting the use of incremental validity research to inform and guide clinical practice are also emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological testing and psychological assessment: A closer examination.

Comments on the G. J. Meyer et al (see record 2001-00159-003) summary of evidence and issues associated with psychological assessment. J. Hunsley states that Meyer et al failed to address two major issues at the very heart of psychological assessment practices in a consistent and sufficient manner: the crucial distinction between testing and assessment and the critical importance of incremental validity in both testing and assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incremental Validity in the Psychological Assessment of Children and Adolescents.

Incremental validity in the process of psychological assessment of children and adolescents is explored. The authors highlight the dependence of the incremental validity of assessment information on factors such as goal of assessment, other information available, base rate of the problem or outcome, age or gender of the child, and type of problem being assessed. The authors discuss the incremental validity of assessment information from alternate sources, methods, and constructs. In view of the limited number of studies directly relevant to incremental validity in child clinical assessments, the authors call for more clinically relevant research. To have the greatest impact on child and adolescent services, this research must be readily generalized and immediately relevant to actual clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent Development of Cognitive and Neuropsychological Assessment in Asian Countries.

There is a growing trend of research in neuropsychological assessment in Asia: The mean number of published studies increased from 1.8 in the 1980s to 16.0 in 2 recent years. About 40% of the studies reviewed concerned test development or adaptation, with the latter greatly outnumbering the former. To facilitate the test selection for clinical use, 36 clinical measures were evaluated based on some statistical criteria. The results showed that only 8 neuropsychological tests (5 Chinese. 2 Korean, and 1 Japanese) met the criteria. Given that Asian and Western populations differ on certain cognitive processes, future development of neuropsychological assessment measures in Asia should move from the adaptation of Western tests toward the construction of original tests with better ecological validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Indigenous Measures of Personality Assessment in Asian Countries: A Review.

This article reviews attempts to develop multidimensional personality measures in Asia and their applications in clinical assessment. Indigenous personality assessment measures in India, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan are examined. These early attempts have not yielded a comprehensive personality measure that integrates a theoretical framework and an empirical program of validation. The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) is cited as an example to illustrate the process of developing an indigenous measure that meets the testing standards of established assessment instruments. On the basis of the research findings from the CPAI, the authors discuss the relevance of indigenous measures in clinical assessment in native cultures as well as in informing mainstream personality assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodology for identifying specific psychological deficits: Introduction to the Special Section.

A long-standing problem in psychopathology research is establishing that patterns of differences between groups reflects differences of underlying constructs and not artifacts of research design, measurement, or analysis. This introduction provides a context for 4 articles that consider several controversial issues regarding this problem and presents a précis. Although these articles focus on schizophrenia, it is noted how the issues are of more general relevance to psychopathology researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Incremental Validity of Psychological Testing and Assessment: Conceptual, Methodological, and Statistical Issues.

There has been insufficient effort in most areas of applied psychology to evaluate incremental validity. To further this kind of validity research, the authors examined applicable research designs, including those to assess the incremental validity of test instruments, of test-informed clinical inferences, and of newly developed measures. The authors also considered key statistical and measurement issues that can influence incremental validity findings, including the entry order of predictor variables, how to interpret the size of a validity increment, and possible artifactual effects in the criteria selected for incremental validity research. The authors concluded by suggesting steps for building a cumulative research base concerning incremental validity and by describing challenges associated with applying nomothetic research findings to individual clinical cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Focus Groups in Psychological Assessment: Enhancing Content Validity by Consulting Members of the Target Population.

A review of articles in Psychological Assessment reveals that many researchers develop instruments without the benefit of consultation with members of the target population. To the extent that researchers do consult the target population, most fail to bring consultation in early enough to inform the identification and specification of key constructs. Moreover, this consultation typically takes the form of one-to-one interviews. The authors' goal in this article was to elaborate on the importance of population consultation as part of content validation and to critically evaluate the potential of one method of consultation, focus groups, to inform multiple stages of instrument development. The authors suggest that this method holds promise for enhancing the content validity of instruments and, ultimately, the validity of research findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-Cultural Equivalence and Validity of the Vietnamese MMPI-2: Assessing Psychological Adjustment of Vietnamese Refugees.

The cross-cultural equivalence and validity of the Vietnamese translation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were examined in a sample of 1st-generation Vietnamese refugees in the United States (N = 143). Respondents completed the Vietnamese MMPI-2, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, a measure of acculturation, and a demographic questionnaire. An inspection of MMPI-2 mean profiles and items showing extreme endorsement rates suggested that certain symptom tendencies and cultural values may be reflected in responses to some MMPI-2 items. Older age, lower acculturation, greater experienced premigration-postmigration traumas, and military veteran status were all associated with elevated MMPI-2 profiles, suggesting that the MMPI-2 functions in a reasonably equivalent and valid way in this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the Special Section on Social Neuroscience: Promise and caveats.

This special issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition is devoted to theory and research at the interface of social psychology and neuroscience. The 5 empirical articles represent the theoretical and methodological breadth of issues considered by social neuroscientists. The methods span brain lesion work to neuroendocrinology to psychophysiological indicators of brain activity to functional magnetic resonance imaging indicators of brain activity. The remaining 2 articles consider explicitly some of the promises and pitfalls of social neuroscience; these authors, although noting the power of neuroscience methods, remind readers of the serious challenges posed in trying to examine the biological processes underlying or associated with social psychological phenomena. These articles help to reveal the richness of social neuroscience and the power of neuroscientific methods to address processes and mechanisms that would not be possible with traditional social psychology methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Psychological Assessment of Children.

Reviews the book, The Psychological Assessment of Children by James O. Palmer (see record 1970-20599-000). The Palmer text begins with a nod to the science-practitioner model. It is ego-oriented and depends heavily of the case history approach viewed within developmental constructs. Psychiatric taxonomy is largely avoided. The organisation of material covers 5 parts; I Hypotheses of Assessment, II Methods of Data Collection, III Procedure in Assessment, IV Analyses of the Assessment, and and V Assessment and Recommendations. The final chapters comprise a linking of assessment for psychotherapy and other kinds of intervention. Test manual kinds of materials, test norms, and scoring procedures are not covered. Nor are specific tests reviewed, the assumption being that the student will be receiving technical training concurrently. Palmer's purpose seems to be the provision of holistic kinds of conceptual frameworks within which the technician can function instead as a professional. Worth examining for class adaption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of the MMPI-2 With Asian Populations.

Psychological tests developed in the United States are being widely adapted into other languages and cultures around the world. This article examines the generalizability and utility of personality assessment instruments across cultures and addresses methodological issues related to using personality questionnaires in countries different from the one in which they were developed. This article specifically highlights the application of objective psychological tests in Asia with special emphasis on the most widely used and internationally adapted personality instrument, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Effective strategies for translating, adapting, and standardizing questionnaires in languages and cultures different from their country of origin are reviewed. The history of several successful adaptations of the original MMPI and MMPI-2 is surveyed to illustrate the extensive research base for the test in Asia. Current research is summarized, and recommendations for future research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Contribution of Psychological Assessment.

Recognizing that only practicing clinicians can contribute relevant data toward resolving the continuing controversy surrounding the value of psychological testing assessment, the author reports the following anecdotal analysis of his assessment work. The author would encourage all clinical psychologists to carry out a retrospective analysis of assessment's contribution in their own clinical settings. Although such anecdotal analyses are definitely limited by the question of the validity of the criteria of discharge diagnosis and significant clinical improvement, the author has found the exercise to be worthwhile as feedback on the contribution of his assessment and as information that is helpful in discussion of psychological assessment with trainees in psychology and other mental health disciplines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the Special Section on Psychological and Behavioral Approaches to Occupational Health.

The history of the International Commission on Occupational Health is deeply bound to that of the 20th century. First and only international scientific society of such an importance, it was founded in 1906 to bring solutions to the problems caused by a great number of occupational injuries and diseases due to the developing of industry. With the passing years, from a small medical group it has become a multidisciplinary society, present in 90 countries, where researchers, government authorities, and practitioners are coexisting in a permanent exchange between practice and research. It is composed of international scientific committees, which organize regular conferences and meet every 3 years on the occasion of the great International Congress in Occupational Health. Owing to the changes due to the new technologies of work and to the globalization of economy, the orientation of its activities is in progress: larger opening toward developing countries and the phenomenon of development in general, emphasis on prevention in occupational health, and opening of a new field of research on the psychosocial factors and work organization. At the first conference on this theme, held in Copenhagen in August 1998, occupational health and occupational psychology specialists to meet. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on cross-cultural clinical applications. The broader application of clinical assessment and treatment technology with diverse populations and settings has increased in the United States and has expanded to numerous other countries as well. The application of psychological procedures and methods with patients from different cultural backgrounds raises numerous methodological issues. This special series is devoted to those issues and problems inherent in applying techniques developed in one culture with individuals from another—either in other lands or with immigrant populations here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the Special Section on the Role of Psychology in Capacity Evaluations.

Psychologists working in rehabilitation settings are frequently asked to assess patients' decision-making capacity. The following is an introduction to the concept of capacity and its role in the area of rehabilitation psychology. It introduces some of the challenges faced by psychologists in assessing capacity for decision making, the legal factors that psychologists need to consider when assessing decision-making capacity, and clinical judgment of future risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the final Special Section in the Special Series on the utility of the Rorschach for clinical assessment.

A Special Series was organized to clarify the merits of the Rorschach for clinical assessment. Except for a neutral meta-analytic review, articles were solicited from scholars known to have opposing views on the Rorschach. The authors participated in a structured, sequential, evidence-based dialogue that focused on strengths and limitations when using the Rorschach for applied purposes, The debate has taken place over 4 iterations, with later articles building on and reacting to those generated earlier. The first 5 articles in the Special Series were published earlier (G. J. Meyer, 1999), and the final 6 articles are published in this issue of Psychological Assessment. This article provides a brief overview of the full Special Series and an introduction to the 6 articles contained in this Special Section. The Special Series provides clinicians, researchers, educators, and students with a thorough review of the evidence and logic that are critical for understanding the Rorschach's strengths and limitations in clinical assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amplifying issues related to psychological testing and assessment.

Responds to comments by D. A. Smith (see record 2002-10716-011), H. N. Garb et al (see record 2002-10716-012), R. Fernández-Ballesteros (see record 2002-10716-013), J. Hunsley (see record 2002-10716-014) regarding the G. J. Meyer et al (see record 2001-00159-003) summary of evidence and issues associated with psychological assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)