Psychometric issues in the assessment of clinical competencies.

Reviews studies that included measures of counselor or therapist competencies published between 1977 and mid-1982 in 4 journals: the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Counselor Education and Supervision, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Clinical Psychology. There were 235 instances of measuring clinicians' competencies in 149 studies. Evidence of the reliability and validity associated with the assessment instruments was examined for each one. A majority of the measurements were ratings of counselor or therapist interpersonal competency in clinical situations. Only 43% of the measurements included reliability data computed at the time they were used, and only 12% were accompanied by any evidence of their validity. The authors describe the types of instruments used in these studies and their psychometric properties, the behaviors and constructs that were assessed, and the most frequently used instruments. The implications of inadequate psychometric rigor in clinical competency assessment research are discussed, and recommendations are made for improving the reliability and validity of clinical performance appraisal. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pain assessment and management in older adults: Conceptual issues and clinical challenges.

This article reviews clinical pain assessment and psychological pain management in older persons through the lens of a Communications Model of Pain (Craig, in press; Hadjistavropoulos & Craig, 2002; Hadjistavropoulos, Craig, & Fuchs-Lacelle, 2004; Prkachin & Craig, 1995). The Communications Model of Pain has the advantage of drawing attention to a variety of important factors that come into play when selecting assessment instruments and when making decisions concerning intervention. The authors examine a variety of assessment methodologies (including both self-report and observational approaches) that are suitable for older persons with and without dementia. The authors also review psychosocial pain management methods (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy and applications of behavioral approaches within long-term care facilities) that have potential applications with older persons. The role of psychological service providers is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contemporary issues in clinical training.

66 directors of clinical training and 118 randomly selected clinicians responded to a questionnaire concerning issues in clinical training. Directors of training were more favorably inclined toward the scientist–professional model than were random clinicians. Random clinicians were more favorably inclined toward alternative, professional models of training than were directors of training. A factor analysis revealed that endorsement of either a scientist–professional model or a professional model and a rejection of the alternative model accounted for 45% of the variance of responses to the questionnaire. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five big issues in clinical personality assessment: A rejoinder to Costa and McCrae.

Responds to P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's reply (see record 1992-25762-001) to the Y. S. Ben-Porath and N. G. Waller article (see record 1992-25755-001) by clarifying the following points: (1) "Normal" personality instruments such as the NEO Personality Inventory should not be used in place of clinical measures, but may serve to provide useful supplemental information; (2) evaluation of the clinical validity of individual test protocols is a vital component of clinical assessment; (3) ordering of scales on a profile implies configural interpretation of test scores, which is common practice in clinical assessment; (4) anxiety, depression, and impulsiveness are viewed by some clinicians as being related to different higher order domains; and (5) clinical correlates thought to be associated with conscientiousness are readily assessable by clinical inventories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and assessment issues in performance appraisal.

Performance appraisal is a topic that is of both theoretical interest and practical importance. As such, it is one of the most researched topics in industrial and organisational psychology. Several measurement issues are central to performance appraisal including: (a) how performance has been measured, (b) how to improve performance appraisal ratings, (c) what is meant by performance, and (d) how the quality of ratings has been defined. Each of these are discussed along with the shortcomings of the extant literature in helping to come to grips with these important issues. Next, some of the new challenges facing performance appraisal, given its historical focus on single individuals being evaluated, are highlighted. In particular, the appraisal problems inherent in the assessment of team performance and the complexities inherent in multisource feedback systems are covered. We conclude with a short discussion of the litigious issues that can arise as a result of poor performance management practises. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence: Foundations and issues in assessment.

There is no more central topic in psychology than intelligence and intelligence testing. With a history as long as psychology itself, intelligence is the most studied and likely the best understood construct in psychology, albeit still with many “unknowns.” The psychometric sophistication employed in creating intelligence tests is at the highest level. The authors provide an overview of the history, theory, and assessment of intelligence. Five questions are proposed and discussed that focus on key areas of confusion or misunderstanding associated with the measurement and assessment of intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of an operational management assessment program.

Examined the validity of an assessment program by reviewing the career progress of 1,086 employees in sales, service, and administrative functions after they were assessed. Although Ss participating in the program were nominated on the basis of being promotable, raters found that more than 1/4 were unqualified, and the others were widely differentiated. Ratings were used to move Ss into 1st-line management, but the relationship of ratings to 1st promotions was moderate enought to reduce fears of "crown prince" or "kiss of death" effects. Participation did not seem to demotivate these Ss. Assessment ratings substantially correlated with 2 major criteria, 2nd-level promotions and demotions from 1st-line management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of performance assessment in mathematics for early adolescents.

Reports validity evidence for a large-scale and "low-stakes" performance assessment involving 905 Grade 8 students. A subsample of 198 students was used to study the relationship of performance measures with conventional achievement and affective measures. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 8 math performance tasks were unidimensional. Generalizability and dependability coefficients were .72 and .68, respectively. Also provided is other empirical validity evidence. Performance scores produced large and significant correlations with the achievement variables. Gender differences were significant for the total performance score as well as for the 2 components: concepts, procedures, and relationships, and applications and problem solving. Results are related to theory and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some issues in the assessment of family patterns.

Comments that C. I. Carlson and H. D. Grotevant's (see record 1989-00066-001) review of family rating scales provides a valuable resource but misses the opportunity to stress the importance of studying the whole family (including marital and parent–child interaction) and of choosing between rating and interactional coding systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodological issues in assessment research with ethnic minorities.

Assessment research on ethnic minorities presents multiple methodological and conceptual challenges. This article addresses the difficulties in defining and examining ethnicity as a variable in psychological research. The authors assert that many of the problems stem from not making explicit the assumptions underlying the use of ethnicity as an explanatory variable and from inadequately describing cultural and contextual characteristics of ethnic minority samples. Also raised are common methodological problems encountered in examining race, ethnicity, and culture in assessment research, such as decisions regarding which populations to study, sampling methodologies, measure selection, method of assessment, and interpretation of results. Finally, some guidelines are offered for tackling some of the methodological dilemmas in assessment research with ethnic minorities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical and clinical issues in involuntary psychotherapy.

Ethical and clinical issues related to psychotherapy with competent adults who have been ordered to treatment by the courts are considered. A paradigm of the psychotherapeutic relationship is postulated based on G. Kelly's (1963) "role relationship" and M. Buber's (1958) "I-Thou." The difficulties of developing such a relationship in the presence of coercion are examined, and approaches to addressing those difficulties are suggested. Implications for the role of the psychotherapist and the social role of psychotherapy as a system are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural factors in clinical assessment.

Misdiagnosis, overestimation, underestimation, or neglect of psychopathology are frequent problems when clinician and patient come from different cultures. Although national differences in diagnostic categories remain, international efforts over the last decade have facilitated the development of diagnostic categories and criteria with cross-cultural reliability. Special theoretical issues concerning cross-cultural psychopathology include culture-bound syndromes, variable distribution of psychopathology across cultures, and cultural distinctions between belief and delusion and between trance and hallucination. Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) has not been adequately assessed from a cross-cultural perspective, its apparent achievements and failures are briefly reviewed. Finally, suggestions are offered for educating clinicians about cross-cultural conceptual issues and teaching the clinical skills necessary for cross-cultural work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructional perspectives in clinical assessment.

The constructional approach to assessment and treatment refers to broad metatheoretical assumptions regarding the value of constructing rather than eliminating behavioral repertoires. The attempt to move from a deficit-oriented model to one that emphasizes a client's assets and strengths is discernible in a variety of orientations. In this article, a general paradigmatic framework is advocated that represents positive and negative behaviors in the context of interactions between characteristics of the social environment and the organization of individual behavioral repertoires. By emphasizing the interrelationships within repertoires, a rationale is provided for conceptualizing and assessing positive behaviors. The significance of positive behaviors for the design of long-term, effective interventions is presented along 3 dimensions: judgment of the meaningfulness of therapy outcome, the use of personal and social supports in the process of therapeutic change, and values regarding clients' potential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of behavioral assessment for predicting military recruiter performance.

Determined the validity of an assessment center designed to help select US Army recruiters. 16 experienced recruiters assessed 57 soldiers entering the Army's recruiter school, and assessment ratings were correlated with subsequent performance in training. A composite of assessment ratings yielded corrected validities of near .50. In contrast, first-impression evaluations, ratings based on a structured interview, and scores on a test developed to predict success in military recruiting correlated near zero with performance in training. Results confirm that valid assessment does not require behavioral scientists as assessors, and analyses suggest that statistical composites of assessment ratings on individual exercises may be slightly more valid than clinical consensus judgments made after discussion of assessment performance. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bone demarcation of the temporomandibular joint. Validity of clinical assessment of bone thickness by means of CT

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of induced hypoglycaemia on serum levels of the placental hormones oestriol, human placental lactogen, placental growth hormone and progesterone in the third trimester of pregnancy. DESIGN: A prospective experimental investigation. SETTING: High risk pregnancy unit and diabetes research unit at Karolinska Institutet Danderyd Hospital, a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ten women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the third trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Venous blood samples were collected every 15 minutes for analyses of oestriol, progesterone, human placental lactogen and placental growth hormone, during the 150 min of a hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemic clamp, which maintained arterial blood-glucose level of about 2.2 mmol/l. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of analysed placental hormones during hypoglycaemia. RESULTS: A statistically significant increase was observed in placental growth hormone during hypoglycaemia (P < 0.0001), whereas the placental hormones progesterone, human placental lactogen and oestriol did not show changes of clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in placental growth hormone indicates that the placenta is an endocrine organ which may take an active part in acute metabolic processes, such as here in the hormonal counterregulation of hypoglycaemia.     

Validity of the Sheltered Care Environment Scale: Conceptual and methodological issues.

The Sheltered Care Environment Scale (SCES) was developed primarily to measure social climate as an attribute of a setting. As such, the SCES was designed to maximize differences between facilities and minimize differences among individuals within a setting. However, G. C. Smith and S. K. Whitbourne (see record 1990-27263-001) assessed the validity of the SCES as a measure of individual differences in perceptions of a shared environment. Moreover, they redefined the content coverage of 2 of the SCES subscales (Independence and Physical Comfort) to encompass attributes the SCES is not intended to measure. In general, preliminary evidence indicates that the SCES subscales provide reasonably reliable and valid indices of the social climate of group residential facilities. (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)     

Methodological issues and problems in the assessment of substance use.

Three general types of methodologic issues that are particularly salient in research involving assessment of substance use or substance-abusing populations are highlighted: (1) the reliability and validity of self-report, collateral, and biological methods of assessing substance use, (2) the variability and episodic course of substance use disorders, and (3) the heterogeneity of individuals with substance use disorders. Within each of these general areas, several common methodologic problems in assessment research, as well as strategies for avoiding or minimizing these problems, are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying causal relationships in clinical assessment.

The identification of causal variables is a central component in the design of many treatment programs. This article reviews the underlying principles and methods of identifying important causal variables for clients in pretreatment psychological assessment. Causal and functional relationships are defined, and the methods of deriving causal inferences about clients' behavior problems are reviewed. These include rational derivation, causally focused self-report instruments, causal marker variables, time-series assessment, and manipulation strategies. Measuring and inferring causal relationships are constrained by multiple modes and parameters of behavior disorders, the bidirectional and nonlinear nature of causal relationships, the dynamic and unstable nature of causal relationships, and the causal properties of change in a causal variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)