Multinomial processing tree models and psychological assessment.

Psychological assessment often focuses on individual participants in testing situations. Psychometric models for assessment include parameters for individual and item differences, but they rarely model the cognitive processes involved in responding to test items. Information-processing models of cognition focus on psychological mechanisms; however, they are rarely used in assessment situations. This article discusses a class of information-processing models for categorical data called multinomial processing tree (MPT) models. While MPT models have been developed mostly for experimental situations, there is a largely untapped potential for using them for assessment. Thus, the goal of this article is to discuss how MPT models can be developed into cognitively based psychometric tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chaos theory, nonlinear dynamical models, and psychological assessment.

This article is the first in a special section on chaos theory and psychological assessment. This introductory article provides the basic definitions, measurement approaches, and data analytic techniques that are collectively referred to as chaos theory (T. Y. Li & J. A. Yorke, 1975). Chaos refers to certain unstable transitional phenomena that heretofore had been viewed as random (S. Krasner, 1990). Some have suggested that unstable human behavior of interest to psychological assessment may be chaotic, such as some extreme mood changes (L. Glass & M. C. Mackey, 1988). Chaos theory testing involves quantification of idiographic time series data with nonlinear dynamic mathematical modeling. Chaotic behavior exhibits abrupt changes in the parametric values of variables that are an iterative function of past values, yielding an irreversible and hierarchical pattern. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer-focused psychological assessment.

To enhance the clinical utility of psychological assessments, the author recommends a consumer-focused approach to health care marketing--the "Four Rs": relevance, response, relationships, and results (J. English, 2000). Research suggests 5 responses psychologists can take to increase the relevance of psychological assessments: (a) eliminate jargon, (b) focus on referral questions, (c) individualize assessment reports, (d) emphasize client strengths, and (e) write concrete recommendations. To build relationships with consumers, psychologists should collaborate with them when formulating referral questions and providing feedback of assessment results. Finally, psychologists should use the results of consumer satisfaction studies to improve the clinical utility of psychological assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practicing psychological assessment.

Comments on an article by R. J. Silver (American Psychologist, 2001, Vol 56, 1008-1014), one portion of which argued that it is acceptable to use tests that have not been shown to be valid. Silver noted in his clinical practice, when using a test that may or may not be valid, he predicts how the client will perform on the test. If the predictions turn out to be accurate, he concludes that his impression of the client is confirmed; if predictions turn out to be inaccurate, he does additional testing and interviewing and perhaps obtains further history data. The present author argues that by making this argument, Silver is minimizing the importance of scientific research on the validity of a test and setting an example that other psychologists would be ill advised to follow. Several arguments are made in support of this contention, using the Draw-A-Person Test and Rorschach as examples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Foundations of psychological assessment: Implications for cognitive assessment in clinical science.

We examine psychological assessment within the broader framework of psychology's efforts to build and test useful scientific theories. In the first section, we consider in detail a number of fundamental epistemological, conceptual, and methodological issues that tend either to inhibit or to foster theoretical progress in psychology. In light of these issues, we then recommend that psychology adopt an information-based, quantitative approach to theory building and testing. This approach should help us model the dynamic, stochastic processes underlying human behavior. In the second section, we explore the implications of the issues and strategies that we outlined in the first section for the future of clinical assessment, with a particular focus on the clinical assessment of cognitive processes. We conclude by advocating a conceptual and methodological integration of clinical and cognitive neuroscience in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervision of psychological assessment: A developmental model.

The supervision of assessment has been greatly neglected in the literature. A model of supervisee development, from novice to master assessor, is presented. The model focuses on the development of the ability to integrate data into a coherent formulation of the person being tested. Appropriate supervision depends on a matching of the supervisor's behavior to the supervisee's needs, as specified by the supervisee's current level of development. This development is dramatized by improvements in interpreting specific data points and in the recognition of larger patterns in the data. This skill acquisition occurs within the affective context of the supervisor–supervisee relationship as the interaction elicits both inter- and intrapersonal issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Competency assessment models.

This article describes characteristics of alternative assessment models deployed in the measurement of professional competencies across the professional life span based on the work of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Assessment of Competence in Professional Psychology. Assessments of knowledge, decision making, performance and personal attributes, as well as integrated practice-based skills and tasks are described and compared on the basis of their validity, feasibility and practicality, fidelity, and relevance at difference stages of professional development. It is acknowledged that no single assessment can evaluate all competencies and that assessments can be combined in complementary ways. Assessments deployed in the nursing, dental, and medical professions are reviewed and contrasted with current practices in psychology. At the licensure level, differences in the assessments deployed among the 4 healthcare professions are described, and their candidate fees and number of candidates assessed annually are documented. Ideas for developing new assessments in psychology are discussed on the basis of the needs and financial resources available to psychology and the experiences of other healthcare professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Current practice of psychological assessment.

A survey was conducted to evaluate current psychological testing practice in acute care inpatient settings. Findings indicated that psychologists typically continue to use the standard test battery developed by Rapaport, Gill, and Schafer in the 1940s. We outline an alternative problem-oriented approach to assessment that seems better suited for short-term care settings. In this model the primary assessment strategy emphasizes rapid assessment of symptoms and problem areas rather than comprehensive personality assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Landmarks in computer-assisted psychological assessment.

Traces the history, development, and rationale of computer-based psychological test interpretation (CBTI). Developments in computer technology permitted a progression from mail-in services to on-line interactive testing. A taxonomy of CBTI systems is appended, and use of CBTI systems with such tests as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), and the Rorschach is discussed. Interactive computer-based testing, recurring issues such as ethics and validity, and evaluations of the early systems are also addressed. (76 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment implications of psychological assessment.

Presents some conceptual foundations and methods of enhancing the power of treatment decisions through psychological assessment. Individual articles discuss the identification of clients' behavior problems, a constructional approach to treatment, goal-centered and contextual assessment, the assessment of causal factors affecting clients' behavior problems, and the evaluation and refinement of ongoing therapy. The series proposes that treatment programs will be more effective if based on psychological assessment data and time-series assessment strategies, implemented throughout the assessment-treatment process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structures of psychological distress: Testing confirmatory hierarchical models.

Tested the contention of C. T. Veit and J. E. Ware (see record 1984-02935-001) that the structure of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI) proposed by B. P. Dohrenwend et al (see record 1981-25946-001) is underlaid with the factors of Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-Being. Data from intercorrelations of 5 MHI scales from 5,089 Ss were used. Results show that the theoretical formulation of the MHI is consistent with the data. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Sell decision: Implications for psychological assessment and treatment.

This article describes 2 important practice considerations affirmed in the U.S. Supreme Court's Sell v. United States (2002) decision: (a) the importance of providing least restrictive services prior to interventions that violate patients' liberty interests, and (b) contextual and environmental factors may be considered in clinical determinations of dangerousness. The psychological treatment of behavior disorders fall within the purview of least restrictive or intrusive interventions compared with the involuntary administration of psychoactive medications. To legitimately comply with the least restrictive criterion, the provision of psychological services is essential. This long-held criterion is rarely acknowledged today as providers use restricted service arrays and attempt to resolve complex and co-occurring behavior problems with medications and restraints. Less restrictive psychological interventions are required for effective treatment of challenging behaviors. A 2nd significant implication lies in the court's affirmation that it is legitimate to consider contextual factors such as history and current environmental conditions in determining dangerousness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biorhythmic variations in consciousness and psychological functions.

Research indicates that indices of conscious awareness of external and internal events exhibit both ultradian approximately 90-100 min (in adulthood) and circadian 24-hr variations. The phylogenetically older ultradian rhythm represents the basic rest-activity cycle (BRAC) of N. Kleitman (1963), is continuous, and appears to contain alternation of mental activity of thought-like and fantasy type at this periodicity in wakefulness and in NREM and REM sleep. This suggests continuous cyclic alternation of relative predominance of the left and right hemispheres inherent in the BRAC. Superimposed circadian fluctuations of consciousness in a diurnally active adult typically show lowest levels in the 1st hrs after usual sleep onset and a later dip at about 5-6:00 AM if the person remains awake. After a night of sleep, daytime consciousness and performance improve in the morning, usually show an early afternoon "post-lunch dip," a sustained increase in the late afternoon and early evening, and a decrease before sleep onset. It is postulated that cortical, mainly prefrontal, hyperpolarization in NREM sleep resets the cortex for renewed high-level perceptual awareness the next day. Consciousness is not a static attribute but shows definite biorhythmic fluctuations in level and type. (French abstract) (41/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender-role analysis: A neglected component of psychological assessment.

Discusses the influence of gender membership and gender-role socialization on psychological functioning and psychopathology, and proposes issues for the integration of gender-role analysis into the process of psychological assessment. Illustrations of how awareness or ignorance of gender-role issues can impact the outcome of psychological assessment are presented, and guidelines for the inclusion of gender-role analysis into the psychological assessment process are proposed. It is suggested that the assessment of gender-role issues requires a consideration of the lessons of gender, how they were learned, and what meaning was given to that experience; specific cultural values; how like or different the client's family was from other families who shared the client's cultural background; and the client's adult sexual and physical abuse history. The benefits of including gender-role analysis to both therapist/assessor and client are discussed. (25 ref) (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)     

The psychological assessment of risk for crime and violence.

This article provides an overview of the current practices and challenges in psychological risk assessment for crime and violence. Risk assessments have improved considerably during the past 20 years. The dismal predictive accuracy of unstructured professional opinion has largely been replaced by more accurate, structured risk assessment methods. Consensus has not been achieved, however, on the constructs assessed by the various risk tools, nor the best method of combining factors into an overall evaluation of risk. Advancing risk assessment for crime and violence requires psychometrically sound evaluations of psychologically meaningful causal risk factors described using nonarbitrary metrics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manifest and latent functions of psychological services.

Analyzes social functions of psychological services and raises fundamental policy issues based on the following conclusions: (a) The manifest functions of human services—to identify, correct, and prevent failures of psychological adaptation—are largely unrelated to, and often incompatible with, their latent functions—the provision of caring and social control. (b) Both types of functions emerged in reaction to forces in the technological society served. (c) Though psychological services are useful to society, they cannot, in principle, effectively implement their manifest functions. (d) Providers of psychological services may find new, more constructive directions in supporting decentralized social, economic, and technological innovations that promote alternatives to a centralized, megatechnological society. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Laterality of subcortical involvement and psychological functions.

Differences in psychological effects between lateralized cortical and subcortical brain lesions were assessed within a neuropsychological framework. The relative predominance of specific and nonspecific systems in the elaboration of incoming data at these cerebral levels and their participation in cognition and perceptual events was described. It was concluded that bilateral primacy of subcortical diffuse systems in contradistinction to unilateral primacy of cortical specific systems may account for observed differences between lateralized cortical and subcortical brain lesions. (3 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rethinking the validity of psychological assessment.

Comments on S. Messick's (see record 1996-10004-001) paper on the validity of psychological assessment. The author discusses the indeterminacy of construct validity, the overzealous scuttling of criterion-relevant validity, the drift away from measure-centered validity, and the need for reestablishing multiple forms of validity. The comments are aimed at combating an air of complacency fostered by the introduction and mounting elaboration of the concept of construct validation. The author concludes that the intractability of psychological measurement needs to be confronted more directly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)