Psychological Test

1. Psychological Test
Dr. Asoke Kumar Saha
Professor
Department of Psychology
Jagannath University
Dhaka- 1100

2. What is a psychological test?
A psychological test is a tool used to measure an individual's
mental, emotional, or behavioral traits, abilities, and functioning.
These tests are designed to assess various aspects of a person's
psychology, such as intelligence, personality, aptitude, interests,
or mental health. The results can provide insights into a person’s
cognitive abilities, emotional well-being, social skills, and more.
Psychological tests are often standardized, meaning they are
administered and scored in a consistent manner, allowing for
comparisons across different individuals or groups. They can be
used in a variety of settings, such as in clinical psychology,
education, employment, or research.

3. Types of psychological tests
• Cognitive or Intelligence Tests – Measure intellectual abilities and reasoning
skills (e.g., IQ tests).
• Personality Tests – Assess traits, behaviors, and characteristics that define an
individual’s personality (e.g., the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the
Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory).
• Aptitude Tests – Evaluate specific skills or talents, like problem-solving or
mechanical ability.
• Neuropsychological Tests – Examine brain function, often to diagnose
conditions like brain injuries or neurological disorders.
• Projective Tests – Use ambiguous stimuli (like pictures or open-ended
questions) to assess underlying thoughts, feelings, and desires (e.g., the
Rorschach Inkblot Test).
• Behavioral Assessments – Focus on observable actions or behaviors and their
frequency or intensity.
These tests are typically administered by trained professionals, such as
psychologists, to ensure accuracy and appropriate interpretation of results.

4. What are the types of psychological test?
• Psychological tests can be categorized in several ways, based on the traits or behaviors they are
designed to assess-
1. Cognitive and Intelligence Tests
• Purpose: These tests are designed to assess intellectual abilities, reasoning, and cognitive
functions.
• Examples:
– IQ Tests (e.g., Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale)
– Cognitive Ability Tests (e.g., Raven's Progressive Matrices)
• What They Measure: General intelligence, logical reasoning, problem-solving, memory, and
processing speed.
2. Personality Tests
• Purpose: These tests are designed to assess an individual's personality traits, behaviors, and
emotional patterns.
• Examples:
– MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)
– Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
– Big Five Personality Test (assesses openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness,
and neuroticism)
• What They Measure: Personality traits, emotional stability, social behavior, introversion vs.
extraversion, and psychological conditions.

5. 3. Aptitude Tests
• Purpose: These tests measure a person’s ability to learn or develop skills in certain
areas.
• Examples:
– SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) for educational aptitude.
– GRE (Graduate Record Examination) to assess readiness for graduate school.
– Mechanical Aptitude Tests for assessing ability in mechanical reasoning or
tasks.
• What They Measure: Specific talents or potential abilities in various fields (e.g.,
academic, technical, artistic).
4. Neuropsychological Tests
• Purpose: These tests assess brain functioning and how it affects behavior, memory,
attention, language, and other cognitive functions.
• Examples:
– Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery
– Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery
• What They Measure: Cognitive abilities such as memory, motor skills, problem-
solving, and speech, often used to diagnose brain injuries or neurological disorders.

6. 5. Achievement and Aptitude Tests
– Purpose: Assess knowledge or skills in specific areas, often
used for educational purposes.
– Examples:
• SAT: An achievement test used in the U.S. for college admissions,
measuring critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills.
• ACT: Another standardized test for college admissions that assesses
English, math, reading, and science reasoning.
6. Mental Health and Diagnostic Tests
– Purpose: Used to assess mental health conditions such as
depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
– Examples:
• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI): A self-report test used to measure
the severity of depressive symptoms.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7): A tool used to assess the
severity of anxiety symptoms.

7. Validity
1. Content Validity
Definition: How well a test or instrument covers the entire content it's supposed to measure.
2. Construct Validity
Definition: Whether the test truly measures the theoretical concept or construct it's intended to.
Example: A depression scale should measure depression, not anxiety or stress.
3. Criterion Validity
Definition: How well one measure predicts an outcome based on another, established measure
(criterion).
Predictive Validity: Forecasts future performance (e.g., SAT predicting college GPA).
Concurrent Validity: Correlates with a known measure at the same time (e.g., new IQ test vs.
standard IQ test).
4. Face Validity
Definition: Whether the test appears to measure what it claims to, on the surface.
Example: A job aptitude test that looks like it's related to the job duties.
5. Internal Validity
Definition: The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are truly caused by the
independent variable, not by other factors.
Example: Controlled experiments with random assignment increase internal validity.
6. External Validity
Definition: The extent to which results can be generalized to other people, settings, or times.
Example: Lab results applying to real-world situations.

8. Reliability
1. Test-Retest Reliability
Definition: Consistency of results when the same test is given to the same group at two
different times.
Example: A personality test gives similar results when taken two weeks apart.
2. Inter-Rater Reliability
Definition: The degree of agreement between different observers or raters.
Example: Two psychologists give similar ratings of a patient's behavior using the same
scale.
3. Parallel-Forms Reliability (Alternate Forms)
Definition: Consistency between different versions of a test that measure the same thing.
Example: Two different forms of a driving theory test yield similar scores.
4. Internal Consistency Reliability
Definition: How consistently the items within a test measure the same construct.
Common Measures:
Cronbach’s Alpha (most used)
Split-Half Reliability
Example: All items on a depression inventory relate closely to the concept of depression.

9. • How Psychological Tests Are Administered:
• Self-Report: Some tests, like the MMPI, involve individuals answering a
series of questions about their own feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Observation: Certain tests rely on observing the test-taker’s behavior in
different situations to gain insights into personality or cognitive
functioning.
• Interviews: A structured or semi-structured interview may be used to
gather information about a person’s mental state and history.
• Performance Tasks: Tasks requiring the test-taker to complete certain
actions, such as solving puzzles or answering questions, are often used to
assess cognitive abilities.
• Validity and Reliability:
• Validity: Ensures the test measures what it is supposed to measure. For
example, does an IQ test truly measure intelligence, or is it measuring
something else?
• Reliability: Ensures the test produces consistent results over time or
across different raters. A reliable test will give the same results if
administered repeatedly under similar conditions.

10. When are Psychological Tests Used?
• Clinical Diagnosis: To diagnose mental health disorders or assess
emotional functioning.
• Educational Assessment: To identify learning disabilities, intellectual
abilities, or academic skills.
• Employment: Some organizations use personality tests or cognitive
assessments to help select candidates for specific job roles.
• Research: Psychologists use standardized tests to conduct research on
human behavior, emotions, and cognition.
• Ethical Considerations:
• Informed Consent: Test-takers should be informed about the nature of
the test and how the results will be used.
• Confidentiality: Results of psychological tests must be kept confidential
to protect the test-taker’s privacy.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Tests should be administered in a way that is
culturally appropriate and does not favor one group over another.