Introduction to

Psychological
Testing
Prepared by:
Mr. Charlie C. Falguera, RN, MAN
Learning Objectives:
At the end of discussion, the student will
be able to:
Define the basic terms pertaining to
psychological & educational tests.
Distinguish between an individual test & a
group test.
Define the terms achievement, aptitude, &
intelligence and identify a concpt that can
encompass all three terms.
Distinguish between ability tests and
personality tests.
Define the term structured personality test.
Explain how structured personality tests differ
from projective personality tests.
Explain what a normative or standardization
sample is and why such a sample is
important.
Identify the major developments in the history
of psychological testing.
Explain the relevance of psychological tests in
contemporary society.
A car drives into the center ring of a circus
and exactly eight clowns Q, R, S, T, V, W,
Y, and Z get out of the car, one clown at a
time. The order in which the clowns get out
of the car is consistent with the following
conditions:
V gets out at some time before both Y and Q.
Q gets out at some time after Z.
gets out at some time before V but at some time
after R.
S gets out at some time after V.
R gets out at some time before W.
Question 1. If Q is the fifth clown to get out of
the car, then each of the following could be
true EXCEPT:
a) Z is the first clown to get out of the car.
b) T is the second clown to get out of the car.
c) V is the third clown to get out of the car.
d) W is the fourth clown to get out of the car.
e) Y is the sixth clown to get out the car.
Question 2. If R is the second clown to get
out of the car, which of the following must be
true?
a) S get out of the car at some time before T
does.
b) T get out of the car at some time before W
does.
c) W get out of the car at some time before V
does.
d) Y get out of the car at some time before Q
does.
e) Z get out of the car at some time before W
does.
Standardized
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TESTS
21st Century
A bus is moving along a straight stretch of
road. The bus driver, named Ray, has a cup
of water resting in a holder on the
dashboard. Suddenly Ray has to slam on the
brakes. What is most likely to happen in the
cup immediately after Ray slams on the
brakes?
a) The water will stay horizontal.
b) The water will spill over side 1.
c) The water will spill over side 2.
d) The water will spill but you cannot tell if it will
spill over side 1 or side 2.
How useful are tests such as the previous?
Do they measure anything meaningful?
How accurate are they?


TO ANSWER THEM, YOU MUST
UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING.
BASIC CONCEPTS
What a Test is?
What are the types of tests?
Test is a measurement device or technique
used to quantify behavior or aid in the
understanding and prediction of behavior.
- does not fully measure your full
understanding of the material.

Item a specific stiumulus to which a person
responds overtly; this response can be
scored or evaluated.
Psychological test (educational test) is a
set of items that are designed to measure
characteristics of human beings that pertain
to behavior.

Types of Behaviors:
Overt behavior individuals observable activity.
Covert behavior behaviors that take place within an
individual and cannot be directly observed.

Scales relate raw scores on test items to
some defined theoretical or empirical
distribution.



Test Scores:
- Are related to traits of an individual.
- Are related to the state, or the specific condition
or status of an individual.
Types of Tests:
1. Individual test test that can be given to only
one person at a time.
Test administrator the person giving the test.
2. Group test administered to more than one
person at a time by a single examiner.

Type of Test According to Type of Behavior:
1. Ability test contain items that can be scored in
terms of speed, accuracy, or both.
2. Personality test measure typical behavior
traits, temperaments, and dispositions.
Types of Ability Tests:
1. Achievement measures previous learning.
2. Aptitude test measures potential for acquiring
a specific skill.
3. Intelligence measures potential to solve
problems, adapt to changing circumstances,
and profit from experiences.
Types of Personality Tests:
1. Structured (objective) provides a self-report
statement to which the person responds true
or false, yes or no.
2. Projective provides an ambiguous test
stimulus, response requirements are unclear.
Psychological Testing refers to all the
possible uses, applications, and underlying
concepts of psychological and educational
tests.

Main use:
Evaluate individual differences or variations among
individuals.
HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVES
EARLY ANTECEDENTS
China:
4,000 years ago = sophisticated civil service
testing program
206 B.C.E 220 C.E. (Han Dynasty) = use of
Test Batteries (2 or more tests used in
conjunction).
1368 1644 C.E. (Ming Dynasty) = national
multistage testing program involved local &
regional testing centers equipped with special
testing booths.

EARLY ANTECEDENTS
Western:
1832 = English East India Company copied the
Chinese system as a method of selecting
employees for overseas duty.
1833 = US government established the
American Civil Service Commission.

CHARLES DARWIN &
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1859 = published Charles Darwin highly
influential book, The Origin of Species.
According to Darwins theory, higher forms of life
evolved partially because of differences among
individual forms of life within a species. He also
believed that those with the best or most adaptive
characteristics survive at the expense of those who
are less fit and that the survivors pass their
characteristics on to the next generation.


CHARLES DARWIN &
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1869 = Sir Francis Galton published a book
Hereditary Genius. He showed that some
people possessed characteristics that made
them more fit than others. Individual differences
exist in human sensory & motor functioning,
such as reaction time, visual acuity, & physical
strength.
1890 = James McKeen Catell coined the term
mental test.


CHARLES DARWIN &
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1859 = published Charles Darwin highly
influential book, The Origin of Species.
According to Darwins theory, higher forms of life
evolved partially because of differences among
individual forms of life within a species. He also
believed that those with the best or most adaptive
characteristics survive at the expense of those who
are less fit and that the survivors pass their
characteristics on to the next generation.