Summary - Psychodiagnostics

Week 1: Introduction
 Classification (e.g. DSM)
problems with classification: homogeneous (disorders are not); forced; lack of clear
procedures; room for interpretation
 Five Stages of Needs-Based Assessment Model (what is done in which stage?
 Norm- (comparison to reference group) vs Criterion-referenced Test (measure what
a person can do)
 Screening test; Adaptive Test; Criterion Test
 History of Testing
o Chinese Tests (fitness for office, become mandarin; tested topics; 3% pass)
o Physiognomy (changes in soulchanges in body, esp faces)
o Phrenology (skull bumpsindications about mental capacity)
o Brass Instruments (early exp. Psych; measure sensory thresholds and reaction
times as signs of intelligence)
o Binet-Simon scales (intelligence test to identify children in need of special
education)
o Stanford-Binet (see sheet)
o Army Alpha and Beta examinations (see sheet)
o Personal Data Sheet
Week 2: Intelligence
 First intelligence test 1905: BINET introduction of MENTAL AGE (delayed
instead disabled)
 WECHSLER
 Different definitions/theories of intelligence (Spearman, Binet-Simon, Terman,
Thurstone, Wechsler, Sternwerk, Sattler)
 Spearman’s g factor (general intelligence g; specific abilities s)
 Cattell (fluid vs crystallized intelligence)
 Binet: IQ= mental age/chronological age x 100 (mean=100; SD=15)
 Assess IQ:
 WISC (see sheet)
 Stanford Binet (see sheet)
Week 3: Child Neuropsychological Assessment
 Hemispheric Specialisation (Split-brain patients)
 Differences bw Neuropsych. Assessment & Psycho-Educational Assessment
discepancy between IQ and educational achievement
 Brain Behaviour Model (brain dysfunctionneurocognitive fucntions as cause of
behaviour problems; interaction and influence environment)
 Referral questions: “What are the chances of (complete) recovery?”; “What are the
consequences of brain injury / chemotherapy / infection for cognitive functioning?”
 Brain Development  maturation, interactive specialization, skill learning (during
skill learning greater activation of frontal regions, later posterior regions)
 Premorbid Level of Functioning: level of functioning prior to the brain trauma,
infection, or chemotherapy assessed through Hold Tests: Those tests that are least

, sensitive to brain trauma ‣ Vocabulary tests ‣ Reading tests ‣ Abilities that are
automatized (used more often in adults as they have more automized abilities)
 Early Brain Trauma: more global + serious (children < 7) smaller chance of
recovery
 Double Hazard Hypothesis: Psychosocial problems within the family environment
have a negative consequence on the chances of recovery
 Profile Analysis: characterizing strengths and weaknesses in neurocognitive
functioning
 Fractional functions: (e.g., intact perceptual processes necessary for performance on
visual memory tasks)
 No diagnosis based on single test
 Explanatory Theory: Theory-driven thinking about brain-behaviour associations that
yield an individual explanatory theory. Causal, threatening, and facilitating factors
will be discussed.
 MINI Mental State Exam 5-10 minutes screening objective index of cognitive
functioning (not a diagnostic tool) 30 items covering diff abilities; score<24
indication of dementia
 Fluid Intelligence: Frontal Brain Function/ Crystallized Intelligence: temporal and
parietal regions
 Where-Pathway (Dorsal)=spatial processing / What-pathway (Ventral)=object
processing
 Development of perception • Early after birth: perception of orientation, form, movement
• Early after birth: facial recognition, preference for facial configurations • From 6 months:
perception of color • From 6 months: hand-eye coordination (dorsal stream) • Grasping for
objects: 6 to 12 months
 Perception & Assessment
 Hemianopia and Hemispatial Neglect
 Disorders of Motor Function: Cerebral Palsy (obvious (cause), within first 12
months) & Developmental Coordination Disorder (later age, clumsiness no clear
cause)
 Broca (speech production) and Wernicke (speech comprehension)
 Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-4-NL): Evaluation of cause
and severity of language disorders in children and adolescents (5-18 years)
 Different Memory Systems 
 Developmental Anamnesis
 Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-CH)
Attention test for children (6-16 years) • Focus on attentional control
three attentional systems Selective attention • Sustained attention • Attentional
control/switching (three distinct brain systems)
 Rare Diseases: Topographical Disorientation (“lost every day”, Egocentric
Disorientation, Landmark agnosia (assessment through real-life/virtual
navigational tasks)
Week 4: Behavioural Assessment
 ABC model for behavioural interviewing (antecedents, behaviour, consequences)
 SORC model (stimulus, organismic variables, response, consequences)