Green Book: Chapter 7: Assessment
Assessment -
✅The systematic process of gathering and documenting information regarding a client's
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or beliefs.
Evaluative Procedures Used in Counseling -
✅a) clinical interviewing:
- structured
- semi-structured
- unstructured
b) informal assessment:
- observation of behavior
- rating scales
- classification techniques
- records
- personal documents
c) personality assessment:
- standardized tests (MMPI)
- projective tests (TAT)
- interest inventories (strong interest inventory)
d) ability assessment:
- achievement tests (WRAT)
- aptitude tests (SAT)
- intelligence test (WISC/IQ)
Key Historical Events in Assessment -
1|Page
, ✅- The ancient Chinese are given credit for developing the first widely used tests around 2300
B.C.E. (Chinese govt used grueling/brutal physical fitness tests to screen
candidates for govt civil service positions).
- Jean Esquirol (1772-1840) used language development to identify varying levels of intelligence. His
work is considered a forerunner of verbal IQ. He is credited with recognizing that
mental retardation was related to developmental deficiencies rather than mental illness.
- Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) was a biologist credited with launching the testing movement and
developing the first test
of intelligence. He pioneered the use of rating-scale and questionnaire methods and developed the
correlation
coefficient through his work in examining the relationship between reaction time, grip strength, and
intelligence.
- William Wundt (1832-1920) founded one of the first psychological laboratories to conduct
experimental research.
- James Cattell (1860-1944) was one of the first to apply statistical concepts to psychological
assessment. Cattell
popularized the term "mental test".
- The 20th century saw a growing interest in scientifically measuring human ability; scientists
were concerned with individual intelligence. As the popularity of intelligence testing exploded, it
became apparent that these tests failed to consider and measure the diversity
of human intelligence. Consequently, tests that assessed aptitude, personality, and interests
emerged.
- Alfred Binet (1875-1911) developed the first modern intelligence test, the Binet-Simon scale, with
Theophile Simon.
- Robert Yerkes (1876-1956) used Otis's group intelligence instrument to develop the Army Alpha and
Army Beta group
intelligence tests.
The Army Alpha was designed to screen
2|Page
,the cognitive ability of military recruits. The intelligence measure
Measurement -
✅the process of defining and estimating the magnitude of human attributes and behavioral
expressions.
3 fundamental assumptions:
1. All human attributes and behavioral expressions are distinct enough to be objectively defined and
quantified.
2. All human attributes and behavioral expressions are
present in all people.
3. The presence or absence of specific attributes and behavioral
expressions in certain situations indicates normalcy or deficiency.
- Note: The terms assessment and test are commonly misused and mistakably interchanged.
Remember, assessment is a broad term that involves the systematic process of gathering and
documenting client info.
The act of measuring involves the use of a measurement instrument, such as a test, survey, or
inventory.
TIE
(a) test: is a subset of assessment and is used to yield data regarding an examinee's responses to test
items.
(b) interpretation: part of the assessment process where the counselor assigns meaning to the data
yielded by evaluative procedures. Meaning can be derived from the data by comparing an individual
to his or her peer group, using a predetermined standard or set criteria, or through a counselor's
judgment.
(c) evaluation: making a determination of worth or
significance based on the result of a measurement. For example, a counselor can examine a client's
monthly scores on the Beck Depression Inventory to evaluate the client's progress in counseling.
Counselors use evaluation to assess client progress or to determine the effectiveness of
interventions, programs,
and services on client change.
3|Page
, Types of Assessment -
✅Assessments are often
designed to prevent test-takers from attaining perfect scores so that differences between individuals
taking the test can be recognized.
- Power tests: limit perfect scores by including difficult test items that few individuals can answer
correctly. These tests measure how well the test-taker can perform given items of varying difficulty
regardless of time or speed of response.
- Speed tests: use limited testing time to prevent perfect scores. Typically, these tests have easy
questions but include too many items to answer in the allotted time. Speed tests assess how quickly
the test-taker can understand the question and choose the right answer.
- Maximal performance test: when a counselor would like info regarding the client's best attainable
score/performance (achievement and aptitude tests are measures used to test maximal
performance).
- Typical performance test: concerned with one's characteristic or normal performance (personality
measurements assess typical personality traits).
- Standardized tests: designed to ensure the conditions for administration, test content, scoring
procedures, and interpretations are consistent. They use predetermined administration instructions
and scoring methods. Because standardized tests undergo rigorous empirical validation measures,
they have some degree of validity and reliability. As a result, an individual's test score can be
compared to a norm group.
- Non-standardized tests: allow for variability (lack of consistency or fixed pattern; liability to vary or
change) and adaptation in test administration, scoring, and interpretation.
These tests do not permit an individual's score to be compared to a norm group; consequently, the
counselor must rely on one's judgment to interpret the data. Projective personality measures, such
as the
Rorschach inkblot
Purpose of Assessment -
✅- Diagnosis/ Txt planning
4|Page
Assessment -
✅The systematic process of gathering and documenting information regarding a client's
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or beliefs.
Evaluative Procedures Used in Counseling -
✅a) clinical interviewing:
- structured
- semi-structured
- unstructured
b) informal assessment:
- observation of behavior
- rating scales
- classification techniques
- records
- personal documents
c) personality assessment:
- standardized tests (MMPI)
- projective tests (TAT)
- interest inventories (strong interest inventory)
d) ability assessment:
- achievement tests (WRAT)
- aptitude tests (SAT)
- intelligence test (WISC/IQ)
Key Historical Events in Assessment -
1|Page
, ✅- The ancient Chinese are given credit for developing the first widely used tests around 2300
B.C.E. (Chinese govt used grueling/brutal physical fitness tests to screen
candidates for govt civil service positions).
- Jean Esquirol (1772-1840) used language development to identify varying levels of intelligence. His
work is considered a forerunner of verbal IQ. He is credited with recognizing that
mental retardation was related to developmental deficiencies rather than mental illness.
- Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) was a biologist credited with launching the testing movement and
developing the first test
of intelligence. He pioneered the use of rating-scale and questionnaire methods and developed the
correlation
coefficient through his work in examining the relationship between reaction time, grip strength, and
intelligence.
- William Wundt (1832-1920) founded one of the first psychological laboratories to conduct
experimental research.
- James Cattell (1860-1944) was one of the first to apply statistical concepts to psychological
assessment. Cattell
popularized the term "mental test".
- The 20th century saw a growing interest in scientifically measuring human ability; scientists
were concerned with individual intelligence. As the popularity of intelligence testing exploded, it
became apparent that these tests failed to consider and measure the diversity
of human intelligence. Consequently, tests that assessed aptitude, personality, and interests
emerged.
- Alfred Binet (1875-1911) developed the first modern intelligence test, the Binet-Simon scale, with
Theophile Simon.
- Robert Yerkes (1876-1956) used Otis's group intelligence instrument to develop the Army Alpha and
Army Beta group
intelligence tests.
The Army Alpha was designed to screen
2|Page
,the cognitive ability of military recruits. The intelligence measure
Measurement -
✅the process of defining and estimating the magnitude of human attributes and behavioral
expressions.
3 fundamental assumptions:
1. All human attributes and behavioral expressions are distinct enough to be objectively defined and
quantified.
2. All human attributes and behavioral expressions are
present in all people.
3. The presence or absence of specific attributes and behavioral
expressions in certain situations indicates normalcy or deficiency.
- Note: The terms assessment and test are commonly misused and mistakably interchanged.
Remember, assessment is a broad term that involves the systematic process of gathering and
documenting client info.
The act of measuring involves the use of a measurement instrument, such as a test, survey, or
inventory.
TIE
(a) test: is a subset of assessment and is used to yield data regarding an examinee's responses to test
items.
(b) interpretation: part of the assessment process where the counselor assigns meaning to the data
yielded by evaluative procedures. Meaning can be derived from the data by comparing an individual
to his or her peer group, using a predetermined standard or set criteria, or through a counselor's
judgment.
(c) evaluation: making a determination of worth or
significance based on the result of a measurement. For example, a counselor can examine a client's
monthly scores on the Beck Depression Inventory to evaluate the client's progress in counseling.
Counselors use evaluation to assess client progress or to determine the effectiveness of
interventions, programs,
and services on client change.
3|Page
, Types of Assessment -
✅Assessments are often
designed to prevent test-takers from attaining perfect scores so that differences between individuals
taking the test can be recognized.
- Power tests: limit perfect scores by including difficult test items that few individuals can answer
correctly. These tests measure how well the test-taker can perform given items of varying difficulty
regardless of time or speed of response.
- Speed tests: use limited testing time to prevent perfect scores. Typically, these tests have easy
questions but include too many items to answer in the allotted time. Speed tests assess how quickly
the test-taker can understand the question and choose the right answer.
- Maximal performance test: when a counselor would like info regarding the client's best attainable
score/performance (achievement and aptitude tests are measures used to test maximal
performance).
- Typical performance test: concerned with one's characteristic or normal performance (personality
measurements assess typical personality traits).
- Standardized tests: designed to ensure the conditions for administration, test content, scoring
procedures, and interpretations are consistent. They use predetermined administration instructions
and scoring methods. Because standardized tests undergo rigorous empirical validation measures,
they have some degree of validity and reliability. As a result, an individual's test score can be
compared to a norm group.
- Non-standardized tests: allow for variability (lack of consistency or fixed pattern; liability to vary or
change) and adaptation in test administration, scoring, and interpretation.
These tests do not permit an individual's score to be compared to a norm group; consequently, the
counselor must rely on one's judgment to interpret the data. Projective personality measures, such
as the
Rorschach inkblot
Purpose of Assessment -
✅- Diagnosis/ Txt planning
4|Page
