2025 MIDTERM 1 COMPLETE PSYC 406 Psychological Tests McGill
University
PSYC 406: Psychological Test
Class 1 (August 28th) – Introduction
What is a Psychological Test?
- A standardized tool/instrument designed to measure a specific
psychological attribute like personality traits, intelligence, or mental
health status
A good psychological test must be:
- objective, reliable, and valid
How do Psychological Tests differ from Other Measurement Tools?
1. Focus on intangible, theoretical constructs (e.g., psychological
attributes) unlike tools measuring physical properties (e.g., rules,
scales)
2. Require specialized knowledge for proper interpretation unlike
physical measurement
But What is a Psychological Construct or Attribute?
- Unobserved abstract concepts ⟶ intelligence, anxiety, self-
esteem
- Hypothesized to explain the covariation between observed
behaviors
- Measured indirectly through behaviors, responses or tests results
(e.g. “Passion for psychometrics” = someone who is fascinated by
how test questions are crafted, finds joy in discovering patterns in
number)
The Defining Characteristics of Psychological Tests
,1. Representative sample behaviors– observable and measurable
actions - thought to measure a psychological attribute
, 2. Behavioral samples obtained under standardized conditions (e.g.
EVERY participants completed it on their phones)
3. Have results for scoring
What similarity connect psychological tests?
⟶ All require a person to perform a behavior
But what are some possible differences?
• Behavior performed
• Construct measured and outcome predicted
• Content
• Administration and format
• Scoring and interpretation
• Psychometric quality
Different purposes for testing
1. Classification (diagnosis and selection)
2. Promoting self-understanding
3. Planning, evaluation and modification of treatments and programs
(process, outcome, individual and group)
4. Scientific inquiry (Quantification & Hypothesis testing ∣ Reducing
Type II error)
, Class 2 (September 2nd) – Norms
Types of scales
1. Nominal
Numbers are assigned to represent labels or categories of data only
2. Ordinal
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data | The distances between numbers
are not equal
3. Interval
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data, and the distance between
numbers is judged to be equal. There is no absolute zero point (i.e., a number
indicating the complete absence of what is measured)
4. Ratio
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data, the distance between numbers is
equal, and there is an absolute zero point
University
PSYC 406: Psychological Test
Class 1 (August 28th) – Introduction
What is a Psychological Test?
- A standardized tool/instrument designed to measure a specific
psychological attribute like personality traits, intelligence, or mental
health status
A good psychological test must be:
- objective, reliable, and valid
How do Psychological Tests differ from Other Measurement Tools?
1. Focus on intangible, theoretical constructs (e.g., psychological
attributes) unlike tools measuring physical properties (e.g., rules,
scales)
2. Require specialized knowledge for proper interpretation unlike
physical measurement
But What is a Psychological Construct or Attribute?
- Unobserved abstract concepts ⟶ intelligence, anxiety, self-
esteem
- Hypothesized to explain the covariation between observed
behaviors
- Measured indirectly through behaviors, responses or tests results
(e.g. “Passion for psychometrics” = someone who is fascinated by
how test questions are crafted, finds joy in discovering patterns in
number)
The Defining Characteristics of Psychological Tests
,1. Representative sample behaviors– observable and measurable
actions - thought to measure a psychological attribute
, 2. Behavioral samples obtained under standardized conditions (e.g.
EVERY participants completed it on their phones)
3. Have results for scoring
What similarity connect psychological tests?
⟶ All require a person to perform a behavior
But what are some possible differences?
• Behavior performed
• Construct measured and outcome predicted
• Content
• Administration and format
• Scoring and interpretation
• Psychometric quality
Different purposes for testing
1. Classification (diagnosis and selection)
2. Promoting self-understanding
3. Planning, evaluation and modification of treatments and programs
(process, outcome, individual and group)
4. Scientific inquiry (Quantification & Hypothesis testing ∣ Reducing
Type II error)
, Class 2 (September 2nd) – Norms
Types of scales
1. Nominal
Numbers are assigned to represent labels or categories of data only
2. Ordinal
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data | The distances between numbers
are not equal
3. Interval
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data, and the distance between
numbers is judged to be equal. There is no absolute zero point (i.e., a number
indicating the complete absence of what is measured)
4. Ratio
Numbers are assigned to rank-ordered data, the distance between numbers is
equal, and there is an absolute zero point
