Psychological exams aid in the systematic, accurate, and valid identification of mental problems. A diagnosis can be made by using a variety of tests. The process of gathering information about people and applying it to make key predictions and conclusions about their cognition and personality is referred to as psychological evaluation. Psychological exams are used to evaluate psychological qualities. A psychological test is simply a systematic and objective measurement of a sample of behaviour.
Psychological assessment evaluates an individual's mental health through standardized methods and tools. It involves a series of tests conducted by psychologists (or trained evaluators) to collect information about how people think, feel, behave and react. The trained evaluators administer several testing methods to find the hypothesis about individual behavior. It is a complex, conceptual and integrative activity. PAR, founded in 1978, is the leading publisher of psychological assessment products. The wide range of psychological assessment tools they provide includes software, instruments, and other related tools. The tools often used in psychological assessment include norm-referenced psychological tests, informal tests and surveys, interview information, school and medical report, observational data, and many more.
The clinical interview is the interaction between a patient and a psychologist or trained evaluator that helps them diagnose the patient and come up with a treatment. These types of interviews are mostly of two types −
The structured interviews
The non-structured interviews
The structured interviews include stress interviews where the patient is intentionally put under pressure for their diagnosis. The structured interviews include hypnotic interviews where the patient is intentionally placed under hypnosis. These interviews are mostly conducted to interact with patients who have recently witnessed criminal activities.
In cognitive interviews, the trained evaluator or the psychologist uses imagery to communicate with the patient. In these kinds of interviews, the interviewees are often asked to think about the same situation from a different perspective. The interviewer needs to note down everything while conducting a cognitive assessment. For example, for a person who has recently witnessed a violent crime, taking down notes while conducting the cognitive interview will make it easier for the interviewer to enhance the consistency between the actual incident and the interviewees' recollection of the actual incident. Mental reinstatement of the original incident will be helpful in this case.
A collaborative interview might be helpful for cases where both the interviewer and the interviewee are active and are interested in actively participating in a conversation. The standard questions that interviewees get asked often include −
Demographic information (name, age, sex, race, number of people in the family, etc.)
The reason why they have been referred for psychological assessment
Details related to medical history (this includes a list of traumatic events the interviewee has witnessed, diagnosed disorders that run in the family like disorders of mood and disorders of thought content, etc.)
Current medical conditions of the patient. (This provides the interviewer with something to start with)
The observation method is a key data-collecting approach. It refers to observing and listening to the client's behaviour over time without altering or controlling it. It also documents findings in a style that allows for analytic interpretation and discussion. As a result, observation entails extensively choosing, recording, and coding behaviour; hence, it is scientific. Type of Observation Method −
Naturalistic Observation − Naturalistic observation is particularly useful for studying certain subjects. It records natural behaviour in an ecologically valid manner, and unexpected behaviours are more likely to occur.
Structured Observation − Allows for the control of extraneous elements and testing the dependability of results by repeating the investigation. It provides a secure setting to investigate difficult issues such as baby bonding.
Unstructured Observation − Provides a high-level picture of a situation. When the circumstances or subject matter to be examined is obscure, this tool comes in handy.
Participant Observation − Provides an "insider's" perspective. Because the researcher is a participant, the behaviours are less likely to be misinterpreted, allowing the researcher to become an "acceptable" member of the environment.
A case study is a detailed investigation/analysis of a single individual. A counsellor uses a case study to analyze a specific circumstance or individual in depth. Case studies are frequently employed in clinical circumstances or when lab research is neither possible nor practicable. Data is typically collected from a range of sources and using a variety of techniques. A case study might include experiments, interviews, questionnaires, observations, diaries, and psychometric testing. The case study research technique evolved from clinical medicine (the case history or the patient's personal history - idiographic approach).
The case study technique frequently consists of just observing what happens to, or recreating, a single participant or group of participants (such as a school class or a specialized social group). Case studies enable a counselor to explore a topic in significantly more depth than would be feasible if dealing with many research participants.
These are −
Behavioural observation is the most widely used psychological assessment tool. It is most useful for assessing an individual with limited verbal abilities. In addition, it is also useful in measuring one's behaviour in natural environments. Simply put, it is the systematic recording of an individual's behaviour.
Intelligence tests are the ideal measures of an individual's general mental ability or intelligence. The most commonly used intelligence tests include:
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children (WISC)
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB)
Personality tests are ideal for assessing an individual's personality traits and constructs. The most commonly used personality assessment test include:
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Big 5
Type A, B, C, and D personalities
16 personalities
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Attitude tests are most effective for assessing an individual's attitude. These tests mostly include questions about assertiveness, procrastination, self-esteem, and self-confidence. The most commonly used scale for the attitude tests are:
Likert Scale
Thurstone Scale
Achievement Tests: Achievement tests are ideal for assessing an individual's developed skills or knowledge. These are very common in school evaluations. It measures how an individual has progressed over time. Some examples of achievement tests include −
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT)
Aptitude tests are a type of psychometric test. Generally, these tests determine a student's suitability for a recruitment position. These competitive examinations look for intelligence, reveal one's strengths and weaknesses, and provide an overall idea of the individual's ability. The most common types of aptitude tests include −
Bloomberg Aptitude Tests (BAT)
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Psychological assessment is the process of evaluating an individual’s mental health through standardized methods and tools. Several complex, conceptual and integrative testing methods are administered by the trained evaluators to find the hypothesis about individual behaviour. These psychological assessment tools serve many purposes, starting from selecting the ideal candidates for a recruitment position (Based on the information gathered so far it has been established that cognitive ability tests are the ideal measure in this case) to helping an individual who has recently witnessed a violent crime (Based on the information gathered so far it has been established that the cognitive interviews might be helpful in this case).
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