N Standardized (Using Standardization Sample)

Assessment

n  Collection of relevant info.

n  Must be:

n  standardized (using standardization sample)

n  Reliable

n  Test-retest reliability

n  Interrator reliability

n  Valid

n  Predictive validity

n  Concurrent validity

n  3 Types of assessment:

n  Interview

n  Tests

n  observations

Interview

n  Unstructured interview

n  Structured interview

n  Interview schedule

n  Mental status exam

n  Limitations:

n  Lacks validity & reliability

Tests

n  Gather info on persons psych functioning from which broader info can be inferred.

n  Types:

n  A) Projective Test (Rorschach, TAT, Sentence completion)

n  B) Personality Inventories (MMPI)

n  C) Response Inventories

Example: Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)

n  The BDI is a self-administered 21 item self-report scale measuring supposed manifestations of depression.

n  approximately10 minutes to complete

n  require a fifth – sixth grade reading age to adequately understand the questions (Groth-Marnat, 1990).

21-Item interpretation

n  1. Sadness 12. Social withdrawal

n  2. Pessimism 13. Indecisiveness

n  3. Sense of failure 14 Change in body image

n  4. Dissatisfaction 15. Retardation

n  5. Guilt 16. Insomnia

n  6. Expectation of punishment 17. Fatigability

n  7. Dislike of self 18. Loss of appetite

n  8. Self Accusation 19. Loss of Weight

n  9. Suicidal ideation 20. Somatic preoccupation

n  10. Episodes of crying 21. Low level of energy

n  11. Irritability

Tests

n  D) Neurological & Neuroimaging tests (CAT, EEG, PET, MRI or fMRI)

Healthy vs. Cocaine addict (on right)

Observing the Brain

n  Visualizing structure

n  Magnetic Resonance Imaging

(MRI)

An fMRI scan investigating areas of the brain used in working memory

Tests

n  E) Neuropsychological Tests

n  Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt

n  F) IQ tests: (WAIS)

n  MA/CA x 100

Observation

n  A) Observe in natural environment or B) laboratory setting (analog) or C) self-monitoring

n  Limitations:

n  Overload

n  Observer drift

n  Observer bias

n  Client reactivity

n  Lack cross-situational knowledge (external validity)

Diagnosis

n  Determining that a person's psychological problems constitute a particular disorder

n  "Draw" a clinical picture

n  Classification systems

n  List syndromes (cluster of symptoms)

n  DSM-IV (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual)

n  Multiaxial: must assess on 5 different Axes

DSM-IV (multiaxial)

n  Axis I – clinical syndromes

n  Axis II – Personality disorders

n  Axis III – Medical disorders relevant to psychological disorders

n  Axis IV – Psychological Stressors

n  Axis V – GAF (global assessment functioning)

Problems in Diagnosis

n  Too much weight given to initial data

n  Expectations about client

n  Labeling

n  can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy

n  Attaches stigma in society

Outline

n  Know importance of assessment

n  Know different types of assessment

n  Understand types of tests

n  Know how clinical scientists reach a diagnosis