Psychological Assessment

Curriculum guideline

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Course
PSYC 4360
Discontinued
No
Course code
PSYC 4360
Descriptive
Psychological Assessment
Department
Psychology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
202210
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
Lecture 4 hrs. per week/semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

The primary methods of instruction may include:

 

  • Lecture
  • Group activities
  • Case study presentations
  • Audiovisual media
  • Guest lectures

 

Course description
This course provides students with an introduction to the fundamental principles guiding the psychological assessment process, across the range of current applications. The historical-cultural context and relevant ethical principles are considered. Psychological assessment is presented as an integrative and multi-method process which includes structured tests. Key issues of reliability, validity and utility are addressed. Applications in education and training, forensic, workplace, health care, clinical and counselling, and rehabilitation contexts are considered, with an overview of current assessment practices.
Course content
  1. Historical overview and implications of cultural context for psychological assessment.
  2. Ethical principles.
  3. Assessment as an integrative process.
  4. Reliability, validity, utility considerations.
  5. Test development.
  6. Distributions, normative samples, standardization and the meaning of individual scores.
  7. Statistics of particular importance to psychological testing.
  8. Psychological assessment applications in:
    1. Education and training.
    2. Neuropsychology.
    3. Clinical and Counselling: psychodiagnostics and psychological treatment.
    4. Forensics.
    5. The workplace.
    6. Healthcare.
Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

Describe and explain:

  1. Historical and cultural contexts of and consequent implications for the assessment process.
  2. Ethics, culture and best practices in psychological assessment
  3. Statistical concepts of particular importance to psychological assessment, including reliability, validity and utility
  4. Distributions, standardization, norm development and application to individual scores
  5. The process of test development and item analysis.

Interpret, calculate, or apply statistics of particular importance to psychological testing.

Articulate and apply relevant ethical principles.

Describe current practices in psychological assessment across a range of service-provision contexts: education and training, forensics, workplace, healthcare, clinical/counselling, neuropsychological.

Means of assessment

The course evaluation will be in accordance with Douglas College and Psychology Department policies. Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

Integrative assessment report - 20%

Exams - 5 at 14% each - 70%

Written reflection assignments - 5%

Participation - 5%

Total - 100%

Textbook materials

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

  • Gregory, R.J. (2014). Psychological testing: History, principles and applications (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.  

  • Hogan, T.P. (2013). Psychological testing: A practical introduction (3rd ed.).  New York, NY: Wiley

 

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 AND PSYC 1200 AND PSYC 2300

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses