Transcript Slide 1
Assessment • To collect and INTERPRET information about a client or subject – Remember, the data do not speak for themselves • The purpose of assessment: biopsychosocial formulation – Dynamic formulation • The results of an assessment process will be used idiographically – Although most assessment tools are nomothetic – i.e., standardized procedure and established norms Physical Assessment Tools • Medical examination: referral to rule out medical disorders with psychological or behavioral concomitants or sequelae • Neuropsychological examination – EEG: electrical activity – CAT scan: locate abnormalities in the brain – MRI: view anatomical features of the CNS, especially the brain – fMRI: anatomy and function – PET: monitors metabolic processes fMRI A:\ Standardization • Two types: – Administration and scoring – Sampling • Reliability: – Is a test consistent? • • Test-retest Inter-rater • Validity – Is the test measuring what it purports to measure? Important note: • We can have reliability without validity But • We cannot have validity without reliability. The clinical interview • A GOOD interview is a clinician’s best assessment tool (according to Dr. S). – Structured: intake interview – Unstructured: suitability for therapy – Semi-structured: diagnostic • Clinical interview criticized: observer bias Mental Status Exam • A structured interview, sometimes embedded within a semi-structured interview. – Tests cognitive functioning • Eg.: Clarity of thought, orientation, ability to follow instructions Projective Tests • Presentation of ambiguous stimuli • The purpose is to tap unconscious mental processes Some of the most common Projective Tests • Rorschach Inkblot Test • Thematic Apperception Test • Drawing Tests – Draw A family – House-Tree-Person – Kinetic Family Drawing A Rorschach-type Stimulus • “What might this be” – Similar to seeing objects in clouds – Useful for assessing how the client views his/her world A TAT-card Stimulus • Tell me a story; a complete story with a beginning, a middle and an end. What is happening in the picture. What happened before, and how will it end. • Useful for learning about clients’ relationships Drawing Tests • Useful with children – Develops rapport – Aids in diagnosis • Also useful with non-verbal adults Personality Inventories • Usually personality inventories consist of a series of questions to which the respondents answer “true” or “false” (“yes”/”no”) • The scoring is objective • Most popular is MMPI2: designed to identify psychopathology • CPI also frequently used but is designed to identify positive psychological characteristics MMPI-Profile • Left side: validity scales ?, L, F, K. – • An advantage of the MMPI Right side: 10 clinical scales – Designed to identify pathology. Misuses of the MMPI • Hiring and promotion decisions in business: the test is designed to detect pathology, and normed on a psychiatric sample • Elevated scores in a non-psychiatric sample may not have the same meaning as in a psychiatric sample Response Inventories • Tests which are focused on a specific area of functioning • Example: Beck Depression Inventory (text p. 94) Other psychological assessment tools • Psychophysiological tests: measure autonomic nervous system functioning – Example: Polygraph (lie detector) • Neuropsychological tests: – Example: Bender - Gestalt