What are Psychological Tests?

What are Psychological Tests?

The concept of psychological testing is used in different meanings today. This makes it difficult to define psychological tests. Psychological testing is basically a standardized and objective measurement of an individual’s behavioral pattern. Test results give examples of people’s behavior and offer the opportunity to compare it with other people’s or person’s behavior at different times. Psychological tests are similar to tests used in other sciences.

For example, if the amount of iron in the blood is measured by taking a sample from the blood, a psychologist also measures the personality traits of an adult with personality tests. Since it is not possible to measure a feature directly in psychological tests, the responses given to the items and stimuli in these tests are accepted as behaviors that reflect the individual’s feelings, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. In short, psychological tests are samples of behaviors and were obtained under standard conditions.

 

Psychological Tests and Their Functions

In general, the function of psychological tests is to measure the same person’s reactions to different situations or differences with other people. Schools and children were the first to use psychological tests. The first useful tests in the field of application were developed in the field of mental retardation. This was followed by those with emotional disorders, juvenile delinquents, and other behavioral disorders.

The second area of ​​use of psychological tests is business. This is followed by those who aim to get help in terms of emotional well-being and effectiveness, increase self-understanding and personal development in their clients. Considering its current use, psychological tests are used in the diagnosis or classification of psychiatric disorders, examining them in terms of frequency, prognosis or predicting. In daily use, these tests also have important functions in research.

Sensitive measurement of individual differences with well-structured tests is imperative in any type of research. In this way, it is aimed to evaluate the researched subjects in a more objective, valid and reliable way. Psychological tests can be classified in terms of different characteristics. But the most common classification is aptitude tests and personality tests classification. Aptitude tests are classified as intelligence tests and aptitude tests for special groups.

Personality tests, on the other hand, include a personality test and, in addition, interest, value and attitude scales. Tests that measure personality, on the other hand, are divided into two as objective and projective tests. Neuropsychological tests, which are based on the relationship between the brain and behavior and aim to measure the level of different brain functions, are considered close to intelligence tests.

 

Skill Tests

Intelligence Tests

There is a concept called intelligence, but it is very difficult to define this concept. These tests, sometimes called IQ tests and sometimes mental ability tests, are defined as standard measurement tools developed to evaluate a person’s current mental ability.

Individual tests such as Binet tests, Wechsler intelligence tests, and academic ability tests all aim to evaluate the current mental functions of the person and his performance at school. These tests also have other uses. They can be used to diagnose learning disabilities and to identify strengths and weaknesses for academic planning, to determine whether an individual has mental retardation, to identify children with bright intelligence to provide the special education required in schools, and as a part of neuropsychological assessment.

intelligence tests; language skills, nonverbal reasoning, abstract thinking, visuospatial skills, attention and concentration, and the speed of information processing include various functions that make up intelligence.

 

Personality Tests

Personality tests are divided into objective (self-report/self-evaluation) tests and projective tests. Personality tests do not only cover tests that measure personality traits and psychological symptoms. It also includes mood, thought, behavior and motivation, interests and attitudes.

 

Objective Personality Tests

The concept of objective (objective) is not used to mean that the psychological measurement tool is far from subjective evaluation. The measurement tool itself is objective and the standard measurement was created for scoring.

In these questionnaires, there are statements that evaluate behavioral habits, which are important in terms of whether they are suitable for the person or not. Personality tests provide the most direct assessment of the subjective situation that would require an outside practitioner to comment. The important advantages of these tests are that they do not take much time and are economical. It also has some limitations. Many people may not fill it out because of reading and writing problems or unwillingness. Those with severe disease, severe memory or attention deficits cannot use these tests.

Projective Personality Tests

Projective personality tests and techniques are an assessment method based on the projection defense mechanism predicted in the psychodynamic model. The general purpose of the projective tests is to provide the individual with a stimulus in the form of a vague inkblot or drawing, to enable him to reflect his feelings, thoughts and ideas. The assumption here is that because the stimuli are unstructured, the individual’s reactions will primarily arise from unconscious processes and will reveal motivation, real attitudes and behavior patterns.

Neuropsychological Tests

Neuropsychological tests serve many purposes. The most basic of these is to determine whether the patient’s complaints are caused by psychological reasons or as a result of damage or disorder in the brain. Another area of ​​use is to determine whether the brain damage is widespread or regional and to determine which functions are affected and to what extent.

General ability, perceptual and perceptual-motor performance, language functions, memory, problem-solving, attention and concentration, the flexibility of behavior, reaction time, and orientation can be measured with various tests. These tests can be used individually or as batteries. Halstead – Reitan and Luria – Nebraska batteries are examples of the most commonly used neuropsychological tests.

 

References

This article was written by Clinical Psychologist Beril Hacıosman. After completing her undergraduate education at Istanbul Aydın University, she specialized in clinical psychology. She continues her studies at Doğuş University’s Clinical Psychology Doctorate Program. She specializes in diagnosis, Dynamic Psychotherapy, Solution Focused Short-Term Psychotherapy, and Play Therapy. After serving as the director of the Introspection Psychiatric and Psychological Counseling Center she now carries out her educational and scientific research at the Institute of Psychotherapy and Psychology Practices, of which she is a founding member of, and works as a diagnostic specialist and therapist in various private centers.