Introduction

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to psychological assessment and covers areas not typically addressed in existing test and measurements texts, such as neuropsychological assessment and the use of tests in forensics settings. The book introduces the vocabulary of the profession and the most basic mathematics of testing early as being fundamental to understanding the field. Numerous examples are drawn from tests that the authors have written or otherwise helped to develop, reflecting the authors’ deep understanding of these tests and their familiarity with problems encountered in test development, use, and interpretation. Following the introduction of the basic areas of psychometrics, the book moves to areas of testing that represent various approaches to measuring different psychological constructs (memory, language, executive function, etc.), with emphasis on the complex issue of cultural bias in testing. Examples of existing tests are given throughout the book; however, this book is not designed to prepare students to go out and administer, score, and interpret specific psychological tests. Rather, the purpose of this book is to provide the foundational core of knowledge about tests, measurement, and assessment constructs, issues, and quantitative tools.

Key Topics

• Explains what constitutes a psychological test, how tests are developed, how they are best used, and how to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses;
• Describes areas of testing that represent different approaches to measuring different psychological constructs;
• Explains applications of psychological testing to issues in the courts;
• Addresses how test authors and publishers design and research tests to address the difficult and demanding issues of cultural differences in test performance and interpretation of test results.