COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is limited to graduate students in psychology who have completed an undergraduate course in tests and measures and/or who have my consent to enroll.  According to the ISU graduate catalogue, this course is about the "clinical application of representative techniques of objective measurement.  Selection, integration, and interpretation of tests will be included."  In this course, we will explore how objective assessment can assist the work of practitioners.  Specifically, we will become competent and confident in assessing interests, personality, and psychopathology with widely used assessment instruments (e.g., the Strong Interest Inventory, NEO Personality Inventory - Revised, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Revised).  We will also sample, albeit more superficially, behavioral, intellectual, and neuropsychological assessment; I will not provide in-depth coverage of these approaches as they are emphasized in other courses.

COURSE GOALS

I anticipate that you will attain the following goals as a result of taking this course:

1. Understanding of the purposes of testing and assessment, the ways in which testing and assessment can facilitate or impede psychotherapy, and the legal and ethical issues surrounding testing and assessment.

2. Understanding of how various assessment instruments are constructed and the ability to evaluate the psychometric qualities of those instruments as well as their appropriateness when used with diverse populations.

3. Proficiency in the administration, scoring, interpretation, and clinical application of the SII, NEO-PI, and MMPI-2.

4. Ability to synthesize assessment data in a conceptually meaningful way, convey that synthesis in writing, and generate clinical inferences and treatment recommendations based on the data.  By writing psychological reports on self-administered tests, I hope that you will also acquire a more psychologically sophisticated self-awareness which will facilitate your professional growth.

READINGS

required:

Groth-Marnat, G. (2009). Handbook of psychological assessment (5th ed.). New York: Wiley.

recommended:

Graham, J. R. (2000). MMPI-2: Assessing personality and psychopathology (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Harmon, L. W., Hanson, J. C., Borgen, F. H., & Hammer, A. L. (1994). Strong Interest Inventory: Applications and technical guide. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Harvey, V. S. (1997). Improving readability of psychological reports. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 271-274.

Piedmont, R. (1998). The revised NEO Personality Inventory: Clinical and research applications. New York: Plenum.

on line resources:

Association of Test Publishers - http://www.testpublishers.org/

Buros Institute of Mental Measurements - http://www.unl.edu/buros/

Science Directorate, American Psychological Association (n.d.). FAQ/Finding information about psychological tests. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.apa.org/science/faq-findtests.html

Science Directorate, American Psychological Association (n.d.). Testing information clearinghouse. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.apa.org/science/testclearinghs.html

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES

You may see your grades by clicking on the link "GRADES" above and then logging on to a secure webpage.  Your grade in this course will be based on the absolute (not curved) sum of the following assignments:

Two assessment reports             200 points (100 points each)

Midterm exam                            100 points

Final exam                                100 points

Test summary                              50 points

Class participation                      50 points

Total                                          500 points

I expect you to attend every class.  I value punctuality.  Excessive lateness or absences, whether legitimate or not, are unacceptable.  Excessive lateness or absences will lower your course grade.  Likewise, it is not appropriate to leave class early due to obligations which begin after class; class will end promptly at 10:50 PM.  I also value courtesy; therefore, kindly notify a colleague or me of any anticipated lateness or absence.

Prepare a two-page, single-spaced summary of a psychometric instrument, one that is commercially available or published in a reputable psychology journal.  The summary should include the name of the test, its author(s), its publisher, copyright year, number of forms, appropriate age level, and costs; description; administration, scoring, and interpretation; reliability; validity; and applicability and evaluation.  You may use the online resources listed above (e.g., Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, the Science Directorate of the APA) and/or reference materials available through Milner Library (e.g., Mental Measurements Yearbook, Tests in Print, PsycINFO) to identify a suitable test and report on its properties and uses.  I have provided a sample summary written by a former student.  The summary is worth 50 points and will be evaluated on its accuracy, clarity, coherence, and thoroughness.  The test summary is due on Thursday, February 4th.

The midterm will be an in-class, closed-book exam scheduled for Tuesday, February 23rd.  The exam will cover all material through February 18th.  The format of the exam will be a combination of definitions and short essay questions.  I will evaluate essays on the following dimensions: accuracy, clarity, organization, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness.  I have provided a study guide consisting of sample questions.  The midterm is worth 100 points.

You are required to write two assessment reports based on the results of any of the three self-administered tests: the SII, NEO-PI, and MMPI-2.  Reports on a specific assessment are due as follows: SII on Thursday, March 4th; NEO-PI on Thursday, April 1st; and MMPI-2 on Tuesday, April 27th.  I have provided an outline for preparing assessment reports and an example of a report, and will be available to assist you in generating coherent, insightful, and useful interpretations.  I will evaluate reports on the following dimensions: accuracy, coherence, thoroughness, psychological sophistication, and writing style.  Each assessment report is worth 100 points for a total of 200 possible points, and should not exceed six double-spaced pages.

Class Participation

As graduate students, you should be prepared to participate meaningfully, coherently, and often; active participation will facilitate your learning and professional growth.  I expect you to prepare for class by reading the assignment literature in advance and generating questions or issues for discussion.  Class participation is worth up to 50 points.  The grading criteria are as follows:

50 points: The student spoke thoughtfully more than once every class period.

45 points: The student spoke thoughtfully once every class period.

40 points: The student spoke thoughtfully in over 50% of the class periods.

35 points: The student spoke thoughtfully in less than 50% the class periods.

30 points: The student seldom spoke thoughtfully.

25 points: The student never spoke thoughtfully.

Grading will be done on a strict percentage system:

451 - 500 points = A
401 - 450 points = B
351 - 400 points = C
301 - 350 points = D
< 301 points = F

I do not give make-up exams except in a bona fide emergency (e.g., serious illness); job conflicts, family vacations, transportation problems, and feeling indisposed do not qualify as emergencies.  You are responsible for resolving unavoidable conflicts as soon as possible so that you can take the exam early; you need to negotiate specific arrangements with me at least one week before the date of the scheduled exam.  I also expect you to turn in all assignments on time.  I will not accept reports turned in late.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

By all means, collaborate on interpreting assessment results.  Collaboration with colleagues is a proven way to become an effective clinician.  However, be mindful of the difference between collaboration and plagiarism.  According to the Student Judicial Office, "plagiarism is the unacknowledged appropriation of another's work, words, or ideas in any themes, outlines, papers, reports, or computer programs."  Plagiarism includes copying sentences from sources without paraphrasing them.  Paraphrasing, on the other hand, is when you summarize someone else's work in your own words.  For more information on the distinction between plagiarism and paraphrasing, consult the Publication Manual (APA, 2009) which is available in the reference section of Milner Library.  If it becomes apparent that you have plagiarized, I will give you an F for the course and initiate a referral to the Student Judicial Office where the matter will be further adjudicated.  Likewise, cheating on exams will result in a course grade of F and referral to the Student Judicial Office.  In addition, exams are not intended for distribution to the University community; taking an exam is stealing.

Users of materials housed in the Psychology Resource Center (DEG 17) are bound by the policies of the Psychology Resource Center and Psychology Department.  With the exception of the SII, all other assessment instruments must be administered, scored, and profiled in the PRC during its hours of operation.  Removing reusable test materials from the Psychology Resource Center without my permission will result in restricted access to such material.  Click on the Center's web page for important details.

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS