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Psychological Assessment Research

Heather Yant

PSY 640 Psychological Testing and Assessment
Instructor: Arthur Swisher

6/3/18

Psychological Assessment Research

Introduction

Psychological assessment is a process of testing that uses a combination of techniques to help arrive at some hypotheses about a person behavior, personality, and capabilities. The evaluations or tools perform a psychological battery on a person. The individual responsible for conducting psychological assessments includes a qualified psychologist trained to perform and interprets psychologist tests. These processes of mental testing include gathering information to diagnose any mental disorders that the person may have. A competent psychologist observes biopsychosocial history, neurological assessments, psychological testing, physical examination and brain imaging. This process ensures a patient receives effective diagnosis according to client symptoms.

Clinical examination is often used to assess mental functioning through observing client disorientation or unusual behavior. The client behavior is systematically evaluated to identify developing disorders. Furthermore, the Psychologist may see client appearance by looking at client alertness, weight and other symptoms he or she may present. The different behavior observed include evaluating the general client behavior through observing client mannerisms, facial expression, eye contact, voice tone. Also, client mood is assessed to intensify of moods displayed. The flow of thoughts and content of thought is also evaluated to ascertain delusion and hallucination that might indicate psychotic thinking.

Comparison of two psychological assessments procedures

1. Children and adolescent with anxiety disorders

The psychological assessment is based on three disorders or diseases that are children and adolescent with anxiety disorders, individuals with intellectual disability and individual with depressive disorders. The First articles authored by Connolly and Bernstein (2007), discusses the practice parameter for the assessments and treatments of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. According to the articles, anxiety disorder is a common form of psychopathology among children and adolescents, but most of the time the disease is not detected. Early identification and effective treatments may help in reducing the impact of anxiety on academic and social functioning in youths, and it may cut the persistence of anxiety disorders into adulthood (Connolly, & Bernstein, 2007).

Several methods have been adopted for treatment for example evidence- supported treatments intervention that emerged in psychotherapy and medication treatments of childhood anxiety disorders that guide the clinician to improve outcomes in the population (Connolly, & Bernstein, 2007). The key areas to consider for children with anxiety disorder fear and worries. The clinician needs to know between normal, developmental concerns, fears, and shyness from anxiety disorders. Toddler experiences fears of loud noises fear of being started and later of strangers. The children have worries and fear related to school performance, social competence and health issues.

Children with the anxiety disorder also present other symptoms for example worry. The children also showcase some symptoms crying, irritability, and angry outburst. Children with this disorder undergo routine screening for anxiety symptoms during the initial mental health assessments are is recommended (Connolly, & Bernstein, 2007). To screen patient's condition, the DSM-IV-TR criterion is used. The information is obtained from different sources including youth and adult. Self-report measures of anxiety such as the multidimensional anxiety scale for children or screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders can assist with screening and monitoring responses to treatments (Connolly, & Bernstein, 2007).

The evaluation includes differentiating anxiety disorders from developmentally concerns, worries, or fear. Psychosocial stressor or trauma symptoms are carefully considered in the assessment to determine how they may contribute to the development or maintenance of anxiety symptoms. Psychological testing is not required, but there are other clinical interview methods applied to youth between 6-17 years old (Connolly, & Bernstein, 2007). The clinicians use diagnostic interview such as anxiety disorder interview schedule for DSM-IV child version or checklist based on DMS-IV Criteria. The assessment measure follow up the specific anxiety disorders including social phobia, selective mutism, and specific phobia

2. Individual with the intellectual disability

Cobigo, Morin, & Lachapelle (2007), discusses assessing work task preferences among persons with intellectual disabilities. According to the author, adequate support should be extended from person-centered because respecting and promoting self-determination of a person with intellectual disability is a critical factor in their quality of life. People with intellectual disability might have some difficulties while expressing their preference because of limited communication skills. Some methods of evaluating client with an intellectual disability through interviewing ways are not enough to determine their choice. Direct observation is applied for preferences assessment.

The articles reported empirical studies in which intervention was applied to assess work preferences. The study purpose is to evaluate work tasks preference is to demonstrate and evaluates a method to determine the vocational choice. The direct methods can be applied to assess work task preferences and to describe and evaluate a way to decide professional preferences. The work task preferences can be assessed through questionnaires or interviews completed with the person or his or her caregiver. The participants included in the research include adults with developmental disabilities. The participants have languages and communication issues as outlined in the article.

The research review evaluates stimuli that have a high level of iconicity, vocational activities or task arrangements. The research review provides evidence that practitioners could assess client preferences for various daily task and activities and thus his or her quality of life. The procedure outlined provides guidelines for preferences assessments. To evaluate vocational choice, the practitioner should present pairs of representative objects and record which of them should pick up. Practitioners also should consider repair behavior. The assessments performed in this case would be used to assess the worker intellectual capability to find methods which can be applied to improve their mental ability.

3. Individual with depressive disorders

Serra, Spoto, Ghisi, & Vidotto (2015) discusses formal psychological assessments in evaluating depression. The article describes psychological assessments as a complex procedure of data collected, analyzed, and processed. The diagnostic criterion is derived from DMS 5, literature and Seligman’s and Beck theories. Incorrect psychological assessments result in patient's dissatisfaction and suffering. According to the article, assessments is defined a complicated procedure of data collected, analyzed, and processed. The tool used to carry out assessments includes clinical interview and observation. This methodology provides a significant amount of information, follow adaptive logic and multiple channels.

Psychophysiological measurements can be applied to provide objective data and profoundly evaluate aspects that cannot be assessed. Self-report questionnaires allow for quick collection of a significant amount of data and avoid embarrassment of the patients. A semi-structured interview is administered for questioning. The semi-structured interview does not follow sequence of questiontioning since the question ordered depends on the previously collected information (Serra, Spoto, Ghisi, & Vidotto, 2015). In this disorder, a broad set of the item is used to investigate depression through self-report measures. The depression symptom is measured by profound sadness and despair, hopelessness, helplessness and worthless.

Sleeping problems is common in depressed patients, and frequently their insomnia is terminal. Sexual disorders, for example, decreased libido can be observed, and the patient also shows pressed mood, the patient's wishes to kill themself, plans to take to end their life. The depression inventory is widely used to evaluate depression. Self-rating depression scale is used to assess the level of depression.

Relevant approach to assessment

Psychological testing assessments contribute essential knowledge, and it helps towards understanding people capabilities through the section, integration, and information about individuals (Serra, Spoto, Ghisi, & Vidotto, 2015). The sources include records for example medical, educational and occupational and legal history. The file can be obtained from other sources that seem to have relevant information. The client being interviewed can also be used to access information before diagnosis start. The research conducted through this method is through observation survey whereby the client observes the behavior he or she showcase while writing or when responding to question especially when a patient intellectual capacity is being assessed.

Behavioral observation is assessed through observation how a client behaves and responds to a particular question. The assessments can be conducted by interviewing a family member, friend, teacher and other (Serra, Spoto, Ghisi, & Vidotto, 2015). These types of assessment are conducted to for small children who may have an intellectual disability. The teacher and parents in this can help in identifying some of the client behavior and symptoms for adequate and accurate diagnosis. For a psychologist to get information about the client condition, he or she may hope to test the intellectual capability of a child through giving some mathematical question for the student to solve. The most effective methods of assessing client behavior and symptoms are through using the clinical interview as outlined in the article outline in this assignment.

This approach is useful in assessing an individual with neuropsychological assessments. The clinical interview allows for the behavioral observation that may be useful in describing the client. Clinical interviewing explores the presenting complaint that helps the interviewer understand the case history, aid development of hypotheses to be examined in the assessments process and assist in determining methods to address hypotheses through formal testing (Fischer, 2012). Other disorders require psychological testing whereby interview, questionnaire, survey and other examination tools may be applied in other to ascertain client condition.

Challenges for assessing individual from diverse social and cultural background

The primary problem of people from a different background is the issues of languages barriers. The patients or participant include in the research cannot respond the question effective especially when the interview is through recording video for evaluation purpose. Also, some disorder, for example, the intellectual capability may be as a result of culture whereby some culture does not encourage children to work hard. Therefore, their cognitive or problem-solving skills develop slower than those children exposed to early education, for example, Euro-American children.

Statistic indicates that there is increased risk of anxiety disorder for Native American, younger people and those with low-income other groups such as male, Asian, Hispanic, black and those living in towns may have a low risk of anxiety (Barber, Stolz, Olsen, Collins, & Burchinal, 2005). The major depressive disorder differs according to culture as a result of unemployment. The literature with a high rate of homelessness and unemployment are at high risk of being diagnosed with the major depressive disorder. During the process of assessment, the psychologist should ensure they consider the factor outlined above before concluding on some symptom.

Ethical and professional issues that influence the interpretation of testing and assessment data.

Ethical issues associated with designing, carrying out and making decision-based people lives may arise hence affecting the diagnosis criteria. The major topics related to psychological testing include the problems of privacy issues. The examination conducted should reveal the identity of participants. A teacher may use the results of the psychological test from students without consents of the students. The psychological testing should be known to the participants, and the results should be only be used for the purpose specified in the research (Schultheiss, & Stead, 2008). If the research result is used for other purposes that action is considered to be unethical. Legal issues arise psychologist violates rules and regulation while conducting psychological testing. The procedure used should be in line with American psychologist association.

Conclusion

The assessments approach applicability depends on the disorder being evaluated some disorder are complex, and they require clinical evaluation to determine the behavior and symptom of the illness. Other diseases such as assessing intellectual capacity need observation method which uses a questionnaire to assess the behavior and symptoms. The challenge of evaluating patients based on culture is more complex because some clients are more exposed to an environment which changes their behavior hence affecting the process of evaluating client. Unethical issues may arise when a conduct psychological testing without informing the participants or when a teacher uses the results without consulting the students.

References

Connolly, S. D., & Bernstein, G. A. (2007). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(2), 267-283.

Cobigo, V., Morin, D., & Lachapelle, Y. (2007). Assessing work task preferences among persons with intellectual disabilities: An integrative review of the literature. Education and training in developmental disabilities, 286-300.

Serra, F., Spoto, A., Ghisi, M., & Vidotto, G. (2015). Formal Psychological Assessment in evaluating depression: a new methodology to build exhaustive and irredundant adaptive questionnaires. PloS one, 10(4), e0122131.

Barber, B. K., Stolz, H. E., Olsen, J. A., Collins, W. A., & Burchinal, M. (2005). Parental support, psychological control, and behavioral control: Assessing relevance across time, culture, and method. Monographs of the society for research in child development, i-147.

Fischer, C. T. (2012). Individualizing psychological assessment: A collaborative and therapeutic approach. Routledge.

Schultheiss, D. E. P., & Stead, G. B. (2008). Ethical issues in testing and assessment. In International handbook of career guidance (pp. 603-623). Springer, Dordrecht.