Measuring Human BehaviorPsychological Testing is the measurement of some aspect of human b

Measuring Human Behavior

Psychological Testing is the measurement of some aspect of human behavior. by procedures consisting of carefully prescribed con tent, methods of administration, and interpretation. The test may address any aspect of intellectual or emotional functioning, including personality traits, attitudes, intelligence, or emotional concerns. Interpretation is based on a comparison of the individual's responses with those previously obtained to establish appropriate standards for the test scores. The usefulness of psychological tests depends on their accuracy in predicting behavior. By providing information about the probability of a person's responses or performance, tests aid in making a variety of decisions.

The primary drive behind the development of the major tests used today was the need for practical guidelines for solving social problems. The first useful intelligence test was prepared in 1905 by the French psychologists Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. The two developed a 30item scale to ensure that no child could be denied instruction in the Paris school system without formal examination. In 1916, the American psychologist Lewis Terman produced the first Stanford Revision of the BinetSimon scale to provide comparison standards for Americans from age three to adulthood. The test was further revised in 1937 and 1960, and today the Stanford Binet remains one of the most widely used intelligence tests.

The need to classify soldiers during World War I resulted in the development of two group intelligence tests—Army Alpha and Army Beta. To help detect soldiers who might break down in combat, the American psychologist Robert Woodworth designed the Personal Data Sheet, a forerunner of the modern personality inventory. During the 1930s controversies over the nature of intelligence led to the development of the WechslerBellevue Intelligence Scale, which not only provided an index of general mental ability but also revealed patterns of intellectual strengths and weaknesses. The Wechsler tests now extend from the preschool through the adult age range and are at least as prominent as the StanfordBinet.

As interest in the newly emerging field of psychoanalysis grew in the 1930s, two important projective techniques introduced systematic ways to study unconscious motivation: the Rorschach or inkblot testdeveloped by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach—using a series of inkblots on cards, and a storytelling procedure called the Thematic Apperception Testdeveloped by the American psychologists Henry A. Murray and C. D. Morgan. Both of these tests are frequently included in contemporary personality assessment.

In educational settings, intelligence and achievement tests are administered routinely to assess individual accomplishment and to improve instruction and curriculum planning. Elementary schools use kindergarten and firstgrade screening procedures to determine readiness for reading and writing programs. Screening tests also identify developmental, visual, and auditory problems for which the child may need special assistance. If the child's progress in school is un usually slow, or if he or she shows signs of a learning disability or behavior. disorder, testing may clarify whether the difficulty is neurologically or emotionally based. Many high schools administer interest inventories and aptitude tests to assist in the students' educational or vocational planning.

In clinics or hospitals, psychological tests may be administered for purposes of diagnosis and treatment planning. Clinical tests can provide information about overall personality functioning and the need for psychotherapy; testing also may focus of some specific question, such as the presence or absence of organically based brain disorder. Clinical testing usually involves a battery of test, interpreted as a whole, to describe intellectual and emotional states. Dec

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