Deepened Topics of Psychological Assessment

Code:

LP503

Acronym:

QAA

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psicologia e Saúde

Instance: 2005/2006 - A

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Psychology Degree

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LPSI	22	Plano oficial a partir de 2001/02	5	6	16	-

Objectives

To deepen theoretical and practical theories and techniques studied in the 3rd year’s subject “Intelligence and Personality Assessment”, stressing either the aspects concerning the process of decision-making on psychological assessment devices to be used in specific contexts, or the process of interpreting the results and using the collected information.

Program

I - Clinical dimension of psychological assessment

1.The clinical situation as an interpersonal and inter-subjective relationship:
1.1 Psychological assessment as a specific clinical situation;
1.2 Experimental studies about the subject/object interaction within the psychological assessment context.

2. Psychological assessment and interpersonal relation: some reference models:
2.1 Psychoanalytical approach;
2.2 Psychosociological approach;
2.3 Lewin’s approach;
2.4 Perspective of the psychological ecology and the ecological psychology of development.

3. Assessment, exam and psycho-diagnosis: reflections about the word’s semantic space and delimitation of concepts:
3.1 Assessment dimension;
3.2 Nosological dimension;
3.3 Eye dimension;
3.4 Speech dimension (speaking, listening, symbolize/re-symbolize).

4. Psychological assessment as a process: epistemology of psychological assessment:
4.1 Wisdom, knowledge and science in psychological assessment;
4.2 Theory and methodology of the scientific method applied to psychological assessment;
4.3 Explanation versus interpretation;
4.4 Psychological assessment as a process.

II - Exam as a privileged situation for psychological assessment

1. The exam as an intensive search for information about the person:
1.1 Specific situation of the exam;
1.2 Psychometric and the psychological test/proof in the examination;
1.3 Case-study as paradigm.

2. Contextualization of the exam:
2.1 Institutional framework;
2.2 Theoretical contextualization: interpretative(s) paradigm(s);
2.3 Analysis of the request and motivation for the exam/counselling;
2.4 Elaboration and management of the case’s dossier.

3. Psychological exam, counselling and psychotherapeutic intervention:
3.1 Psychological assessment and intervention;
3.2 Winnicott’s therapeutic counselling.

III - Methods and techniques used in psychological exam

1. Use of interview:
1.1 Interview in psychological assessment;
1.2 Interview in child’s psychological assessment.

2. Measure in psychological assessment:
2.1 Normativity, expressiveness and projection;
2.2 The most used psychological assessment tests in Portugal and control issues,
2.3 Expressiveness through free drawing, thematic drawing (human figure, family, Winnicott’s squiggle) and amusement techniques;
2.4 Projective dynamic in the spots’ techniques (Rocharch; Zulliger);
2.5 Projective dynamic in thematic techniques (T.A.T.; C.A.T.; P.N.).

3. Data recording:
3.1 Computerized support;
3.3 Video recording in psychological assessment.

IV – Psychological exam and explanation of originality (specificity, difference and individuality)

1. Psychological exam and explanation of originality depending on development:
1.1 Expression of maturity and its vicissitudes through adult’s psychological assessment (adult’s psychological exam: case-study including data from different tests);
1.2 Expression of development in adolescence and its vicissitudes (adolescent’s psychological exam: case-study including different tests particularly relevant to the projective tests);
1.3 Expression of child’s development and its vicissitudes through child’s psychological assessment (child’s psychological exam: case-study including different tests, particularly relevant to projective tests).

2. Psychological exam and explanation of originality in specific situations:
2.1 Psychological transcription of physical suffering and psychological assessment of the somatic patient;
2.2 Expression of different psychopathological records in adult and child through Rorschach;
2.3 Expression of anomic and deviance processes through adult’s, young's and child's psychological assessment: psychological assessment in judicial counselling and study of personality.

Main Bibliography

- BALLESTEROS, R. F. (1983) - Psicodiagnostico: Concepto y Metodologia. Madrid: Editorial Cincel, S. A
- BOURGES, S. (1975) - Approche génétique et psychanalytique de l'enfant: essai de synthèse autour du bilan psychologique. Tome 1: Choix et interpretation des épreuves. Tome 2: La dynamique humaine. Paris: Librairie Riche
- GUILLAUMIN, J. (1977) - La dynamique de l'éxamen psychologique. Paris: PUF
- PERRON-BORELLI, M. PERRON, R. (1982) – L’examen psychologique de l’enfant. Paris: PUF

Complementary Bibliography

- Anzieu, D. (1983) - Les méthodes projectives. Paris: PUF
- Arfouilloux, J. C. (1978) - L'entretien avec l'enfant: l'approche de l'enfant à travers le dialogue, le jeu et le
dessin. Tolouse: Privat
- Brelet, F. (1988) - Le TAT, fantasme et situation projective. Paris: Dunod
- Chabert, C. (1983) - Le Rorschach en clinique adulte: interprétation psychanalytique. Paris: Dunod
- Chabert, C. (1987) - La psichopathologie à l'épreuve du Rorschach. Paris: Dunod
- Chiland, C. (1985) - L'entretien clinique. Paris: PUF
- Cronbach, L,Y. (1984) - Essentials of Psychological Testing. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers Inc.
- Hersen, M., Kasoin, A., Bellack, A. S. (1983) - The Clinical Psichology Handbook. New York: Pergamon Press (Part IV - Assessment and diagnosis)
- Husain-Zubair, O. (1992) - Essai sur la convergence des techniques dans l'examen psychologique. Lausanne: Payot
- Kerlinger, F. N. (1979) - Foundations of Behavioral Research. London: Holt, Rinehart and Winston (Part 9: Methods of observation and data collection).
- Nunnaly, J. C. (1978) - Psichometric Theory. London: MacGraw-Hill
- Rapaport, D., Gill, M. M. and Schafer, R. (1968) - Diagnostic Psychological Testing. International Universities Press, Inc.
- Raush de Traubenberg, N. (1983) - Le Manuel Pratique du Rorschach. Paris: PUF
- Rausch de Traubenberg, N., Boizou, M. F. (1977) - Le Rorschach en clinique infantile. Paris: Dunod
- Weiner, I. B. (Ed.) (1983) - Clinical Methods in Psychology. New York: John Willey and Sons

PS.: The complementary bibliography specific to each theme will be referred in the classes’ summaries and in the thematic dossiers.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Classes are organized into a theoretical-practical perspective based on the explanations given by the lecturer and theoretical-practical assignments (“T.P.”) carried out through the year by the students

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Eligibility for exams

(10) The “P.W.”’s grade is the result of the arithmetic average of the classifications (0-20) obtained in the written and oral presentation.

Calculation formula of final grade

3. Final classification:
(01) Besides presenting the “T.P” dossier, all students must submit a final exam including all the issues learned within the subject;
(02) The final exam includes a written test and an oral one with a final classification on a scale of 0 to 20;
(03) Students that obtain, in the written test, a classification lower than 7,5 won’t be approved;
(04) Students that obtain at least 9,5 in the written test will be released from the oral one;
(05) If the student is released from the oral test the grade of the final exam is the one obtained in the written test or, if not, it will be the arithmetic average of the classifications obtained in written and oral tests;
(06) The final classification is the result of the weighting of 0,60 on the final exam’s grade and 0,40 on the “T.P”’s grade.
(07) If the student hasn’t accomplished one of the items it will be given a classification of zero values to each of the missing items.
(08) According to the assessment rules, to the final classification it can be taken into account elements from a qualitative appreciation, which might influence the numerical calculations (arithmetic average and weighting) used to estimate the final grade.

Classification improvement

(09) According to the general rules of assessment to improve the final grade the student must submit to a new exam in accordance with the established in number 3.1 and 3.2 above mentioned, without a new evaluation of the P.W.