Psychological Assessment

Code:

P509

Acronym:

AP 1

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	152	Official Curricular Structure	3	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Skills to understand the process of psychological assessment through the development of assessment strategies, use of tools and methodologies, the conceptualization of results, and writing of assessment reports in conjunction with practical lessons. The learning process should be conducted in a critical perspective, taking into account the strengths and limits of each methodology, the multicultural contexts, the social and ethical implications of the different situations of psychological assessment.

To master fundamental psychometric concepts and to reflect upon methods of constructing psychological tests , including aspects related to standardization, reliability, validity, and normative studies to understand the strengths and limitations of each test, as well as the influence of these properties on the efficiency of psychological assessment.

Understand of the relationship between the theories of intelligence and methodologies for assessing cognition and abilities.

Learning outcomes and competences

Knowledge and skills in psychological assessment:

• Collection of life narratives through different types of interviews and drafting assessment strategies.


• Understanding the technical aspect of psychometry and the importance of statistical methods in the use of instruments of psychological assessment.


• Knowledge and critical assessment of the psychometric properties of assessment instruments.


• Mastering the techniques of administration, scoring, and interpretation of cognitive tests adapted to Portuguese population.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical component:

• History of Psychological Assessment (PA): definitions and concepts, historical and epistemological issues.


• Ethics and PA: Code of Ethics of the Portuguese Psychologists Association (OPP), and international guidelines on the use of tests.


• The process of assessment: components and structure.


• Psychometry: Classical Test Theory (CTT)




• The role of statistics in PA


• Norms and normative studies


• Interpretation of test results


• Reliability


• Validity


• Item analysis.




• Psychometry: Item Response Theory (IRT)


• Methodological issues regarding test construction: standardization, accuracy of measurement, and normative studies.


• Critical review of the classical theories of intelligence and contemporary models: cognitive, emotional, and social abilities; executive functions; assessment in multicultural contexts.


• Techniques for collecting life narratives and interviews.

Practical Component:

• Work on the application, scoring, and interpretation of tests: e.g., Wechsler Scales, ECNI, Raven Colored Matrices, D70, Rey's Complex Figure, Benton VRT and Stroop, WCST.


• Psychological Assessment report.


• Critical thinking and evaluation of teaching and learning.

Mandatory literature

Urbina Susana; Essentials of psychological testing. ISBN: 978-1-118-68048-3
GROTH-MARNAT, G & WRIGHT A.; Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Wiley, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-118-96064-6
SENDIN BANDE, Concepcion; Diagnóstico Psicológico, Psimatica, 2000. ISBN: 84-88909-06-3
Kaufman Alan S.; Essentials of WISC-III and WPPSI-R assessment. ISBN: 0-471-34501-6
Kaufman Alan S.; Claves para la evaluación con el WAIS-III. ISBN: 84-7174-589-5

Complementary Bibliography

Anastasi Anne; Testagem psicológica. ISBN: 85-7307-615-1
Sternberg Robert J. 340; Handbook of intelligence. ISBN: 0-521-59648-3
Kaufman Alan; Intelligent testing with WISC-V, Wiley, 2016. ISBN: 978-1118589236

Teaching methods and learning activities

• Content lectures by teacher and / or by students under the guidance of teaching staff. 


• Research, and review of literature in extra-time class. 


• Practical work on collecting and analyzing life narratives, administration, scoring and analyzing test results. 


• Integration and conceptualization of all outcomes in the final assessment report. 


• Tutorial support.

The explanation content in class will serve to guide and complement the students' work performed before each class. Lectures will give priority to critical approaches to the theories, the concepts and the controversies of psychological assessment and promote discussions with students, clarify questions and guide the study of topics for the following session. The practical classes will give priority to the acquisition of skills in the operationalization of psychological assessment by the contents exposition, the exercises and practical work with case studies.

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Clinical psychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Behavioural sciences
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Cognitive science
Physical sciences > Mathematics > Statistics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Participação presencial	15,00
Trabalho laboratorial	35,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	88,00
Frequência das aulas	54,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Prerequisite for attendance: frequency of 75% of classes taught.

To obtain the frequency of UC, students have to perform all evaluation components with a minimum value of 8.5/20. The average of all components must be at least 10/20.

Calculation formula of final grade

• Distributed evaluation with final exam: 50%


• Evaluation by reports of psychological assessment: 35%.


• Personal participation: 15%

In the evaluation through final exam, the student must obtain a minimum value of 8.5 (rating 0-20).
In the psychological assessment report component, the student must obtain a minimum value of 8.5 (rating 0-20).
The average of all components must be at least 10/20.

Classification improvement

Students can improve their classification with new examination for the theoretical component, a single time, until the end of the exam calendar of the following school year that in which they passed.