Psychometrics and Theories of Psychological Assessment

Code:

LPSI203

Acronym:

PTAP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	First degree in Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LPSIC	191	Official Curricular Structure	2	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Introduction to Psychometrics and the theoretical and technical foundations of Psychological Assessment.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of this course the students should be able:

1. To understand the role of Psychological Assessment in Psychological Science.
2. To understand the technical aspects of Psychometrics and specifically the importance of statistical methods in the design of psychological tests and in the interpretation of the results of psychological assessment.
3. To master the main concepts and techniques of Psychometrics in order to critically appraise the psychometric properties of psychological tests.
4. To know core psychological tests (Wechsler’s intelligence scalesy), understand their technical bases, and generalize this understanding to other instruments.
5. To reflect upon the deontological issues concerning Psychological Assessment.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical component:
1. Introduction to Psychological Assessment (PA): definitions, concepts, historical draft
2. The process of assessment: components and structure
3. Psychometrics: Classical Test Theory (CTT)
3.1. The role of statistics in PA
3.2. Interpretation of test results
3.3. Reliability
3.4. Validity
3.4.1. Content-related
3.4.2. Patterns of convergence and divergence
3.4.3. Criterion-related
3.5. Item analysis
4. Psychometrics: introduction to Item Response Theory (IRT)
5. Methodological issues regarding test design
5.1. Contruction, standardization, and normative studies
5.2. Translation and adaptation of tests
6. The deontology of PA

Theoretical and Practical Component:
1. Exercises on calculation and interpretation of the psychometric properties of PA tests
2. Practical work assignments on administration, scoring, and interpretation of test results for core tests (Wechsler's intelligence scales)
3. Exploration and analysis of psychological assessment instruments

Mandatory literature

Susana Urbina; Essentials of psychological testing. ISBN: 978-1-118-68048-3
Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A.; Handbook of Psychological Assessment (6th ed.), Wiley, 2016

Complementary Bibliography

Furr, M. R., & Bacharach, V. R.; Psychometrics: An introduction (2nd ed.), Sage, 2014
Revelle, W.; An introduction to psychometric theory with applications in R, 2019 (http://www.personality-project.org/r/book/)
Harris Cooper; APA handbook of research methods in psychology. ISBN: 978-1-4338-1003-9
Tenko Raykov; Introduction to psychometric theory. ISBN: 978-0-415878227

Teaching methods and learning activities

The Theoretical component will be based on lectures with visual support and complemented by students' autonomous readings.

The Theoretical and Practical component will include lectures and supervised student work (individual/group). involving statistical software to calculate psychometric indicators (e.g., SPSS, JASP, jMetrik), as well as the handling of technical manuals and materials of psychological assessment tests in order to administer, score, and interpret assessment results.

Software

JASP Team (2023). JASP (Version 0.17) [Computer software]. https://jasp-stats.org/
Meyer, P. (2018). jMetrik (Version 4.1.1) [Computer Software]. https://itemanalysis.com/jmetrik-download/
IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 29.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	65,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	15,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

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

Eligibility for exams

To obtain frequency on this course, students have to perform both evaluation components (Theoretical component and Theoretical and Practical component) with a minimum value of 8.5 (out of 20) in each component. The average of all components must be at least 9.5 (out of 20).

Attendance to theoretical and practical classes is mandatory, acording to the regulations in place.

Calculation formula of final grade

Distributed evaluation with final exam, including the following elements:

1. Theoretical component (minimum grade 8 points):

1.1. Final exam: 65% of the overall grade

2. Theoretical and Practical component (minimum grade 8 points):

2.1. Group work: preparation of technical sheet of an assessment instrument (20%) and presentation of that instrument in class (15%): 35% of the overall grade

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students under special regulations (e.g., working students) may complete the course via special evaluation conditions (individual work instead of group work), but must contact the teacher at the beginning of the semester to request this evaluation format. The presentation in class is mandatory, and should be scheduled in advance.

Classification improvement

Classification improvement of the theoretical component (exam) may be done in the terms specified by the current regulations.