Psychological Assessment

Code:

LPSI208

Acronym:

AP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2023/2024 - 2S

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	198	Official Curricular Structure	2	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

This UC aims to make a fundamental contribution to the training of students in Psychological Assessment, namely through the study of the main theories, instruments and evaluation methodologies to be implemented during theoretical and practical classes, and a case study.

Learning outcomes and competences

Skills in psychological assessment:

1. To understand the relationships between psychological models and psychological assessment methodologies, their differences and complementarities.
2. To know the theoretical rationale of self-report instruments and performance-based tests, such as projective tests.
3. To master the technique of the initial psychological interview.
4. To master the development of strategies for psychological assessment, based on life history and the identification of the problem.
5. To know the methodologies of administration, scoring and interpretation of psychological assessment tests, namely self-report scales and projective techniques.
6. To elaborate a psychological assessment report with the integrative conceptualization of results from different sources of information, allowing the understanding of the case and pointing out the characteristics that may change.

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical Component:

1. The history of personality assessment and its methodologies: evolution of the interview during the last decades of the XX century and the distinction between self-report tests and performance-based tests.
2. Psychological evaluation in Psychology Models.
3. Principles of Personality Assessment: Relationship between research traditions and methodologies of psychological testing.
4. Reflection on Models and diagnostic systems.
5. Theoretical foundation of self-report scales.
6. Theoretical rationale of performance-based tests.
   • Projective techniques and schema theory.
7. The relationship between assessment and psychological intervention.

 

Theoretical-Practical Component:

1. Developping skills in the initial psychological interview.
2. The stages of the psychological assessment process: Reflection and discussion.
3. Methodologies for administration, scoring and interpretation of tests: Iaclide, Self-concept clinical inventory, STAI (Stress Anxiety Scale, State Anxiety), Stress Vulnerability Rating Scale - 23QVS, NEO-PI-R, MMPI-2 , Eating Behavior Scale - TFEQ, Rorschach Test, TAT, CAT and SAT, Robert's 2, Once Upon a Time ::: Projective test for children.
4. Practical work on administration, scoring and interpretation of the ICAC, Iaclide, STAI and NEO-PI-R tests.Writing the psychological assessment report.
5. The case studies should develop skills to conduct a full psychological assessment through the interrelation with the contents of the lectures.

Mandatory literature

John Olivier P. 340; Handbook of personality. ISBN: 978-1-60918-059-1
GROTH-MARNAT, G., WRIGHT, A.; Handbook Of Psychological Assessment, Wiley, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-118-96064-6
WRIGHT, A.; Conducting Psychological Assessment, Wiley, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-470-53675-9
Sendin Maria Concepción; Diagnóstico psicológico. ISBN: ISBN 84-88909-06-3
HAYNES, S., HEIBY, E. ; Comprehensive Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Volume 3: Behavioral Assessment, Wiley, 2004. ISBN: 0-471-41614-2
SCHNEIDER, W. J., LICHTENBERGER, E., MATHER, N., KAUFMAN, N.; Essentials of Report Writing (2ND ED.), Wiley, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-119-2187-3
Olivier P. John; Handbook of personality. ISBN: 978-1-60918-059-1
WEINER, I. B., GREENE, R. L.; Handbook of Personality Assessment (2nd Ed.), Wiley, 2017

Complementary Bibliography

HILSENROTH, M., SEGAL, D., HERSEN, M.; Comprehensive Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Volume 2, Personality Assessment, Wiley, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-471-41612-8

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.
- Support tutorial.
- 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 > Behavioural sciences
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Cognitive science
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Differential psychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Clinical psychology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Participação presencial	5,00
Trabalho laboratorial	45,00
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.
The personal attendance is evaluated through a presentation of a topic in groups and to be discussed by the class and the teacher.
To obtain the frequency of UC, students have to perform all evaluation components with a minimum value of 8.5/20, but 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: 45%.
- Personal participation: 5%

In 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 (rating 0-20).

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.