Psychological Testing

Evan Elliott

Psychological Testing is Valid

Instructor Mary Carrington

January 14, 2013

Psychological Testing

Many people believe psychological tests are not valid, but proof shows they are. Psychologists depend on various testing methods to delve into our psyche. The tests are administered to evaluate the cognitive and emotional functioning of children and adults. Those tests consist of written, visual and verbal evaluations (Farlex, Inc., 2011). Different psychologists may prefer to use different tests for different circumstances.

There are four major psychological tests. The first is the achievement and aptitude test. Used most often in an employment or educational setting, it is used to measure a person’s knowledge on certain topics like mathematics or spelling. It is also used to gauge a person’s ability to master material in a certain area, like mechanical relationships.

Intelligence tests try to measure a person’s intelligence. Intelligence can be defined as a general ability to understand the world around everyone, integrate its functioning, and apply that information to improve the quality of a person’s existence. Intelligence is a measure of potential, not what a person has learned.

Neuropsychological tests measure insufficiencies in cognitive functioning. When a patient may have suffered from some form of brain damage, this test is utilized to see how severe the effects of the damage are on a person’s ability to think, speak and reason.

Occupational tests match a person’s interests with others in comparable careers. These tests are based off of research that shows that if a person is interested in the same things as someone in his or her desired career, then he or she may be a good choice for that career path also.

According to "Psychology Facts: Types of Psychological Tests" (n.d.), “Personality tests attempt to measure your basic personality style and are most used in research or forensic settings to...