Overview
Psychology 469: Principles of Psychological Assessment is a three-credit course that introduces educational and psychometric theory, method, and the application of psychological testing. The topics covered include concepts of psychological testing; principles of psychological measurement; techniques used to analyze tests; development of tests (e.g., cognitive, interest, personality); and the use of psychological tests to make decisions about individuals. The focus will be on description of the basic principles of psychological measurement that must be applied to properly evaluate psychological tests, as well as on some of the major applications of psychological tests in education, industry, and clinical practice.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will:
- discuss the reasoning behind the construction of tests
- critically examine test construction methods
- describe the appropriate use of tests and the various legal and ethical issues involved
- critically discuss issues related to testing and assessment
- discuss the nature and ethical uses of psychological testing, including its origins and history
- explain the importance of psychological assessment, including reliability, validity, norms, test standardization, and test development
- describe individual and group tests of intelligence and achievement, including uses, characteristics, and applications for testing special populations
- identify the different theories of personality corresponding to objective personality measures, such as the MMPI-2
- identify the different theories of personality corresponding to subjective personality measures, such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test
- describe assessment of normal personality traits using measures such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- analyze the approaches to neuropsychological assessment and the supplemental information gathered when completing a neuropsychological evaluation
- select the appropriate psychological tests to measure presenting psychological issues in a case study
- discuss applications of testing to various settings such as industrial, occupational, forensic, and neurological
- apply the use of psychological testing as it relates to the law, including legal cases from the school systems, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and legal issues in employment
This course is designed to provide students with the background to be a B-level test administrator.
Evaluation
To receive credit for PSYC 469, you must complete all course quizzes and assignments. You must receive a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on each assignment. The weighting of the assessment activities is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Planning Exercise | 6% |
| Quiz 1 (Units 1–4) | 13% |
| Quiz 2 (Units 5–7) | 13% |
| Quiz 3 (Units 8–11) | 13% |
| Assignment 1: PowerPoint Presentation Test Review | 25% |
| Assignment 2: Case Study Project | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Cohen, R. J. (2022). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurements (10th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Other Materials
All other course materials are available online.