Psychological Assessment: Comparing Tests and Addressing Ethical and Cultural Issues

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:

Before beginning work on this assignment, read the following:
Behind Closed Doors: Assessing Individuals from Diverse BackgroundsDownload Behind Closed Doors: Assessing Individuals from Diverse Backgrounds
Methodological Issues in Assessment Research with Ethnic MinoritiesLinks to an external site.
Additionally, review the following from Week 1:
Section 9: Assessment on the webpage Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
APA Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and EvaluationLinks to an external site.
In addition to the resources listed above, research four peer-reviewed articles in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library that were published within the last 15 years, including a minimum of one article for each of your two chosen topics from the list below.
In this assignment, you will choose two general topics of interest to you related to psychological assessment from the list below.
Assessments for adults with emotional or behavioral disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD, personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance abuse disorders)
Assessments for children or adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders
Assessments for children or adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., intellectual disability, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders)
Assessments for gifted and talented children or adolescents
Assessments for individuals with neurocognitive disorders (e.g., due to delirium, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, or other medical conditions)
Assessments for individuals with hearing or visual impairments
Assessments for individuals seeking career counseling
Assessments for presurgical evaluations
Assessments for legal cases (e.g., child custody evaluations, insanity defense, death penalty, risk assessment for parole board hearings)
Assessments for program evaluation
To complete this assignment, organize your paper in the following manner using each of the headings provided below in boldface.
Introduction
Compose an introduction that describes the role of assessment in arenas you selected (e.g., diagnosis and treatment, demonstrating the effectiveness of an intervention program, legal/forensic cases). End your introduction with a clear thesis statement.
Test Comparisons
In this section,
Compare at least two psychological tests for each of the two topics chosen.
Be sure to reference your researched articles.
Differentiate tests that have strong psychometric support from those that have weak psychometric support for each of the topics you selected.
Be specific about the names of the tests, publication years, what the tests measure, and common uses of the tests. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each test.
Note: It is common for there to be a delay between the time a test publisher updates a test and the time the textbook and other authors can update their information about the new version of the test. Be sure to do online research to make sure you are discussing the most current versions of the tests you write about. If there is a newer version than the version discussed in the textbook or other readings, recommend the newest version.
Ethical Issues
In this section,
Analyze ethical challenges related to testing vulnerable populations (e.g., minor children, individuals who are charged with a crime or are incarcerated, and individuals with compromised cognitive functioning).
Discuss any ethical challenges that pertain to testing individuals from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
Discuss the importance of considering the context of psychological assessment when interpreting findings for forensic purposes or use with other vulnerable populations.
Recommendations for Competent Assessment Practices
In this section,
Recommend how to (a) minimize test bias, (b) improve the validity of assessments, and (c) develop methods to account for measurement errors in psychological testing.
Describe how professionals should report assessment findings when they suspect the validity of obtained test results is compromised.
Conclusions
Conclude by briefly discussing where additional research is needed to improve the reliability and validity of tests in the three areas you selected.
Make sure that your conclusion meets the guidelines as described in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s resource Introductions & Conclusions. Links to an external site.
The Discipline-Based Literature Review paper
Must be six to eight double-spaced pages in length plus a title page and a reference page. You should have a minimum of eight to ten pages in total, including title and reference pages. and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of the paper in bold font
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
Student’s name
Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Due date
Must include the subheadings provided in the instructions (Introduction, Test Comparisons, Ethical Issues, etc.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice links to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance in writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must include an introduction and a conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions, Thesis Statements & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must include each of the chapters and articles listed in the instructions above plus a minimum of four additional peer-reviewed articles from the University of Arizona Global Campus Library that were published within the last 15 years, including a minimum of one article for each of your four chosen topics.
Additional scholarly sources may be included. The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. the table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

HOW TO WORK ON THIS ASSIGNMENT (EXAMPLE ESSAY / DRAFT)

Introduction

Psychological assessment is a crucial process in various areas, such as diagnosis and treatment, program evaluation, career counseling, and legal/forensic cases. The objective of this paper is to compare and analyze the psychometric properties of psychological tests used in two general topics related to psychological assessment. The paper will also discuss ethical challenges related to testing vulnerable populations and provide recommendations for competent assessment practices. Lastly, the paper will conclude by discussing areas where additional research is needed to improve the reliability and validity of tests.

Test Comparisons

Assessments for children or adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders:

The two psychological tests used to assess children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders are the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). The CBCL was developed by Thomas Achenbach and is commonly used to assess behavioral and emotional problems in children aged 6-18 years. The CBCL comprises 118 problem items that are rated on a 3-point Likert scale (Achenbach, 2018). The BASC was developed by Cecil Reynolds and Randy Kamphaus and is also used to assess behavioral and emotional problems in children aged 2-25 years. The BASC comprises 139 items that are rated on a 4-point Likert scale (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015).

The CBCL has strong psychometric support, with good test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity (Achenbach, 2018). It has been translated into over 90 languages and is widely used in research and clinical settings. The BASC also has strong psychometric support, with good reliability and validity (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015). It is available in several versions, including self-report, parent-report, and teacher-report, and has been used in various settings.

Assessments for individuals with neurocognitive disorders:

The two psychological tests used to assess individuals with neurocognitive disorders are the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MMSE was developed by Marshal Folstein and is commonly used to assess cognitive impairment in adults. The MMSE comprises 30 items that assess various cognitive domains, such as orientation, attention, memory, language, and visuospatial skills (Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975). The MoCA was developed by Ziad Nasreddine and is also used to assess cognitive impairment in adults. The MoCA comprises 30 items that assess various cognitive domains, such as attention, memory, language, visuospatial skills, and executive functions (Nasreddine et al., 2005).

The MMSE has weak psychometric support, with poor sensitivity and specificity (Tombaugh & McIntyre, 1992). It has also been criticized for cultural bias and inadequate assessment of executive functions (Gomez-Perez, Westerberg, & Judge, 2018). The MoCA has strong psychometric support, with good sensitivity and specificity (Nasreddine et al., 2005). It has been translated into several languages and is less affected by cultural and educational factors than the MMSE (Gomez-Perez et al., 2018).

Ethical Issues

Testing vulnerable populations:

Testing vulnerable populations, such as minor children, individuals who are charged with a crime or are incarcerated, and individuals with compromised cognitive functioning, raises several ethical challenges. These challenges include obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality and privacy, minimizing harm, and avoiding bias and discrimination (APA, 2017). For example, testing children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders may require obtaining informed consent from both the child and the parent or legal guardian, as well as ensuring confidentiality

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