PSY404 Psychological Assessment (8)

Psychological Assessment requires an understanding of a broad range of concepts, including psychometric theory, statistical concepts and procedures, principles underlying assessment in general as well as testing, strengths and weaknesses of psychological tests, and key ethical issues relevant to assessing clients. This subject will familiarise students with these concepts using theoretical presentations, procedural demonstrations, and practical tasks that require students to score and interpret selected psychometric instruments, and communicate outcomes in written psychological reports.

Availability

Session 1 (30)
Online
Bathurst Campus

Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: PSY404. Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Psychology

Enrolment Restrictions

Only available to 4th year Psychology students.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
  • be able to carry out basic psychological assessments;
  • be able to present and define components of the psychological assessment process;
  • be able to demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical foundation as well as the applied skills in the following areas: clinical interpretation of tests, identification of psychological conditions, the use of tests within the assessment process, and the application of assessment results in psychological reports;
  • be able to make informed choices about the particular methods to be used in psychological assessments;
  • be able to demonstrate an understanding of the Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology (EBPP) model and its relevance to psychological assessment;
  • be able to demonstrate understanding of current debates about theory, method, and application of psychological assessment; and
  • be able to demonstrate understanding of the ethically appropriate procedures and application of psychological assessments across a range of client populations, including adults, children, cross-cultural, and other special populations.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:
  • An introduction to psychological assessment, which will examine the basic theoretical foundations and practical skills necessary to start performing supervised psychological assessments.
  • The use of interviews in psychological assessment.
  • The principles of psychological measurement and the theory of test construction and interpretation (e.g., norms, reliability, validity, criterion keying, item analysis, theoretical foundations of test interpretation methods).
  • The appropriate use of tests and test results within the psychological assessment process.
  • The strengths and weaknesses of psychological tests.
  • The assessment of intelligence, aptitude, achievement, attitude, personality and specific cognitive abilities in both children and adults.
  • The ethical issues associated with psychological assessment and the strategies for managing them in practice.
  • Psychological assessment in culturally diverse and other special populations.
  • The communication of assessment outcomes in psychological reports.

Indicative Assessment

The following table summarises the assessment tasks for the online offering of PSY404 in Session 1 2021. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated and can also differ to suit the mode of study (online or on campus).

Item Number
Title
Value %
1
Take-home test
30
2
Administering, scoring, and interpreting data
30
3
Psychological report
40

The information contained in the CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: June 2022. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.

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