COURSE NUMBER: PP7371COURSE NAME: Objective Personality Assessment

TERM: Spring 2006

INSTRUCTOR: Carol L. Oster

PHONE:312-777-7706

EMAIL:coster@argosyu.edu

FAX:312-777-7748

ALT PHONE:847-267-0001 x 4

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title MMPI-2: Assessing Personality and PsychopathologyAuthor(s) Graham, John R.Copyright 2006Publisher OxfordISBN 978-0-19-516806-8Edition 4th

Title Handbook of Psychological AssessmentAuthor(s) Groth-Marnat, GaryCopyright 2003Publisher John Wiley & SonsISBN 0-471-41979-6Edition 4th or latest

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Title MMPI – 2 Scoring Sheets and Profile FormsAuthor(s)CopyrightPublisherISBNEdition

Also required:

American Psychological Association, Practice and Science Directorates (2000). Report of the Task Force on Test User Qualifications. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/tuq.pdf.

American Psychological Association (1998). Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations. Washington, D.C.: APA. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/ttrr.html.

Oser, G., Johnson, C.W., Abedor, A.J. (1997). Biostatistics for the Clinician. Huston, TX: University of Texas. Online Psychometrics Tutorial available online at http://www.uth.tmc.edu/uth_orgs/educ_dev/oser/OSERTOC.HTM

Oster, C., (2008). Objective Personality Assessment Syllabus and Handouts. (I.e., this syllabus and related web pages, available at www.osterpro.homestead.com)

Readings on reserve in library:

Butcher, J.N. (2005). MMPI-2: A Practitioner’s Guide. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-59147-287-2 Chapters 15, 16, 18, 19

RECOMMENDED READINGS

Title Standards for Educational and Psychological TestingAuthor(s) AERA, APA, NCMECopyright 2000Publisher American Psychological AssociationISBN 0935302255Edition

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This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

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Argosy University, ChicagoPP7371 Objective Personality Assessment

Carol L. Oster, Psy.D.Spring 2007

Schedule: Wednesdays, 9:15 a.m. – 12:00 noon January 10 – April 18, 2006

Contact Information:   Phone:         312-777-7706                                       Email:          coster@argosy.edu 

clo_60035@yahoo.com                                        Website:      www.osterpro.homestead.com

Practice address: Gault, Fishbein & Associates770 Lake-Cook Road, Suite 250Deerfield, IL 60015847-267-0001 x 4

Online Psychometrics Tutorial: http://www.uth.tmc.edu/uth_orgs/educ_dev/oser/OSERTOC.HTM

Course Length: 15 weeks Contact Hours: 45 Credit Value: 3.0 Course Description:

This course introduces the student to the major approaches and techniques for objective personality assessment in adults. Topics covered include general principles and issues in objective assessment, and techniques of personality assessment. The primary emphasis is on the MMPI-2, with an overview of other commonly used measures of objective personality assessment.

Competencies Acquired:

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:

1. Correctly administer and score the MMPI-2.a. Complete record sheets in ways consistent with correct administration.b. Score answers using templates to arrive at basic, clinical, content, and Harris and

Lingos subscale raw scores.c. Correctly identify corresponding T-Scoresd. Correctly plot profiles.

2. Understand how to administer and score the MCMI, PAI, 16PF and SCL-90 (Tentative, depends on library resources)

a. Complete record sheets in ways consistent with correct administrationb. Score answers using templates and/or computer scoring programs

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c. Correctly identify standard scoresd. Correctly plot profiles

3. Interpret and apply test results, and state inferences and conclusions in plain language.

a. Collect a clinical history and make clinical observations to combine with test data in making inferences.

b. Correctly identify and interpret 1, 2 and 3-point code types on the MMPI-2 and “types” or profiles on other personality tests.

c. Identify and interpret other significant patterns in subtest scores.d. Correctly apply interpretive strategies covered in class and utilizing course texts.e. Identify, in writing and in class discussion, inferences that are close to the data,

further from the data, and highly speculative.f. State inferences in plain, descriptive English, avoiding jargon.g. Evaluate and validate inferences through history and behavioral observations.h. Draw conclusions supported by the test results, history, and observations, taking

into account social, ethno-cultural, and other individual influences on performance and expression of personality.

i. Make recommendations consistent with and supported by test results and history, and that take into account the subject's unique situation.

4. Arrive at diagnoses, descriptions, and conclusions based on test results, and report the diagnosis in DSM-IV terminology, using the five axis system.

a. Write reports that lead logically and descriptively to diagnostic and descriptive conclusions.

b. Support diagnoses and conclusions with test data, observations, and history.

5. Conduct testing in compliance with APA ethical guidelines for users of psychological tests and with course guidelines.

a. Comply with exclusionary criteria described in course handouts and class discussion.

b. Maintain test security.c. Obtain written informed consent from each subject.d. Maintain confidentiality of volunteer subjects by disguising identities using

HIPAA guidelines in reports and in class discussions.e. Indicate limits to conclusions in reports, including limits to applicability of

individual tests to members of non-majority ethnic, cultural, national (etc.) groups to which the subject belongs.

6. Produce well-written, professional psychological reports.a. Produce reports using the report template provided.b. Accurately edit reports to eliminate spelling, grammar, word usage, and syntax

errors. c. Compose paragraphs containing main ideas and supportive details.

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d. Construct reports so that main ideas of paragraphs follow each other in logical order, as identified in the report template and discussed in class.

e. Use language and clinical reasoning that is easy for others to follow.

7. Understand and apply nomothetic and idiographic methods of assessment.a. Identify and differentiate between nomothetic and idiographic methods of

assessment.b. Identify and explain assets and limitations of nomothetic and idiographic methods

of assessment.c. Apply nomothetic and idiographic reasoning to interpretation, diagnosis,

conclusions, and recommendations.

8. Compare and contrast various objective personality measures.a. Name and explain the clinical characteristics of several objective measures of

personality including purpose, population, best use, limitations, benefits, scores, clinical utility, cautions, appropriateness for various populations

b. Compare and contrast psychometric characteristics of several objective measures of personality including: test construction issues including item selection, scale construction, theoretical underpinnings; statistical characteristics including reliability, validity – general and specific, means and standard deviations, range of “normal” scores, meanings of scores outside the norm; standard scores including T scores, stens, percentiles, and z-score conversions of these for equivalence comparisons; trait vs. state measures, and scale score stability over time

c. Define personality, personality disorder, personality characteristic, state, trait, empirical criterion keying, factor analysis, factor loading, T score, sten, percentile, z score, Big Five Theory

d. Identify and select objective personality measures appropriate for various populations and assessment purposes.

Instructional Format:

The course will consist of lecture, discussion, demonstration, and practice. Students will take, score, and plot the MMPI-2 themselves; administer MMPI-2 tests to five additional subjects for practice and experience in test administration, scoring, and interpretation; and produce reports based on each of the five administrations to other subjects. Students will take, score, and plot one other objective personality test: the MCMI, PAI, 16PF, or SCL90; administer each test to one volunteer subject; score, interpret, and integrate test results with results of the MMPI-2.

You MAY use classmates as test subjects. If you do so, you must yourself score and plot their test results. Do not identify classmates as such in test reports; disguise their identities so the instructor will not be able to tell even that they are a graduate student in psychology.

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Content Sequence:

Content sequence is approximate, and will be adjusted for the experience base of the class; group progress in acquisition of skills, knowledge, and values; and the natural flow of inquiry in the course. The instructor reserves the right to alter sequence and time spent on individual topics.

Theories of personality assessmento Objective assessmento Projective assessment

History of personality assessment Construction and psychometric properties of objective personality tests

o Theory-based approaches to item selection and scale constructiono Empirical criterion keying approaches to item selection and subscale constructiono Factor-analytic approaches to item selection and subscale constructiono Item response theory and Rasch modelingo Normal curve equivalents of test scores; z-score transformations; percentile

equivalents of t-scores, stens, etc. o Reliability of objective personality assessment methods – types of reliabilityo Validity of objective personality assessment methods, validation methods, and

types of validity Ethical guidelines for users of psychological tests The MMPI-2 and MMPI-A

o Demonstration of MMPI-2 scoring and profile plottingo Behavioral observations in objective personality assessment

Interpretation and Report-Writingo Determining validity of results – psychometric indicators (validity subscales);

external validationo Normative interpretation – revisiting the normal curve; score distributions,

standard deviations, and percentile equivalents of t-scoreso Behavioral correlates of test scores

Profile interpretation Subscale interpretation

o Idiographic interpretation Behavioral correlates of test scores in the client’s history Critical items Cultural and other idiographic effects on test score interpretation

o Identifying personality strengths

Other objective measures, characteristics and useso MCMI-IIo 16 Personality Factors – 5th edition (16PF-5)o Personality Assessment Inventory II

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o Symptom Checklist-90 - Revisedo NEO PIo Additional Measures

Beck Instruments Conners’ Instruments Instruments for special purposes Etc.

Individual and cultural differences and objective personality assessment Diagnosis of specific disorders: criteria, methods, examples and cautions Objective measures in clinical, educational, career, and forensic work Continued practice and discussion, emphasizing interpretation and integration of results,

along with implications for recommendations. Reading Schedule: (The week readings are due.)

Week 2:

MMPI-2 Manual

Graham:

Chapter 1: Development of the MMPI and MMPI-2

Groth-Marnat

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Context of Clinical Assessment Chapter 3: The Assessment Interview

Week 3:

Online Psychometrics Tutorial:

All of Lesson 1, with emphasis on

1.2 Variables and Measures1.3 Central Tendency1.4 Variability1.6 Standard Scores1.7 Distributions

Graham: Chapter 2: Administration and Scoring Chapter 9: Psychometric Considerations Appendix R: Intercorrelations of MMPI-2 Scales for Normative Sample

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Appendix S: Percentile Equivalents for Uniform T Scores

Groth-Marnat

Chapter 7: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (including psychometrics) Appendix G: Hand Scoring the MMPI-2 Validity and Clinical Scales

Week 4:

Graham:

Chapter 3: The Validity Scales Chapter 4: The Clinical Scales

Groth-Marnat

Appendix H: Giving Clients Feedback on the MMPI-2 Chapter 14: Psychological Assessment and Treatment Planning

Week 5:

Graham:

Chapter 6: Content Interpretation Chapter 8: Supplementary Scales

Week 6:

Chapter 7: Restructured Clinical Scales and Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) Scales

Chapter 11: An interpretive Strategy

Week 7:

Online Psychometrics Tutorial:

All of Lesson 2, with emphasis on

2.2.3 Types of Errors2.2.4 Power, Sample Size, Effect Size and Clinical Significance

Week 8:

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American Psychological Association, Practice and Science Directorates (2000). Report of the Task Force on Test User Qualifications. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/tuq.pdf.

American Psychological Association (1998). Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations. Washington, D.C.: APA. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/ttrr.html.

Week 9:

Graham: Chapter 10: Use with Special Groups Chapter 13: Forensic Applications of the MMPI-2

Week 10:

Graham:

Chapter 12: Computerized Administration, Scoring and Interpretation

Groth-Marnat

Chapter 8 Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Chapter 13: Brief Instruments for Treatment Planning, Monitoring, and Outcome

Assessment

Week 11:

Butcher (on reserve in library): Chapter 15: Personnel Screening with the MMPI-2 Chapter 16: Use of the MMPI-2 in Personal Injury and Disability Evaluations

Week 12:

Groth-Marnat

Chapter 9: California Psychological Inventory

Week 13:

Groth-Marnat

Chapter 13: Brief Instruments for Treatment Planning, Monitoring, and Outcome Assessment

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Week 14:

Butcher (on reserve in library):

Chapter 18: Interpretation of Latino/Latina MMPI-2 Profiles: Review and Application of Empirical Findings and Cultural–Linguistic Considerations

Chapter 19: Cross Cultural Applications of the MMPI-2

Assignment Due Dates:

Jan. 23: Take the MMPI-2 yourself, bring your answer sheet, templates, and profile sheets to class

Feb 6: 1st MMPI-2 administration and reportMar 6: 2nd MMPI-2 administration and reportMar 20: 3rd MMPI-2 and first additional test administration and reportApril 3: Report on online personality tests, MMPI-2 research, and one additional testApril 10: 4th and 5th MMPI-2 and 2nd additional administrations and reports

April 10-19: Individual meeting with professor

Students are responsible for all readings, whether or not they are discussed in class sessions. Knowledge of these will be apparent in reports, contributions to class discussion and small group work, and so forth, and such demonstration will be taken into account in grading.

Required Texts and Materials:

1. American Psychological Association, Practice and Science Directorates (2000). Report of the Task Force on Test User Qualifications. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/tuq.pdf .

2. American Psychological Association (1998). Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations. Available online at http://www.apa.org/science/ttrr.html.

3. Graham, J. R. (2006). MMPI-2: Assessing Personality and Psychopathology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-516806-8

4. Groth-Marnat, G. (2003). Handbook of psychological assessment, 4 th ed. . New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0-471-41979-6. (Selected Chapters)

5. Oster, C., (2006). Objective Personality Assessment Syllabus and Handouts. (I.e., this syllabus and related web pages, available at www.osterpro.homestead.com)

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6. MMPI-2 test booklet, answer sheets, and profile sheets: purchase at Library during first class session.

1 soft-cover MMPI-2 booklet, 6 answer sheets6 Basic Scale profile sheets6 Content scale profile sheets6 Harris & Lingos Scale profile sheets6 TRIN/VRIN scoring sheets

You will use templates at the library to score your tests. These templates are used at the library only, and must be returned each time you use them.

If you have full access to the MMPI-2 through your worksite, you do not need to purchase the materials from the library. However, you MUST use original answer sheets and profile forms (i.e., not photocopies, which would be a violation of copyright law. Further, photocopied answer sheets will not line up correctly with the scoring templates). You may not substitute the earlier version of the test. You may not use computerized scoring programs for this course.

Recommended Reading:

AERA, APA, NCME (2000). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, D.C., American Educational Research Association. ISBN:

0935302255

Butcher, J.N. (Ed.) (1996). International Adaptations of the MMPI-2: Research and Clinical Applications. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Butcher, J.N. (2002). Clinical Personality Assessment: Practical Approaches, 2nd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Butcher, J.N. (2004). A Beginner’s Guide to the MMPI-2, 2nd Ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Note: if you’re really lost, this is the book to set you straight.

Dana, R.H. (ed.) (2000). Handbook of Cross-Cultural and Multicultural Personality Assessment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Inc.

Geisinger, K.F. (Ed.) (1998). Psychological Testing of Hispanics. Washington: APA. ISBN: 1-55798-538-3.

Lopez, S.J. & Snyder, C.R. (2003). Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures. Washington: American Psychological Association.

Millon, T. (1997). MCMI-III Manual, 2nd Ed. Minneapolis: NCS Pearson, Inc.

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Ogden, D.P. (2001). Psychodiagnostics and Personality Assessment: A Handbook, 3rd Ed. Los Angeles, Western Psychological Services.

Additional readings – both required and supplemental - are or will be listed on the course web site. See the link at the top of the syllabus.

Requirements:

1. Attend and actively participate in all class sessions. Be prepared with appropriate materials, between class reading of the test manual and textbooks, and downloads and readings from the course website.

2. Take the MMPI-2, and one of the following: MCMI-III, 16PF, PAI and SCL-90 yourself. Score your answers and plot the results. Look up the interpretation. IMPORTANT: If you are concerned either about taking the test or about the results, talk with me. Alternative arrangements can be made. In addition, we will discuss the “typical profile” of psychologists in class. There is nothing to be afraid of in this process. We will not discuss student profiles in class, and identities of all subjects are disguised in written reports.

3. Complete 5 additional administrations of the MMPI-2, and one of the following: MCMI-III, 16PF, PAI, and SCL-90; score the tests, interpret them, and write reports based on them, using the report template provided on the website. Submit all raw data and notes along with the reports.

4. Comply with exclusionary criteria.

5. Explore online personality tests. Take one yourself, and report on your observations of validity, reliability, correspondence with MMPI-2 results, etc. to the class.

6. Summarize and report on one research article related to the MMPI-2 and its application to a population of interest to you.

Grading:

Your grade is based on attendance and participation; progress in administration, scoring, interpretation, and reports on tests 1-4; the quality of the administration, scoring, interpretation, and report on administration number six, and the completion of the three additional research reports. You may receive in-person, detailed feedback on one test administration of the first three you complete. This feedback will help you to develop skills, and does not indicate expected course grade. That is, it is formative feedback not used in grading, except that completion according to instructions, effort, and improvement in terms of clear reliance on the texts and manuals for administration and scoring are expected.

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Your final grade in this course will depend on the quality of your course participation (15%) and the quality of your last test administration and reports (85%). To earn a grade of A, you must:

Complete all assignments Comply with exclusionary criteria for all tests administered. Participate actively in class discussions. Improve on administration, scoring, interpretation and report writing from first through

last tests administered. Correctly administer your last two tests. Score the last test correctly. All calculations and score conversions on your final two tests must be exactly correct. Descriptions of all scores (i.e., T-scores, whether they are in the “pathological” range,

etc.) must be correct according to the characteristics of the test and the course textbooks. All numbers must be correctly reported in the written reports. Your report must follow the report template available online at the course website.

While you will not receive feedback on every assignment you complete, the only way to develop skills in assessment, and to become adequately comfortable with administration, scoring, and report writing is through repetition. Research indicates that it takes approximately 100 administrations of each test to build mastery such that you could consider yourself “experienced” as a practitioner. Application to internship also requires you to report the number of each test you have administered, scored, and interpreted and on which you have written reports. You continue that experience in this course.

Attendance Policy:

This is an intensive, skill-building course. Full attendance assures you the maximum opportunity to learn essential skills, knowledge, and values of psychologists. Your presence also allows you to contribute to the learning of your peers, and to learn from them in return. Missing even one day of the course represents a substantial loss of learning opportunity. Attendance between 80% and 99% may affect your grade in a course. Attendance of less than 80% of the course will result in a failing grade or no credit. Please make full attendance a priority. In addition, both your peers and I are concerned about the safety and well being of members of the class. If you are going to be late or absent, the courtesy of a phone call before the start of class is expected.

You may arrange to meet with me following submission of reports #1, 2, or 3, and after #6, for feedback on those administrations and reports. Priority in scheduling will be given to those who come to class from further distances. If convenient, you may arrange to meet me at my office in Deerfield.

Caveat:

This course does carry a risk for those persons who serve as practice subjects, as well as to the instructors who carry liability risk related to test security and supervision of graduate students. Because of these risks, failure to comply with all requirements - particularly with exclusionary criteria - will result minimally in a lower grade. Other consequences, including failure of the

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course and/or referral to the Ethics Committee, may also apply. If you have questions regarding the appropriateness of testing a given volunteer, ask the instructor. Do not test a volunteer about whom you are unsure unless you have checked it out!

The following list is of EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN subjects:

1. Anyone currently or previously under psychiatric, psychological, or social-work care;2. Anyone whom you think has "something wrong with them";3. Anyone with whom you have a professional relationship in which you are the "authority"

(e.g., a client in a practicum, at your work site, or in your own practice; a person you supervise at work);

4. Anyone who is, or who may foreseeably be, involved in any litigation, including, but not limited to, divorce, custody battles, driving under the influence, personal injury, embezzlement, domestic violence, and so forth.

5. Your spouse, partner, love interest, date, and your own child, regardless of age.

There are legal and ethical reasons for these restrictions, and we will discuss them in class. Failure to follow these restrictions will minimally result in additional assignments and a lowering of course grade. It may also result in course failure and/or referral to the Ethics Committee.

If you have questions regarding the appropriateness of testing a given volunteer, ask the instructor.  Do not test a volunteer about whom you are unsure unless you have checked it out!

Failure to comply with exclusionary criteria will result minimally in having to repeat an assignment with a more appropriate volunteer. Other consequences, including a lower final grade, failure of the course, and/or referral to the ethics committee, may also apply. 

There are legal and ethical reasons for these restrictions, and we will discuss them in class.   Conference Hours: I invite and encourage your questions and conversation between classes.  Bring your questions to class as well, even if we discussed things between classes.  You will gain confidence as you realize others have similar questions to yours, and that you can help your classmates.  I am at ISPP Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and available to you from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.. I may be on campus some Fridays as well. Although you are welcome to drop in, if you want to be sure I have time for you, make an appointment ahead of time. You can best reach me by email, as I am unable to access my voice mail from home.

Please call or email me at ISPP if you are going to be late or are unable to get to class or appointments.   Additional Student Responsibilities: 

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I am fully committed to your success in this course, and will do whatever is necessary to help you.  However, I expect you to be highly invested in your success, and to be both independent and proactive in your learning.  By “independent and proactive,” I mean that I expect you to consult texts, peers, and me on your own initiative.  I do not mean that you are “on your own.”  Contact me at school at any time. 

Internet, E-mail, Websites, etc.: Feel free to email me with questions, observations, stories, suggested links for the course website, or other major or minor issues at: coster@argosy.edu.

I encourage you to put your heads together to figure things out between classes.  Try doing this by email.  Putting your question into words clarifies your thinking.  Having a response in black and white gives you something to refer back to and creates a “knowledge base” for the class. 

The website for this course is at www.osterpro.homestead.com .   Program Outcomes:

The Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program (APA, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5500). This program is designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists.  To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice.  The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University Chicago Campus emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services.  Specific objectives of the program include the following:

Goal 1: Prepare professional psychologists to accurately, effectively, and ethically select, administer, score, interpret, and communicate findings of appropriate assessment methods informed by accepted psychometric standards and sensitive to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o Objective 1a: Accurately and ethically administer and score various psychodiagnostic instruments.

o Objective 1b: Accurately interpret and synthesize assessment data in the context of diversity factors, referral questions, and specific objectives of the assessment, and organize and communicate results in writing and orally.

o Objective 1c: Examine psychometric properties of psychological assessment instruments, and use that knowledge to evaluate, select, administer, and interpret psychological tests and measures appropriate for the client, the referral question, and the objectives of the assessment.

Goal 2: Prepare professional psychologists to select, implement, and evaluate psychological interventions consistent with current ethical, evidence-based, and professional standards, within a theoretical framework, and with sensitivity to the

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interpersonal processes of the therapeutic relationship and the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o Objective 2a: Synthesize the foundations of clinical psychology, including psychopathology, human development, diagnosis, diversity, ethics, and various therapeutic models in clinical applications.

o Objective 2b: Select, plan, and implement ethical and evidence-based interventions with sensitivity to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o Objective 2c: Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively implement and participate in psychological consultation and supervision.Objective 2d: Demonstrate personal development and self-reflective capacity, including growth of interpersonal skills, and therapeutic relationships.

Goal 3: Prepare professional psychologists to analyze the complexity and multidimensionality of human diversity, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand diverse worldviews and the potential meaning of social, cultural, and individual differences for professional psychological services.

Goal 4: Prepare professional psychologists to examine the historical context and the current body of knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, developmental, and social bases of human functioning.

Goal 5: Prepare professional psychologists to critically evaluate the current and evolving body of scholarly literature in psychology to inform professional practice.

 Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

You may not use any computer-based scoring program for this course.  Performing all calculations and comparisons by hand helps you to better understand the tests.  In actual practice, though, it is more efficient to use computers to perform calculations and comparisons.  I will demonstrate one such computer scoring program. 

You are encouraged to bring your laptop to class. 

You may not tape record the class without prior approval. Accommodations:   Please inform me at the conclusion of the first class if you need any special accommodations for any reason. 

Library Information:

Library Resources

Argosy University’s core online collection features more than 21,000 full-text journals, 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business &

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Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. All electronic resources can be accessed through the library’s website at www.auchicagolib.org. User IDs and passwords are distributed during orientation, but can also be obtained at the circulation desk, calling 312-777-7653, or by e-mail at auchilibrary@argosyu.edu.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Library Online Catalog.  Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries.  Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach fundamental and transferable research skills, including selecting sources appropriate for academic-level research, searching periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluating and citing information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete.  Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosyu.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

In Assessment courses, it is permissible to discuss test results with peers to get consultation on scoring and interpretation. It is not permissible to share reports with peers to “template” them or use each other’s wording, other than those templates provided by instructors.

It is not permissible to copy paragraphs from sample reports on the website, other than those paragraphs that are in the report templates for that purpose.

It is never permissible to copy interpretive statements from scoring and interpretation software, or descriptive or interpretive statements from test manuals or other texts except where the author has given explicit permission to do so.

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It is never permissible to photocopy test materials, including stimuli, manuals, and record forms for your use. (Instructors may provide copied forms for instructional purposes if the word “Sample” is overlaid or watermarked on the form, or if they present subject responses for discussion, scoring by students, or other instructional purposes. Students must purchase and use original record forms for class assignments.)

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

In assessment courses, “scholarly writing” means logical, clear, data-based, but jargon-free writing. Write for the general population, not for other psychologists. Your writing must

be grammatically correct, be free of spelling errors, use full sentences, follow “main idea, supporting details” paragraph construction, be accurate – including accurate reporting of numbers and their psychometric meanings, follow accepted standards for psychological reports, guard the confidentiality of volunteers or clients, follow the instructor’s requirements for reports, including use of required report

templates, use only the allowed paragraphs and phrasing from report templates, and be the student’s sole, original work.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form.  To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor.  In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Objective AssessmentPage 20 of 20

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Course Agreement

I, ___________________________________, have read and understand the course syllabus and Print your name clearly.

requirements for Dr. Oster’s section of PP7371 Objective Assessment for the Spring 2008 term.

______________________________________________________Signature

______________________________________________________Date