Use of Computers in PSychological Testing

8/14/2019 Use of Computers in PSychological Testing

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REFERENCES:

Foundations of Psychological Testing

Sandra A. McIntire & Leslie A. Miller(2000)

Psychological Testing: Principles and Application

5th Edition

Kevin R. Murphy & David Shofer



Computers have become a familiar tool inthe psychological testing industry.

Although the use of scoring andinterpreting tests is no longer new,computers now facilitate and enhance allphases of the testing process.



Source: Adaptedfrom Hartman(1986)



The use of computers to store data is

a practical necessity; large-scale testingprograms can generate mountains of papers, and the storage and retrieval of hard copies of test responses can be

surprisingly difficult.



Computers have made it possible to constructbetter and more valid tests.

› In education, for example, textbook publishers now

offer computerized test construction software to helpthem prepare for course exams. These programscontain a test bank- a large number of questions onthe topics in the textbook. The questions arecategorized by chapter and sometimes by difficulty.



Some computer-based tests areexact copies of their paper-and-pencil counterparts.



These are tests made up of questions chosenfrom a large test bank to match the skill andability level of the test taker.

› In adaptive tests, all test takers start with the same set of questions-usually those of moderate difficulty. As the test

progresses, the computer software chooses and presents

the test taker with harder or easier questions depending onhow well he or she answered the previous questions.





The use of adaptive testing dates to

Binet at the beginning of the 20th

century.

The advent of CAT allowed the

psychologist to administer importanttests, such as the Graduate RecordExamination using the adaptive testingmethods.



Computers are used to score and interpretscores of psychological tests.

Organizations are relying more and more onthe use of computerized scoring andinterpretation to decrease the time it takes to

assess an individual’s performance andproduce a report outline their strengths anddevelopment opportunities (areas needimprovement)



The highest level of computerinvolvement in testing is when thecomputer not only interprets test scoresbut also decides on the appropriate

treatment, therapy training program,and so on.



The use of computers to aid in theinterpretation of test scores can take

many forms.› In its simplest form, a computer might

merely retrieve and display informationabout the reliability and accuracy of test

scores or about various norms that might beused to interpret tests.



› In its most extreme form, it mightinvolve a completely automated

testing, diagnosis and treatmentsystem.

› The first widely used CBTI systemswere developed in the 1960s to aidclinicians in interpreting scores onthe MMPI.











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Use of Computers in PSychological Testing