THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS IN RESEARCH

BY F.A. JINADU (MS)

Director of Clinical Psychology

What are Psychological instruments

They are standardized tools/materials used in measuring sample behaviour, assessing and evaluating thoughts, characteristics and abilities of an individual.

They can be either objective or subjective (projective tests).

Setting where the tests are used

hospitals

DiagnosisTreatment

Rehabilitation Research

schools Legal Treatment centers

Forms of psychological instruments

Individual – designed primarily as instruments for single testing ie the administration is on one on one bases.

• Usually administered by the interviewer• Requires training and skills to administer • Mostly used in clinical settings, e.g.

hospitals, rehabilitation centres etc.

Group – designed primarily as instrument for mass testing.

- They can be administered to as many persons as can be fitted comfortably into the room or test venue.

- They can be administered by a non skilled individual.

- Usually self administered

Types of Psychological Instruments

Intelligence Test Instruments

These are instruments designed to estimate an individual’s current intellectual functioning and mental skills, through performance of various tasks which are either verbal, non verbal or both. Eg Wechsler Intelligence tests (WAIS & WISC), Stanford Binet test, Ravens Matrix.

Neuropsychological Test Instruments They are set of tests designed to examine

cognitive abilities such as speed of information processing, language, memory, executive functions, attention, problem solving etc. These tests helps to make inference about underlying brain function. E.g. Slosson Drawing test, Trail tests, Tower of London test, Color and word tests, subtest in WAIS etc.

Personality Test Instruments These are instruments that measure

personality characteristics, emotional adjustment and stability. Eg Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Rorschach Ink Blot, 16 PF, Sentence completion, Thematic Apperception test, Draw a house, tree, and person (HTP), CPI etc.

• CPI (California Personality Inventory)

CPI was designed to assess normal characteristics in healthy individuals and personality characteristcs important in daily living. It looks like the MMPI (many multiple choice items), but the scales are quite different (Masculinity/Femininity, Dominance, Introverted/Extroverted, etc.). Like the MMPI, the CPI produces a personality profile of the individual on each of the scales in the test.

• It is used for personnel selection, identifying creativity, vocational and personal counseling; academic counseling, identifying leaders, and predicting success in various public service occupations; in clinics and counseling agencies for evaluating substance abuse, susceptibility to physical illness, marital discord, juvenile delinquency and criminality etc.

Achievement and Aptitude test instruments They are designed to measure the degree of

knowledge or proficiency exhibited by an individual in a specific area or set of areas. E.g. UME, GRE, GMATS, SSCE.

Characteristics of Psychological Instruments

Standardization Implies uniformity of procedure in

administering and scoring the test, eg the way the WAIS tests are administered here is the same way it will be administered in another country irrespective of the language, or race.

Objectivity Interpretation of scores are objective insofar as the test are independent of the subjective judgment of the individual examiner/researcher.

Reliability Test instruments’ reliability is the consistency of scores obtained by the same person when retested with the identical test or with an equivalent of the test, e.g test-retest with the WAIS, or MMPI

Validity Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.

- It provides a direct check on how well a test fulfils its function.

- It tells us more about the degree to which the test is fulfilling its function

Reasons for controlling the use of psychological test instruments

To prevent general familiarity with Test contents which would invalidate the assessment

To ensure that the test instrument is used by a qualified examiner/researcher

Advance Preparation of examiner/ Researcher

Familiarization with the instrument/materials

Memorizing the verbal instruction.

Preparation of the research participants. Eg environment

Ethical issues in the Use of Psychological Test/Instruments

User’s QualificationNecessary qualification vary with the type oftest- Long period and intensive training is

needed for most I.Q and personality test instruments

- Minimum training may be needed for educational and vocational proficiency

Knowledge of research literature on the

chosen test and the ability to evaluate its technical merits with regard to such instrument

Sensitivity to the many conditions that may affect the outcome of the test.

Protection of Privacy- The result should not be released without

the knowledge and consent of the individual

Informed consentConsent of the individual should beSought before the commencement of theStudy. ConfidentialityThe researcher is obliged to protect theanonymity of the participants

Communicating Test Result

- The result should be communicated in a form or language that will be meaningful and useful.

- The information should be transmitted routinely but should be accompanied by interpretive explanations by professionally trained person

- It is desirable to take into account the characteristics of the person who is to receive the information.

This applies not only to that person’s general

education and his knowledge of psychology and research but also to his anticipated emotional response to the information.

Use of psychological instrument in research Reliability The extent to which a test is repeatable and yields

consistent scores. Types of reliability There are a number of ways to ensure that a test is

reliable. Test-retest reliabilityAlternate Forms Split Half reliability Inter-rater Reliability

Validity Validity is the extent to which a test measures what

it is supposed to measure. Note: In order to be valid, a test must be reliable;

but reliability does not guarantee validity, i.e. it is possible to have a highly reliable test which is meaningless (invalid).

Types of Validity

Face validity Construct validity Concurrent validity Predictive validity

Sample of Psychologicalinstruments

Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (A-PAQ)

Psychache Scale (PAS)

Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ)

Index of Self-esteem (ISE)

Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS)

Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS)

Psychopathic Deviate Scale (PDS)

Mac Andrew Alcoholism Scale (MAS)

SCL-90

Summary

Psychological test instruments can be usedto elicit information about individual’spersonality, psychopathology, view of selfand others, learning disabilities andcognitive abilities, etc.

Conclusion

• In using psychological Instruments for research, it is important to put into consideration all the issues discussed above especially the psychometric properties of the test, so as to elicit accurate result.

Thank youQuestions?