10252 Psychological Testing: Theory and Practice

Credits: 4 intermediate credits in Psychology

Prerequisites: Introduction to Statistics for Students of Social Sciences I, Introduction to Statistics for Students of Social Sciences II, Research Methods in Social Sciences

Recommended: Introduction to Psychology

The course is based on a translation (by Edna Cohen) of Psychological Testing: Theory and Applications, by L.H. Janda (Allyn & Bacon, 1998), a study guide and a reader edited by Ruth Beyth-Marom and Gili Liviatan; as well as CDs containing lectures by experts in the field.

The course presents principles and basic concepts in assessment and testing in psychology and education and acquaints the student with the major tests in these fields.

Topics: Introduction: historical milestones, characteristics of psychological testing, ethical issues in psychological testing; An introduction to various types of tests; Norms and the meaning of test scores; Reliability: the theoretical basis for discussing reliability, measures of reliability; Validity: definitions, measurement and estimation problems; Item analysis: the classic model, item response theory; Test construction; Translating and adapting tests; Cross-validation; Bias and fairness in ability testing; Preparation for tests; Personality measures: structured measures of personality, projective tests and clinical assessment; Alternative approaches to assessment.