Workgroup notes with Psychodiagnostics at the Leiden University
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Lecture notes with Psychodiagnostics at the Leiden University
The history of psychological testing
- In 2200 BC, Chinese emperors examined officials for fitness for office. Only 3% passed the test. They tested civil law, military affairs, agriculture, revenue and geography.
- Physiognomy was a method of psychological testing based on assessment of a person’s outward appearance.
- Phrenology is an example of this. It assumes that the reading of bumps on the head can be used to measure characteristics of the individual.
- On average, people can’t detect lies on the basis of someone’s facial expression. Only certain experts were able to detect lies by detecting micro expressions.
- Early experimental psychology originated in the early 1800s. They primarily looked at sensory processes using objective procedures.
- Francis Galton is seen as the ‘father of mental testing’. He introduced objective assessment to detect individual differences in for example intelligence.
- Alfred Binet was however the first to develop an actual intelligence test: Simon-Binet intelligence test. According to him, intelligence should be measured not only by focusing on sensory processes.
- Binet introduced the concept of ‘mental age’ and the Intelligence Quotient (IQ); which is still used today.
- Over the years, researchers also gained interest in aptitude, projective, personality and neuropsychological tests and interest inventories.
- All these methods of testing have life-long relevance (in all different stages of life).
Different types of psychological tests
- Psychological tests are either criterion-referenced or norm-referenced. Criterion-referenced tests compare individual scores to a certain cut-off score; so they are able to measure the ability level of the individual. Norm-referenced tests compare individual scores to a relevant standardization sample; the norm group.
What is psychodiagnostics?
- Psychodiagnostic testing makes use of the empirical circle; observation -> induction -> deduction -> testing -> evaluations. In psychodiagnostics, it is called the diagnostic cycle.
- The diagnostic cycle:
1. Assessment of the client’s complaints (intake interview, anamnesis, client’s request for help).
2. Assessment of client’s problems (establishing the link between the complaints and problems, clustering of problems and cross-referencing of the problems with scientific knowledge of (mental) illness).
3. Diagnosing (formulate hypothesis, test it, choose the test, evaluate the results and integrate those).
4. Indication (determining goal for intervention, type of help and a recommendation).
- In Youth Diagnostics, we normally have an intake, an interview with informants (like the parents or teachers) and an interview with the child itself.
- We typically use classification systems such
.....read more Workgroup notes with Psychodiagnostics at the Leiden University- During this first workgroup, we introduced ourselves to one another and worked on a role-play assignment (assignment 1 on BlackBoard).
- We learned that as a therapist doing an intake interview takes a lot of patience. Key characterstics that you must possess is being able to put on a mask and don't show your own personal opinion to the client. You need to seem professional and non-judgmental. Don't try to convince your client that for example; treatment for their child would be a good idea; let your clients come up with a solution themselves. We as therapist only guide them in their way to this. Let the client guide the content of the therapy session.
- During a therapy session, it is of crucial importance that you engage in active listening. You do this by reacting to what your client is saying every now and then, for example by paraphrasing the remarks he or she made. Make comments like 'so if I understand correctly...'. It is okay if the client than corrects you.
- You need to be empathetic as well. Engage in comments like 'that must have been very hard for you' to show your empathy and create a safe environment for your client. Your client must feel that it is safe for him or her to say anything to you.
- Important as well is to ensure confidentiality of what your client says to you as a therapist. You can outline this by ensuring that 'everything you discuss with the client stays within that room'. The client has to give consent to this.
- In this workgroup, we focused on the strategy phase of the psychodiagnostic cycle.
- In this phase, we cluster behaviors, thoughts and feelings of the client. Then we draw a diagnosis and formulate hypotheses and research question. After all these things are completed, we move on to the testing phase.
- Positive factors can compensate for the severity of the negative factors that are present in the patient's life. Positive factors are "favourable factors that protect the client from risk factors that are currently present".
- In the process of coming up with hypotheses, it is important to also generate alternative hypothesis. Hypotheses are only mentioned in the appendix of the clinician's report.
- Explanatory hypotheses are formulated in terms of explaining behavior. Identifying hypotheses are formulated in terms of identifying a disorder in the client.
- Clinicians may only ask questions that are relevant for giving the right advice to
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