A clear introduction to the basics of psychological testing, psychometrics and relevant statistical tools, and their application in everyday educational, clinical and organizational settings.

Written in response to a growing need for a textbook on psychological testing conducive to student learning, Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach provides readers with a clear and accessible introduction to the field. This book gives students an understanding of the basic concepts, issues, and tools used in psychological testing, and also illustrates how these are relevant in day-to-day educational, organizational and clinical environments.

The primary objective of this text is to focus on the testing process and the core psychometric concepts required to gain an appreciation of how to use and interpret tests properly.

KEY FEATURES

• A clear and simple writing style in a conversational tone to make understanding enjoyable.

• Section previews and concept maps provide students with written and graphic overviews of the content and help instructors set the context of the proceeding chapters.

• For Your Information boxes throughout chapters supplement the material with relevant and interesting information about a particular topic.

• Interim Summaries throughout each chapter summarize important information discussed in the chapter to help students focus on key points.

• End-of-chapter Learning Activities for groups and individuals provide exercises that promote hands-on understanding of the concepts.

• In the News and On the Web feature stories on testing from print news media and related resources on test–stimuli availability and security on the web.

I: OVERVIEW OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

What Are Psychological Tests?

Why Is Psychological Testing Important?

Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Use Psychological Tests?

How Does Computerized Testing Work?

II: PSYCHOMETRIC PRINCIPLES

How Do Test Users Interpret Test Scores?

What Is Test Reliability?

How Do We Gather Evidence of Validity Based on the Content of a Test?

How Do We Gather Evidence of Validity Based on a Test’s Relationships with External Criteria?

How Do We Gather Evidence of Validity Based on a Test’s Relation to Constructs?

III: DEVELOPING AND PILOTING SURVEYS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS

How Do We Construct, Administer, and Use Survey Data?

How Do We Develop a Test?

How Do We Assess the Psychometric Quality of a Test?

IV: USING TESTS IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS

How Are Tests Used in Educational Settings?

How Are Tests Used in Clinical and Counseling Settings?

How Are Tests Used in Organizational Settings?

Appendix A: Test Spotlights

Appendix B: Guidelines for Critiquing a Psychological Test

Appendix C: Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

Appendix D: Table of Critical Values for Pearson Product–Moment Correlation Coefficients