Psychology Practical File

1. COVER PAGE

PSYCHOLOGY
PRACTICAL FILE
(YEAR)

ROLL NUMBER

(YOUR BOARD ROLL NO.)

2. Index

S.No Particulars Signature

1 Introduction to psychological testing

2
Raven`s Standard Progressive Matrices
3 David's Dattery for Differential Abilities
4 Sinha`s Comprehensive Anxiety test
5 Self-Concept Questionnaire
6 Sodhi's Attitude Scale
 INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TESTING

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

Psychological Tests

Psychological testing refers to the administration of psychological tests. A psychological test is

"an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior". The termsample of behavior
refers to an individual's performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand.
Performance on the items produces a test score. A score on a well-constructed test is believed to
reflect a psychological construct such as achievement in a school subject, ability, aptitude,
emotional functioning, personality, etc. Differences in test scores are thought to reflect individual
differences in the construct the test is supposed to measure. The technical term for the science
behind psychological testing is psychometrics.

Types of tests

Tests have been developed to measure many different human developments. They are classified
as:

⦁ On the basis of Administration – Group test and individual test

⦁ On the basis of Behaviour – Ability tests [Intelligence tests and achievement tests], Personality
Tests [structures personality tests, projective techniques and behavioral analysis]

⦁ On the basis of context – Verbal tests, non-verbal tests, performance tests

[Define the above-mentioned from chapter 1 NCERT Psychology Book]

5. Fundamental Concept of Psychological Testing

Proper psychological testing is conducted after vigorous research and development in contrast to
quick web-based or magazine questionnaires that say "Find out your Personality Color," or
"What's your Inner Age?" Proper psychological testing consists of the following:

⦁ Standardization - All procedures and steps must be conducted with consistency and under the
same environment to achieve the same testing performance from those being tested.

⦁ Objectivity - Scoring such that subjective judgments and biases are minimized, with results for
each test taker obtained in the same way.

⦁ Test Norms - The average test score within a large group of people where the performance of
one individual can be compared to the results of others by establishing a point of comparison or
frame of reference.

⦁ Reliability - Obtaining the same result after multiple testing. It refers to the consistency of
scores obtained by the same person when re-examined with the same test with different set of
questions at another time. (TABLE TO BE MADE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF PAGE AND
ONLY PENCIL TO BE USED)

⦁ Validity - The type of test being administered must measure what it is intended to measure.

Types of Validity

Face

Face validity is a measure of how representative a research project is ‘at face value,' and whether
it appears to be a good project.

Content Validity

Content validity is the estimate of how much a measure represents every single element of a
construct.

Criterion Validity

Criterion Validity assesses whether a test reflects a certain set of abilities.

 Concurrent validity measures the test against a benchmark test and high ⦁ correlation indicates
that the test has strong criterion validity.

Predictive validity is a measure of how well a test predicts abilities. It involves testing a group of
subjects for a certain construct and then comparing them with results obtained at some point in
the future.

Construct Validity

Construct validity defines how well a test or experiment measures up to its claims. A test
designed to measure depression must only measure that particular construct, not closely related
ideals such as anxiety or stress.

6. Application of Psychological testing

a. Detection of specific Behavior Psychological test is used to measure and to detect the
abilities of a person.

b. Individual Differences A psychological test is used to measure the individual

differences, that is different between abilities of different persons and the performance of
the same person at different time.

c. To diagnose by the Psychological Test The psychological tests are usually used in
clinical psychology.In clinical psychology a test's function is to diagnose mental
disorders.So tests are used in mental hospitals and coaching and guidance centers for the
assessment and diagnose of mental disorders.

d. Legal Classification A psychological test helps in classifying a number of people into

different categories For example normal and abnormal, criminal and innocent, intellectual
and mental retarded, able and disable etc.

e. Promoting Self Understanding A psychological test provide standardized information

about the abilities, capabilities, aptitudes, potential competencies interest, trait and states
of a person which helps in understanding one's personality and planning future
prospective.

f.Program Evaluation Effectiveness of a particular program is assessed by the

applications of some kind of test. This function is usually performed by an achievement
test.

g. Scientific Inquiry or Research Some experts use tests for research purpose which
provide information about the mental level and personality of the subject.
 h. Military Selection A closely related application of psychological testing is to be found
in the selection and classification of military personal. From simple beginnings in the
World War-I, the scope and variety of psychological tests employed in military situations
underwent a phenomenal increase during World War-II. Subsequently research on test
development has been containing on a large scale in all brands of the normed services.

i. Industry In industry and business tests are helpful in selection and classifying personal
for placement in jobs that range from the simpler semiskilled to the highly skilled, from
the selection of filling clerks and sales-person to top management for any of these
position, however test results are only one source of information , though an important
one. Industrial and Organizational Psychology (also known as I-O psychology, industrial-
organizational psychology, work psychology, organizational psychology, work and
organizational psychology, industrial psychology, occupational psychology, personnel
psychology or talent assessment) applies psychology to organizations and the workplace.

Common research and practice areas for I-O psychologists include:

⦁ Job performance

⦁ Job analysis

⦁ Personnel recruitment and selection

⦁ Performance appraisal/management

⦁ Individual assessment (knowledge, skills, and ability testing, personality assessment, work
sample tests, assessment centers)

⦁ Psychometrics

⦁ Compensation

⦁ Training and training evaluation/Development

⦁ Employment law

⦁ Work motivation

⦁ Job attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction, commitment, organizational citizenship, and retaliation)

⦁ Human resources

⦁ Organizational development (OD)

⦁ Organizational research methods

⦁ Technology in the workplace

⦁ Group/team performance

⦁ Employ safety and health Essentially, industrial psychologists study the behavior of employees
in a work setting. Although industrial psychology didn't begin until the 1920's, the discipline has
evolved rapidly and revolutionized the workplace within the last century. Because the workplace
is a social system, the application of industrial psychology is useful in understanding its
complexity.

j. Education Psychological tests especially those of general intelligence and of specific aptitudes
have very extensive use in educational classification, selection and planning from the 1st grade
(and sometimes earlier) through the university. Prior to World War-II schools and colleges were
the largest users of psychological tests.

7. Pioneers of Psychology
Modern mental testing began in France in the 19th century. It contributed to separating
mental retardation frommental (HYPERLINK
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_illness" )illness and reducing the neglect, torture,
and ridicule heaped on both groups. Englishman Francis Galton coined the terms
psychometrics and developed a method for measuring intelligence based on nonverbal
sensory-motor tests. It was initially popular, but was abandoned after the discovery that it
had no relationship to outcomes such as college grades.French psychologist Alfred
(HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Binet"Binet,) together with
psychologists Victor Henri and Théodore Simon, after about 15 years of development,
published the Binet-Simon test in 1905, which focused on verbal abilities. It was intended
to identify mental retardation in school children.Wilhelm Wundtestablished the first
laboratory in Leipzig of psychology in 1879 and employed introspection as a method of
studying the workings of the mind.

William James
Psychologist and philosopher William James is often referred to as the father of
American psychology. His 1200-page text, The Principles of Psychology, became a
classic on the subject and his teachings and writings helped establish psychology as a
science. James also contributed to functionalism, pragmatism and influenced many
students of psychology during his 35-year teaching career.

8.Various definitions:
⦁ Percentile Rank – An individuals percentile rank on a test designates the percentage of cases or
scores lying below it. For e.g. Percentile 20 means the individual is situated above 20% of the
group fall below this persons rank.

⦁ Percentage – A rate, number or amount in each hundred. Any proportion or share in relation to
a whole.

⦁ Stanine scores – According to this method the standard population is divided into 9 groups.
Stanine 1 is the lowest and stanine 9 is the highest. ⦁ Sten Scores – standard scores on a scale of
ten.

⦁ Standrard scores – It designates the individual`s position with respect to the total range and
distribution of scores. The standard score indicates, in terms of standard deviation how far a
particular score is removed from the mean of the distribution.

⦁ Difference between test and experiment

Test Experiment
It is standardized instrument used to measure The researcher tries to manipulate the
intellectual and non-intellectual situation and tries to prove or disapprove a
characteristics of an individual through verbal hypothesis
or non-verbal measures
It evaluates certain attributes of an individual It determines cause and effect relationship
between variables
It does not have a hypothesis It has a hypothesis
It is standardized and has norms It does not have norms and is meant for
verification of various principles.
Raven`s Standard Progressive
Matrices

Ravens Standard Progressive Matrices [RSPM]

Aim: To measure educative component of ‘g’ as defined in Spearmans Two factor theory using
Ravens Standard Progressive Matrices.

Basic Concept: Differences in the functioning of two individuals, dull vs bright, quick vs slow,
adaptive vs non-adaptive etc. can be attributed to intelligence. But what is intelligence? Many
definitions have been given:

⦁ Ability to adjust

⦁ Ability to learn

⦁ Ability to carry out abstract thinking

According to oxford dictionary, intelligence is the ability of perceiving, learning, understanding

and knowing.

Alfred Binet was one of the first psychologists to define intelligence as the ability to judge well,
reason well and understand well. “It seems to us that in intelligence there is a fundamental
faculty, the alteration or the lack of which, is of the utmost importance for practical life. This
faculty is judgment, otherwise called good sense, practical sense, initiative, the faculty of
adapting one’s self to circumstances.”

Wechsler defined it as the global capacity of an individual to think rationally and act
purposefully.

Thorndike had suggested three types of intelligence:

⦁ Abstract intelligence – ability to deal with symbols, words, formulas and numbers

⦁ Social intelligence – ability to deal effectively with people and capacity to behave in social
situations.

⦁ Concrete/mechanical intelligence – ability to deal effectively with machines and equipments.

Charles Spearman proposed two-factor theory of intelligence. According to this, intelligence

consisted of general factor and specific factor based on factor analysis. The G factor consists of
mental functions that are primary. In addition, individuals have specific factors too. Louis
Thurstone proposed the theory of primary mental abilities which staes that intelligence consists
of 7 primary abilities, which are:

⦁ Verbal comprehension

⦁ Spatial relations
⦁ Numeric abilities

⦁ Perceptual speed

⦁ Word fluency

⦁ Memory

⦁ Inductive reasoning

Harvard professor Howard Gardner has identified eight different types of intelligences that each
individual has the capacity to possess. The idea of multiple intelligences is important because it
allows for educators to identify differing strengths and weaknesses in students and also
contradicts the idea that intelligence can be measured through IQ.

Visual/Spatial - Involves visual perception of the environment, the ability to create and
manipulate mental images, and the orientation of the body in space.

Verbal/Linguistic - Involves reading, writing, speaking, and conversing in one's own or foreign
languages.

Logical/Mathematical - Involves number and computing skills, recognizing patterns and

relationships, timeliness and order, and the ability to solve different kinds of problems through
logic. Bodily/Kinesthetic - Involves physical coordination and dexterity, using fine and gross
motor skills, and expressing oneself or learning through physical activities.

Musical - Involves understanding and expressing oneself through music and rhythmic
movements or dance, or composing, playing, or conducting music.

Interpersonal - Involves understanding how to communicate with and understand other people
and how to work collaboratively.

Intrapersonal - Involves understanding one's inner world of emotions and thoughts, and growing
in the ability to control them and work with them consciously.

Naturalist - Involves understanding the natural world of plants and animals, noticing their
characteristics, and categorizing them; it generally involves keen observation and the ability to
classify other things as well.

Assessment of Intelligence

Standardized intelligence testing has been called one of psychology's greatest successes. It is
certainly one of the field's most persistent and widely used inventions. Since Alfred Binet first
used a standardized test to identify learning-impaired Parisian children in the early 1900s, it has
become one of the primary tools for identifying children with mental retardation and learning
disabilities. It has helped the U.S. military place its new recruits in positions that suit their skills
and abilities. In 1908, Alfred Binet gave the concept of Mental Age [MA] which is a subjects
intellectual development with respect to others of his/her age group. Chronological Age [CA] is
the biological age. IQ = MA X 100 CA History and description It is the most common and
popular test administered to groups ranging from 5-year-olds to the elderly. It is made of 60
multiple HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_choice"choiceitems, listed in
order of difficulty that’s why it`s called progressive. The original form of the matrices was first
published in 1938. This test measures abstract intelligence of an individual The tests were
developed for research purposes. Because of their independence of language and reading and
writing skills, and the simplicity of their use and interpretation, they quickly found widespread
practical application. For example, all entrants to the British armed forces from 1942 onwards
took a twenty-minute version of the SPM.

Reliability

Over forty studies dealing with the reliability of the SPM have been reported in the literature.
They cover very wide range, many cultural groups and clinical as well as normal population.

Validity

The concurrent and predictive validities of SPM vary with the age, sex and the homogeneity of
the sample and the conceptual relevance of the criterion to which the SPM will be related and the
quality of its assessment. For English speaking children and adolescents, reliable correlation of
SPM with the Binet and Wechsler Scales range from .54 to .86. Some American studies with the
adults have yielded very high correlations between SPM and WAIS scores.

Preliminaries

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Class:

Place of conduction:

Time:

Materials Required
SPM booklet, response sheet, SPM manual, pen/pencil

Precautions

⦁ Optimal conditions for testing were ensured before the test begun

⦁ Time of start and finish were noted

⦁ If the subject got stuck on a question, then they should move to the next question.

⦁ The tester should ensure that no question is left unanswered

Rapport Formation

Rapport was established between the subject and the tester, prior to the test so that he/she could
feel comfortable and at ease. In such a state, she/he should answer the questions in a calm
manner and any doubts should be cleared before starting the test.

Instructions

The following instructions were given:

1. This is a test which consists of a booklet containing 5 sets, each set has 12 items that
sums up to be 60 items in total.
2. The difficulty level of the test increases progressively.
3. Attempt all the items.
4. Choose the correct item that you think is the right answer and write it on the response
sheet.
5. If you have any doubt, then clarify it right now.
6. There is no time limit but try to finish as soon as possible.

Test Administration
After the instructions were given, the subject was asked to fill in the necessary details. The tester
ensured that the instructions were clear and understood.

Introspective report/Verbal Report

The subject wrote “The first three sets were quite easy but gradually items became difficult and
required high level on concentration. Towards the end I didn’t feel like completing the test.”
[You can write the introspective report given by your subject]

Scoring

The total no. of problems solved correctly were scored which was calculated with the help of the
answer key. Thereafter, a single score is obtained by adding the total scores of the five columns.
The percentile score and grade corresponding to this are noted down from the manual for
analysis.
Discrepancy score – The difference between the score a person obtains on each set and that
normally expected for his total score is called the discrepancy score

Interpretation
The aim of administrating the SPM was to access the level of mental ability of the subject. SPM
is a test of persons capabilities of abstract reasoning at the time of the test. This is done by
providing figures/patterns and measuring the ability to figure out patterns between them. The
subjects raw score was _______ which corresponds to ____ percentile and grade _____.

Conclusion[For Grade – 1]
The subjects score shows that he is Intellectually Superior as his score lies at 95th percentile for
people of his age group. This shows that he has the following characteristics:
⦁ superior abilities to reason, generalize or problem solve, high intelligence
⦁ learns new things rapidly
⦁ very perceptive, good sense of observation
⦁ wide range of interests, overwhelmed by many interests and abilities ⦁ long attention span,
sustains concentration on topics of interest, persistent

OR [For Grade – 2]

The subjects score shows that he has Above-Average Intellectual Capacity as his score lies
between 90th Percentile- 75th percentile for people of his age group. This shows that he has the
following characteristics:
⦁ Easily recognizes patterns
⦁ Very good memory.
⦁ Advanced reasoning skills
⦁ More curious than most students. Asks a lot of questions

OR [For Grade – 3]
 The subject`s score shows that he has Average Intellectual capacity as his score lies between
25th Percentile-75th percentile for people of his age group. This shows that he has the following
characteristics:
⦁ make judgments and form opinions autonomously
⦁ better able to construct and handle abstractions
⦁ They usually respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults.
⦁ They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn

References
1. NCERT Psychology Textbook
2. SPM Manual, Author – J.C. Raven
3. Baron RA 2001/Indian Reprint Psych
4. Michael Egan, Mercury's Web: Some Reflections on Following Nature across Time and
Place

Standard Progressive Matrices

Sets A, B,C, D, E

Name: Date:

Place: Class:

Age: Gender:

Test Begun: Test ended:

Item A Item B Item C Item D Item

no no. no. no. no. E

1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5
 6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11 11
12 12 12 12 12
Total Total Total Total Total

Time Total Score

Grade

Tested by: ___________________________

Standard Progressive Matrices

Correct Answers

Item no. A B C D E
1 4 2 8 3 7
2 5 6 2 4 6
3 1 1 3 3 8
4 2 2 8 7 2
5 6 1 7 8 1
6 3 3 4 6 5
7 6 5 5 5 1
8 2 6 1 4 6
9 1 4 7 1 3
10 3 3 6 2 2
11 4 4 1 5 4
12 5 5 2 6 5
 Percentile Norms

Percentile Age 13-25 years

95 55
90 54
75 49
50 44
25 37
10 30
5 25

Interpretation of Results for RPM

Grade 1 – Intellectually Superior – If the score lies at or above the 95th percentile for people of
his/her age group

Grade 2 – Above average intellectual capacity – If the score lies at or above the 75th to 90th
percentile.

Grade 3 – Intellectual average – If the score lies between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile,
if the score is greater than the median and 3 -, if the score is less than the median.

Grade 4 – Below average intellectual capacity – If the score lies at or above the 25th percentile
4-, if the score lies at or below the 10th percentile.