Clinical Psychometrics is an introduction to the long-term attempt to measure the psychiatric dimension of dementia, schizophrenia, mania, depression, anxiety, neuroticism, extraversion/introversion and health-related quality of life. The two psychometric procedures, classical factor analysis and modern item-response models, are presented for readers without any requirement for particular mathematical or statistical knowledge. The book is unique in this attempt and provides helpful background information for the dimensional approach that is being used in the forthcoming updates to the diagnostic classification systems, ICD-11 and DSM-5. The book is written for everyone who is interested in the origins and development of modern psychiatry, and who wants to be familiar with its practical possibilities; how it is possible to compare different individuals with each other, how one may determine the boundary between what is normal and what is disease, or how one may assess the clinical effect of the various forms of treatment, available to present day psychiatry.
Clinical Psychometrics can be defined as a discipline that deals with the definition and measurement of clinical constructs. Among its interests, it includes dimensions, such as skills, behavior, psychopathology, quality of life, and personality. Indeed, this discipline focuses on individual differences, the theory of measurement, the construction of measure instruments and their application in an international context. Clinical Psychometrics can be considered as an essential tool in many fields of research related to psychological and psychiatric interventions: for example, it is useful for diagnostic assessment (in various fields, including clinical and forensic areas), for the design and evaluation of specific psychological and pharmacological treatments. Therefore, Clinical Psychometrics is an applied discipline using psychometric tools to develop evidence-based type procedures relating to the understanding and improvement of the psychological conditions of individuals. This Research Topic on “Clinical Psychometrics” is interested in several aspects of measurement of psychological variables, focusing on the two fundamental paradigmatic aspects of the discipline, the Classical Test Theory and the Item Response Theory. This Research Topic seeks to stimulate a scientific debate between psychotherapists and psychometricians in this area. It could have applicative fallouts, such as designing trans-cultural studies in order to: 1) investigate the invariance of new instruments for measuring clinical variables; 2) test the invariance of existing instruments used in clinical research; 3) develop more refined measure instruments for the evaluation of clinical dimensions, similarly to work conducted by the Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group in identifying domains considered central to OCD and developing the 87-item Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire; 4) evaluate therapeutic outcomes and processes (such as, states stress, psychological distress, psychological adjustment to illness, health-related quality of life, mood disorders, sexual functioning, etc.). The goal of this Research Topic is to disseminate a culture of integration between “psychometric model” and “clinical model”, promoting the scientific debate about the deepening of the existing methods and/or the proposal of new methods capable of combining clinical significance with quantitative rigor. This Research Topic welcomed all types of articles, with the exception of case reports. We were particularly interested in: 1. Systematic reviews shedding new lights on the psychometric properties of the most used psychological measures in clinical psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychosomatics, etc.; 2. Guidelines and suggestions on the correct use and gold standards in psychological assessment in the form of research studies and brief reports on the development of new measures and adaptation of existing ones.
Psychometrics and Psychological Assessment: Principles and Applications reports on contemporary perspectives and models on psychological assessment and their corresponding measures. It highlights topics relevant to clinical and neuropsychological domains, including cognitive abilities, adaptive behavior, temperament, and psychopathology.Moreover, the book examines a series of standard as well as novel methods and instruments, along with their psychometric properties, recent meta-analytic studies, and their cross-cultural applications. - Discusses psychometric issues and empirical studies that speak to same - Explores the family context in relation to children's behavioral outcomes - Features major personality measures as well as their cross cultural variations - Identifies the importance of coping and resilience in assessing personality and psychopathology - Examines precursors of aggression and violence for prediction and prevention
In An Introduction to Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics, Keith Coaley outlines the key ingredients of psychological assessment, providing case studies to illustrate their application, making it an ideal textbook for courses on psychometrics or psychological assessment. New to the Second Edition: Includes occupational and educational settings Covers ethical and professional issues with a strong practical focus Case study material related to work selection settings End of chapter self-assessments to facilitate students’ progress Compliant with the latest BPS Certificate of Testing curriculum
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), for disabled individuals, and their dependent family members, who have worked and contributed to the Social Security trust funds, and Supplemental Security Income (SSSI), which is a means-tested program based on income and financial assets for adults aged 65 years or older and disabled adults and children. Both programs require that claimants have a disability and meet specific medical criteria in order to qualify for benefits. SSA establishes the presence of a medically-determined impairment in individuals with mental disorders other than intellectual disability through the use of standard diagnostic criteria, which include symptoms and signs. These impairments are established largely on reports of signs and symptoms of impairment and functional limitation. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination considers the use of psychological tests in evaluating disability claims submitted to the SSA. This report critically reviews selected psychological tests, including symptom validity tests, that could contribute to SSA disability determinations. The report discusses the possible uses of such tests and their contribution to disability determinations. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination discusses testing norms, qualifications for administration of tests, administration of tests, and reporting results. The recommendations of this report will help SSA improve the consistency and accuracy of disability determination in certain cases.
Psychometric Testing offers an in-depth examination of the strengths and limitations psychometric testing, with coverage of diverse methods of test development and application. A state-of-the-art exploration of the contemporary field of psychometric testing, bringing together the latest theory and evidence-based practice from 21 global experts Explores a variety of topics related to the field, including test construction, use and applications in human resources and training, assessment and verification of training courses, and consulting Includes applications for clinical psychology, performance psychology, and sport and exercise psychology across a range of professions (research, teaching, coaching, consulting, and advising) Acknowledges the dynamic nature of the field and identifies future directions in need of more research, including Internet and smart phone testing
This book integrates philosophy of science, data acquisition methods, and statistical modeling techniques to present readers with a forward-thinking perspective on clinical science. It reviews modern research practices in clinical psychology that support the goals of psychological science, study designs that promote good research, and quantitative methods that can test specific scientific questions. It covers new themes in research including intensive longitudinal designs, neurobiology, developmental psychopathology, and advanced computational methods such as machine learning. Core chapters examine significant statistical topics, for example missing data, causality, meta-analysis, latent variable analysis, and dyadic data analysis. A balanced overview of observational and experimental designs is also supplied, including preclinical research and intervention science. This is a foundational resource that supports the methodological training of the current and future generations of clinical psychological scientists.
Grounded in current knowledge and professional practice, this book provides up-to-date coverage of psychometric theory, methods, and interpretation of results. Essential topics include measurement and statistical concepts, scaling models, test design and development, reliability, validity, factor analysis, item response theory, and generalizability theory. Also addressed are norming and test equating, topics not typically covered in traditional psychometrics texts. Examples drawn from a dataset on intelligence testing are used throughout the book, elucidating the assumptions underlying particular methods and providing SPSS (or alternative) syntax for conducting analyses. The companion website presents datasets for all examples as well as PowerPoint slides of figures and key concepts. Pedagogical features include equation boxes with explanations of statistical notation, and end-of-chapter glossaries. The Appendix offers extensions of the topical chapters with example source code from SAS, SPSS, IRTPRO, BILOG-MG, PARSCALE, TESTFACT, and DIMTEST.
This Handbook provides a contemporary and research-informed review of the topics essential to clinical psychological assessment and diagnosis. It outlines assessment issues that cross all methods, settings, and disorders, including (but not limited to) psychometric issues, diversity factors, ethical dilemmas, validity of patient presentation, psychological assessment in treatment, and report writing. These themes run throughout the volume as leading researchers summarize the empirical findings and technological advances in their area. With each chapter written by major experts in their respective fields, the text gives interpretive and practical guidance for using psychological measures for assessment and diagnosis.
This innovative monograph introduces a measurement-based framework for effective treatment of patients with mood disorders, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. Rooted firmly in principles of pharmacotherapy and clinical psychometrics, the book’s signature diagram balances rating scale results and patient self-reported progress along three angles: therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and quality of life. The author’s choices of measures are brief, valid, widely used, and easy for clinicians to administer and patients to understand. But rather than being a mechanistic or an impersonal formula, this system is shown as a science-based means of fostering constructive collaboration between patient and therapist, leading to greater patient well-being. Included in the coverage: · Negative mental health: the ordinary symptom-orientated mental disorders. · The basic diagram of personality dimensions. · Self-reported symptom scales within the basic diagram. · Clinician-administered symptom scales within the basic diagram. · The pharmacopsychometric triangle in measurement-based care. · Diagnostic rating scales. · A practical outcome evaluation plan. Offering a medical level of precision to mental health, Measurement-Based Care in Mental Disorders should interest health care providers at all levels, particularly physicians and staff in primary care settings, and in psychiatric in- and outpatient clinics, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers.
