Question

Describe the key features of any two methods used for psychological assessment.

Answer 1

There are various methods of assessment.

• Psychological Test: It is an objective and standardized measure of an individual’s mental and/or behavioral characteristics. It is commonly used for the purposes of clinical diagnosis, guidance, personnel selection, placement, and training.
• Self-Report: It is a method in which a person provides factual information about themselves. Such information may be obtained by using an interview schedule or a questionnaire, a psychological test, or a personal diary.
• Interview: An interview involves seeking information from a person on a one-to-one basis. You may see it being used when a counsellor interacts with a client, a salesperson makes a door-to-door survey regarding the usefulness of a particular product, an employer selects employees for her/his organisation, or a journalist interviews important people on issues of national and international importance.
• Case Study: Case Study is an in-depth study of the individual in terms of her/his psychological attributes, and psychological history in the context of her/his psychosocial and physical environment. Case studies are widely used by clinical psychologists. Case analyses of the lives of great people can also be highly illuminating for those willing to learn from their life experiences. Case studies are based on data generated by different methods, e.g. interviews, observations, questionnaires, psychological tests, etc.
• Observation: Observation involves employing systematic, organised, and objective procedures to record behavioural phenomena occurring naturally in real-time. Certain phenomena such as mother-child interactions can be easily studied through observation. The major problems with observational methods are that the observer has little control over the situation and the reports may suffer from subjective interpretations of the observer.