Chapter 2
Why is Psychological Testing
Important?
Why is psychological testing
important?
We use tests to make different types of
important decisions
E.g.,
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What grade to assign a student
Whether to hire a job candidate
If / what merit increase an employee will receive
What coaching advice to offer a business leader
Why is psychological testing
important?
Decisions can be classified as
Individual or Institutional Decisions
Comparative or Absolute Decisions
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Why is psychological testing
important?
Individual decisions - decisions made by the person who takes the
test
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E.g.,
Whether to drop a course
Where to apply for college
What to major in
What career to pursue
Institutional Decisions - decisions made by those other than the test
taker
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E.g.,
Whether to admit you
Whether you will receive a scholarship
Whether you will be hired
What treatment plan to use
Why is psychological testing
important?
Institutional Decisions - Made using a Comparative method or
Absolute method
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Comparative - comparing tests scores to see who has the best
score
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Absolute - seeing who has the minimum score needed to qualify
Who uses psychological tests and for
what reasons?
Used
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by variety of professionals
in variety of settings
for different purposes
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Who uses psychological tests and for
what reasons?
Educational Settings
Clinical Settings
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to select, place, assess, and counsel students
for diagnosis, treatment, selection, and assessment of
treatment outcomes
Organizational Settings
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to make hiring decisions, placement decisions, to guide and
assess training and development, and to evaluate worker
performance
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Psychological tests benefit people
However, testing is controversial
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Some stems from misunderstandings
about the nature and use of psychological
tests
Some deeply rooted in ongoing debates
Ellis Island
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Ellis Island
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Largest and most deeply rooted controversy related to
discrimination
Concern that tests unfairly discriminate against certain
racial and economic groups
Results = qualified members being passed over for
admission to educational programs or not being hired
at the same rate as other groups
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Group Differences in Ability
Psychological tests designed to measure differences
among people.
Test scores that demonstrate differences among people
may suggest that people are not created with the same
basic abilities.
Biggest problem: Some ethnic groups obtain lower
average scores on some psychological tests. On
average African Americans score 15 points lower than
whites on IQ tests.
Dispute is not whether differences occur but why they
occur - environment vs. biology
Problems with Biology Argument
IQ scores are improving (called the Flynn effect),
more so for African Americans than whites.
Victimization by stereotyping could affect test
performance and grades.
Construct of race has no biological meaning
based on evidence from studies in population
genetics, the human genome and physical
anthropology.
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Intelligence testing in education
Early 20th century – IQ tests used to place students in special academic
and vocational-related programs
Supported by those who believed intelligence primary based on heredity
Not supported by those who believed intelligence primarily based on
environment
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1960’s - activist groups demanded schools abandon the use of
intelligence tests
Continued efforts to eliminate intelligence testing failed
placement of slow learners and handicapped children in the same
classrooms as normal and gifted children slowed learning
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Intelligence testing in the Army
WWI – Robert Yerkes promoted mental testing
Developed Army Alpha Beta Tests
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Measured native intellectual ability
First mental tests for group testing
Used to screen Army recruits for officer training
Army Alpha – developed for literate groups
Army Beta – developed for those who could not read, write, speak
English
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
1920’s – Walter Lippman criticized Army Alpha Beta Tests
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Questioned whether they actually measure intelligence
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Questioned whether intelligence is determined by nurture or
nature?
1920’s/ 30’s - Gould claimed tests were culturally biased
Language and customs of U.S. unfamiliar to some
Stupidity may be lack of cultural knowledge and experience
Army Alpha Beta Tests discontinued after WWI
Nature vs. nurture debate continued
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
1994 -- The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life
(Herrnstein and Murray, 1994) published
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IQ extremely important, between 40% and 80% heritable
Related to school performance, jobs, income, crime, illegitimacy
Difference in average IQ scores between White and African-Americans is
likely attributable to genetic factors
1995 -- In response, APA published Intelligence: Knowns and
Unknowns
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Interpreted data differently
Concluded that no one knows why the difference exists
There is no support for the notion that the 15-point IQ difference between
Black and White Americans is due to genetics
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Aptitude testing and the U.S. Employment Service
1940s – United States Employment Service developed the General Aptitude Test
Battery (GATB)
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Multiple-aptitude test
Developed to assist with career counseling and job referrals
GATB scores of minorities below other groups
Controversy surrounding number of African Americans and Hispanics being
referred to employers
Amended Civil Rights Act made it illegal to use GATB scores in this way
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National policy required giving the disadvantaged compensatory advantages
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Solution from EEOC and court decisions
Within-group or race norming
From
To
Referrals based on raw
test scores or how scores
compared to others in the
overall norm group
Referrals based on
ranking of scores by racial
or ethnic group
Employment services in 38 states used race norming
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Psychologists claimed Within-Group Norming discriminated against Whites
1989 - National Research Council study supported norming
Early 1990’s – Within-Group Norming outlawed
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Referrals should be based on GATB score and experience, skills, and education
Civil Rights Act of 1991 prohibited employers from adjusting scores based on race, color,
religion, sex or national origin
Not due to unfairness, but to pass Act
Declining use of GATB in U.S. due to portions being discriminatory
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Aptitude testing in education
1970s - Decline in SAT scores
Concern about what students were learning in schools
ETS panel concluded decline due to
1.
2.
More students taking SAT, weaker academic records, more diverse
backgrounds
Educational experience of students in late sixties / early seventies caused
decreased performance on standardized tests
The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Integrity testing in organizations
Employee theft $25 billion/year – 48% of retail industry losses
Integrity tests, or honesty tests, claim to measure individual’s
attitudes toward theft and other undesirable behaviors such as
taking drugs
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The social and legal implications of
psychological testing
Many oppose use of integrity tests, claiming
falsely classify some honest people as dishonest
invasion of privacy
3. different and more inhibiting effect on minorities
1.
2.
APA has reliability and validity concerns
Publishers have little information regarding
whether integrity tests actually predict honesty
– 1991 – APA urged organizations to not use integrity
tests when little validity information available
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