Muhlenberg College - Department of Psychology
PSY-309: Psychological Assessment (a.k.a. Tests & Measurement)
Course Outline (F'2010)
Instructor:
Mark J. Sciutto, Ph.D.
Class Meetings:
Lecture: TR 3:00 - 4:15
Moyer Hall: Room 309
Office Hours: WF 9:45-10:45, TR 1:00-2:00, or by appointment.
Room 217 Moyer (Phone: Ext. 3649)
e-mail: sciutto@muhlenberg.edu
Required Texts:
 Gregory, R. J. (2011). Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications (6th Ed.).
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
 Gould, S. J. (1996). The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.
Additional Readings:
 Herrnstein, R.J. & Murray, C. (1994). Ethnic differences in cognitive ability. The Bell
Curve: The Reshaping of American Life by Difference in Intelligence. (pp. 269-315) New
York: Free Press.
 Sternberg, R.J. (1996). What should we ask about intelligence? American Scholar, 65,
205-218.
Course Objectives and Grading Policy
Upon completion of this course, you will demonstrate:
 a mastery of the principles of reliability and validity of assessment tools
 a mastery of accepted practices for test construction and guidelines for responsible test use
and interpretation.
 the ability to critically evaluate assessment procedures and recommend appropriate
alternatives when warranted
 an understanding and appreciation for the influence of personal beliefs, emotion, and cultural
differences on the use and interpretation of assessment data.
The final course grade will be determined as follows:
Exam 1:
15%
Exam 2:
15%
Exam 3:
15%
Group Research Project:
30%
Class Assignments
20%
Leading Discussion
5%
Research in Psychology
REQ (see below)
Individual exam and assignment grades will be assigned according to the following numerical
equivalents:
93 - 100
A
77 - 79
C+
90 - 92
A-
73 - 76
C
87 - 89
B+
70 - 72
C-
83 - 86
B
67 - 69
D+
80 - 82
B-
65 - 66
D
Below 65
F
Description of Course Requirements
In-Class Examinations: (45%) Three in-class examinations will be administered. The exam format
will include a mixture of multiple choice, true/false, fill-in and application or essay problems. There
are no make-up exams. If you have a conflict with any exam, you must notify me at least 24 hours in
advance. If an exam is missed, and I am not notified ahead of time, you will receive a zero for that
exam.
Group Research Project (30%): Groups of 2-3 students will either a) construct and evaluate an
original psychological test or assessment method or b) modify and evaluate the reliability and validity
of an existing instrument. The completed project will include a written report in APA format.
Preliminary drafts of each section of the paper will be due throughout the semester. These
preliminary drafts will not be graded, but are meant to provide valuable feedback. You are strongly
encouraged to seek feedback frequently throughout the semester. Details on the final paper will be
distributed near the beginning of the semester. Groups are strongly encouraged to present their
projects on Psychology Day (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/PsychologyDay.htm).
Class Assignments (20%) At various points in the semester, you will be given brief assignments
designed to reinforce class content (e.g., critique of online tests, personality profile of a famous
person). Details of these assignments will be available via the Blackboard website and will be
discussed in class.
Leading Discussions (5%) Near the end of the semester, we will be reading selections from Stephen
Jay Gould’s The Mismeasure of Man. Gould presents a critical analysis of various aspects of
intelligence testing and its impact on society. Groups of students will be assigned to lead a discussion
of a particular reading from Gould. More specific guidelines and suggestions will be distributed later
in the semester
Research in Psychology.* Research is the foundation of the information you learn in class and being
an active participant in this arena allows you to better understand the field of psychology. Therefore,
the Psychology Department has adopted a policy for its courses that requires students to interact with
psychological research inside and outside of the classroom. You may satisfy the research requirement
for this course in one of two ways:
(a) Participate in Research Studies: Give back to the research community through participation in
studies being conducted by psychology peers and faculty members. Students must participate
in two studies to satisfy the requirement for this class. You can find studies that qualify for this
requirement by looking on the Research Board just outside the Psychology Department Office
(Moyer 227).
or
(b) Analyze Psychology Research in the Popular Press: Students who do not wish to participate in
studies or are unable to find studies with sign-up times that match their schedules, may
complete an alternative research assignment (see me for details).
*Failure to fulfill this requirement will result in up to a 2-point deduction from your final course
grade.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will be penalized 5% for each day late (including weekend
days).
Attendance: Although attendance is not mandatory, it is highly suggested and will be
noted. Attendance records will be used in determining borderline courses grades (e.g., Johnny has a
92.9 average and has only missed one class--he gets an A; Jimmy also has a 92.9 average and he has
missed 10 classes--he gets an A-).
Academic Integrity: You are expected to conduct yourself in accordance with the Academic Behavior
Code of Muhlenberg College (www.muhlenberg.edu/mgt/deans/abc_statement.html). Honesty is an
essential aspect of academic integrity. Individual students are responsible for doing their own work
and for not taking credit for the effort and ideas of others. This includes plagiarism, cheating and not
contributing to group projects. This obligation is based on mutual trust and is essential to meeting the
goals of this course. Academic dishonesty of any type on exams, quizzes or other graded work will not
be tolerated.
Some important points about academic integrity:
1. Unless collaboration is explicitly permitted, you should assume that every course assignment
or assessment (i.e., exams) is to be completed individually. This means that you are to work on
course assignments by yourself – not with your friend or roommate. Any violation of this
restriction will be considered a violation of the Academic Behavior Code and will result in an
automatic failure for the assignment. If you are struggling with an assignment, you should
consult with me during office hours.
2. You are responsible for keeping drafts, references/sources, disk copies, and backup copies of
all of your written assignments, to turn in upon my request until final grades are completed.
3. You should begin your work early. An unforeseen event arising the night before a paper is due
is not a legitimate reason for a paper extension. When submitting assignments electronically,
you should request confirmation that your assignment has been received or you should save
some form of confirmation that your e-mail was sent (each e-mail program differs in how to do
this).
4. You are responsible for taking precautions that your work (especially written work that
paraphrases another written source). If I determine that you have copied all or part of an exam
or paper from another source (including another student, a web page, a textbook, or other
published source), you will receive a failing grade in this course. If your written work includes
material that is paraphrased unacceptably from the original source, I will ask you to re-submit
the written work and I will lower the assignment grade by 10%.
5. On all work submitted for a grade, you must write and sign the following pledge: “I pledge that
I have complied with the Academic Behavior Code in this work.”
Topic Outline
Date
Topic
Readings
8/31 (T)
Intro to Assessment; Nature and Uses of Assessment
Gregory: Chpt. 1A
9/2 (R)
Group Project Time
9/7 (T)
Ethical and Social Implications of Assessment;
Norms and Standardization; Basic Statistics for
Testing;
Gregory: Chpt. 1B; Chpt. 3A
9/9 (R)
Scales, Transformations and Norms (cont.); Group
Project Time
Gregory: 3A (cont.)
9/14 (T)
Group Project Time
9/16 (R)
Reliability
Gregory: 3B
9/21 (T)
Validity
Gregory: 4A
9/23 (R)
Test Development: Scale Construction
Gregory: 4B
9/28 (T)
Test Development: Item Analysis
Gregory: 4B; Handouts
9/30 (R)
Exam 1
10/5 (T)
Clinical and Counseling Assessment: Introduction to
Projective Tests
Gregory: 8A
10/7 (R)
Clinical and Counseling Assessment: Projective
(cont.); Objective Assessment of Psychopathology
Gregory: 8B
10/12 (T)
Objective Assessment of Psychopathology (cont.)
Handouts
10/14 (R)
Other Methods of Clinical Assessment;
Observational Measures; Online Critique Due
Handouts
10/15 –
10/19
Fall Break
Online Critique Assignment
10/21 (R)
Group Project Time
10/26 (T)
Group Project Time ;
10/28 (R)
Why Questionable Psychological Tests Remain
Popular; Individual Tests of Intelligence and
Achievement;
11/2 (T)
Exam 2
11/4 (R)
Test Bias and Other Controversies; The Context of
"The Mismeasure of Man": Setting the Stage;
Gregory (pp. 245 - 255); Gould
pp. 19 – 36, 50 – 61 (pp. 37 – 50,
optional)
11/9 (T)
American Polygeny & Craniometry (Agassiz &
Morton); Group project time
Gould pp. 62 -104
11/11 (R)
Measuring Heads (Paul Broca) ; Group project time
Gould pp. 105 - 141
11/16 (T)
Hereditarian Theory of IQ (Goddard & Terman) ;
Group project time
Gould pp. 176 - 222
11/18 (R)
Hereditarian Theory of IQ (Yerkes) ; Group project
time
Gould pp. 222 - 263
11/23 (T)
Group Project Time
11/30 (T)
Factor Analysis and the Reification of Intelligence
Gould pp. 264 – 302
12/2 (R)
The Reification of Intelligence (Spearman & Jensen)
cont.
Gould pp. 303 -350
12/7 (T)
Individual Tests of Intelligence and Achievement;
Group Project Time
12/9 (R)
The Bell Curve: Ethnic Differences in Cognitive
Ability; Reflection on Gould ; Issues in Ability Testing
; Final Paper Due
12/13 –
12/17
Final Exam
Lilienfeld et al. (2006); Gregory:
5B
Gregory: 5A (pp. 166 –169);
http://www.iapsych.com/CHCPP/CHC
PP.HTML
Herrnstein & Murray (1994);
Gould pp. 351 – 364; Sternberg
(1996)