EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY 4301: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT (3 CREDITS) FALL 2016 MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY 12-12:50PM MARSHALL HALL 107
COURSE SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR: Gerald Nissley, Psy.D., L.P.
OFFICE: Psychology & Sociology Suite, Marshall Hall Basement
OFFICE HOURS: M: 9-10am; 1:50-2:50pm; T: 2-4:30pm; W: 9-10am; 1:50-2:50pm;TR: 2-4:30pm; F: 9-10am; others available by appointment. Generally, if the door is open, Dr. Nissley is available.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phone: 903-923-2095 for office phone; (717)580-0786 (cell) in case of emergencies or when in need of immediate feedback.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DrNissley
ETBU COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION AND OVERVIEW:
This course covers the construction and use of many kinds of mental measurements, including tests of personality, intelligence, achievement, and aptitude. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate study. Prerequisite: PSYC 2301 and MATH 1342, or consent of instructor.
The course will provide you with a broad, general introduction to psychological assessment, its basic subject matter, its approaches to gathering and evaluating evidence about the causes and correlates of thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Psychological testing has an “it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times” history in applied psychology. At its best, psychological assessment can be useful in diagnosis, treatment, research, and consultation for the betterment of society. It has been used extensively in forensics for community welfare and understanding of deviant behavior. It has been used to assist in personnel selection in public and private sector work, including military functions. It has been used effectively to aid students in gaining individualized instruction. It has been used for promoting understanding of patients in therapy for improved treatment outcomes.
At its worst, psychological assessment has been used by the military for subjecting cruelty upon both friends and enemies. Because of use in a culturally unfair method, some methods of psychological testing have previously been banned in some states (i.e, the Peckham Decision in California). It has been used to ineffectively answer questions it was not meant to answer in legal cases. Typically, the tests themselves didn’t cause the ill-fated results… the users did. However, because of the scientific credibility of such instruments and the power of labels, psychological testing holds great power for both help and harm in contemporary society.
In our course, you will learn about the science behind test construction and review the major classifications of testing. It is my hope that you will be a better consumer of psychological assessment as you go forward in your life and vocation as a result. Some of you will even come to administer some of these tests possibly! PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016)
STUDENT BEHAVIOR:
Turn phones off. Don’t send or read text messages or play games on your phone during class. Refrain from distracting side conversations Respond to each other’s comments and opinions thoughtfully and respectfully. Laptop use is discouraged; it is more often a temptation to social media than an academic tool. If you do bring your laptop, use it for class related tasks only.
These guidelines reflect expectations for professional behavior in the work place; students who consistently do not meet these expectations may be asked to leave.
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this course, students will demonstrate the ability to:
Assignments to be Used for Course Objectives Assessment
1 Explain the process and rational for psychological assessment for a variety of dynamics, including clinical, psychoeducational, health, and vocational Exams 1-4; Weekly Quizzes contexts.
2 Employ a number of psychological tests commonly used in psychological Weekly testing activities in class assessment, as allowed and ethical for their stage of training.
3 Evaluate psychological tests for selection and administration based on Weekly activities, Exams I-4; Research psychometric principles, such as reliability, validity, standardization, and Paper utility.
4 Integrate critical thinking and acquired knowledge in addressing Exams I-4; Controversial Topic controversial and contemporary conflicts in assessment psychology. Presentation
COURSE MATERIALS:
Cohen, R.J., & Swerdlik, M.E., & Sturman, E.D. (2013). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-HIll. [ISBN: 978-0-07-803530-2]
GRADING POLICIES: PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016)
SUMMARY OF POINTS Exam 1 100 Exam 2 100 Exam 3 100 Final Exam 100 Quizzes (10) 100 Controversial Topic Presentation 100 Test Review Paper 100 TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 700 POINTS
GRADING SCALE
A = 90%-100% B = 80%-89% C = 70%-79% (627-700) (557-626) (487-556)
D = 60%-69% F = < 59% (417-486) (416 and lower)
EXAMINATIONS . Exams constitute the majority of your grade in the course. They will consist of some combination of multiple choice, matching, short answer, and short essay. They will cover materials from lectures and the textbook. The first three exams are non-cumulative. The final exam will have both a non-cumulative and cumulative aspect. The non- cumulative aspect will involve applying general concepts of the course.
Note: Lectures are designed to supplement and expand on information in the text. In some cases, the class time content will overlap significantly with the text, and sometimes it will not. You are responsible for all information covered in lecture as well as information covered in the assigned textbook chapters. Even if it were possible, you would not REALLY want me to lecture on every concept in the textbook. If there are areas that are unclear to you, I want you to ask questions during or after class or see me in my office.
PROJECTS . There are two kinds of written assignments for the course. More detailed information will be forthcoming during the course. Controversial Topic Presentation (see Appendix B) is designed to familiarize you test construction methods and efforts for assessing validity and reliability.
The Test Review (Appendix A) is designed to provide an opportunity to systematically evaluate a test of your choice, using many of the concepts you’ve learned in this class.
TENTATIVE COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
Date Reading to be discussed/Task PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016)
Monday, August 22 Syllabus/Course Introduction (Chap 1)
Wednesday, August 24 Testing and Assessment Overview (Chap 1)
CHAP. 1 QUIZ
Friday, August 26 Overview, Cont.d (Chap 1)
“1st BDI-2 Administration”
“Celebrity Interview”
Monday, August 29 Statistics Refresher (Chap 3)
CHAP. 3 QUIZ
Wednesday, August 31 Statistics Refresher (Chap 3)
“Administer the MMMPI”
“2nd BDI-2 Administration”
Friday, September 2 Statistics Refresher (Chap 3)
Monday, September 5 LABOR DAY – NO CLASS
Wednesday, September 7 Reliability (Chap 5)
CHAP. 5 QUIZ
Friday, September 9 Reliability, Cont. (Chap 5)
Monday, September 12 Validity (Chap 6)
CHAP. 6 QUIZ
Wednesday, September 14 Validity, Cont. (Chap 6)
“Teach how to administer the MMSE”
Friday, September 16 Validity, Cont. (Chap 6)/ Test Assumptions (Chapter 4)
Monday, September 19 EXAM I – Chapters 1, 3-6 PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) Wednesday, September 21 Utility (Chap. 7)
CHAP. 7 & 8 QUIZ
Friday, September 23 Test Development (Chap 8)
Monday, September 26 Utility & Test Development
“Utility Analysis of Prayer”
Wednesday, September 28 Intelligence Testing: An Overview (Chap. 9)
CHAP. 9 QUIZ
Friday, September 30 Intelligence Testing: An Overview (Chap. 9)
“The Bell Curve”
Monday, October 3 Tests of Intelligence (Chap. 10)
Wednesday, October 5 Tests of Intelligence (Chap. 10)
Friday, October 7 Fall Break – No Class
Monday, October 10 EXAM II – CHAP. 7-10
Wednesday, October 12 CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC #1
Friday, October 14 Psychoeducational Assessment (Chap 11)
CHAP 11 QUIZ
Monday, October 17 Personality Assessment (Chap 12)
CHAPTER 12 QUIZ
(Midterm Grades Available)
Wednesday, October 19 Personality Assessment Overview (Chap 12)
“Administer the NEO-PI-R”
Friday, October 21 Personality Assessment Overview (Chap 12)
“Let’s play with the KFD”
Monday, October 24 Objective & Projective Personality Tests (Chap 13)
CHAP. 13 QUIZ PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) Wednesday, October 26 Objective & Projective Personality Tests (Chap 13)
Friday, October 28 CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC #2
Monday, October 31 Clinical Assessment (Chap 14)
Wednesday, November 2 Clinical Assessment (Chap 14)
Friday, November 4 EXAM III – Covers Chapter 11-14
Monday, November 7 Neuropsychological Assessment (Chap. 15)
CHAP 15 QUIZ
Wednesday, November 9 Neuropsychological Assessment (Chap. 15)
“Clock Drawing Test”
Friday, November 11 Neuropsychological Assessment (Chap. 15)
(Last day to drop course is November 11)
Monday, November 14 Career Assessment (Chap 16)
CHAP. 16 QUIZ
Wednesday, November 16 Career Assessment (Chap 16)
Friday, November 18 Career Assessment (Chap 16)
Monday, November 21 CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC #3
NOVEMBER 23-25 Thanksgiving Break – No Class
Monday, November 28 Historical Considerations (Chap 2)
CHAP. 2 QUIZ
Wednesday, November 30 Ethical Considerations (Chap 2)
RESEACH PAPER DUE
Friday, December 2 Let’s Review A Case
Final Exam December 7 – 10:30am-12:50pm
Non-cumulative aspects covers Chapters 15-16, and 2
Also includes cumulative aspects.
PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) COURSE POLICIES
Attendance
If you must miss class due to an ETBU activity, please notify the instructor prior to missing class. Work submitted early, will not be penalized.
East Texas Baptist University is committed to the policy that regular and punctual attendance is essential to successful scholastic achievement. Attendance at all meetings of the course for which a student is registered is expected. To be eligible to earn credit in a course, the student must attend at least 75 percent of all class meetings. For additional information, please refer to page 30 of the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog.
Students who exceed the absence limit in a course before the official withdrawal date will have the opportunity to withdraw from the class. Students in this situation who do not choose to withdraw on or before the official withdrawal date or who exceed the absence limit in a course after the official withdrawal date will receive a grade of XF.
Course Withdrawal
A student may withdraw from a course or courses or from the University beginning with the first day through 75 percent of the semester without academic penalty. The final day to withdraw from this course is Friday, November 11.
To withdraw from a course or courses or from the University the student must secure a withdrawal form from the Registrar’s Office, his/her advisor, or from the ETBU website, and follow the directions on the form, securing all required signatures. Students must process their own withdrawals. For additional information, please refer to page 29 of the 2016- 2017 Undergraduate Catalog.
Late Work Policy
Assignments may be late due to excused and unexcused reasons. If the reason for the excused absence can be anticipated (an ETBU event, for example), the missed assignment should be completed prior to the event (by appointment). With the exception of the final exam, all quizzes and exams can be completed prior to the due date in the event that an excused absence is upcoming.
If a regularly scheduled exam is missed due to excused absence that could not be anticipated (i.e., death of a loved one, sickness, hospitalization, etc.), the student will have two weeks to make up the exam by appointment. You must contact me before the start of the exam! Please note that the instructor may require documentation of the legitimacy of the absence (e.g., doctor’s excuse, obituary, etc.) in order to consider the absence excused.
If a regularly scheduled exam is missed due to unexcused absence, a 10% point deduction will occur per day until the exam is completed by appointment.
Regarding quizzes, there will be no opportunity for making them up when missed due to unexcused absence. If an excused absence can be anticipated, the quiz should be completed prior to the due date by appointment. If an excused absence cannot be anticipated, the quiz may be completed by scheduling within one week an appointment for completion.
Papers are due at the beginning of the class on the designated date. The penalty for a late paper will be a 5% deduction for every day late. Extensions will not be granted on the date that the paper is due.
Weapons in Class The on-campus possession of firearms, explosives, or fireworks is prohibited with the exception of the transportation and storage of firearms and ammunition by concealed handgun license holders in private vehicles (as described in SB1907) PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) Pursuant to Section 30.06, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with a concealed handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law, may not enter this property (ETBU) with a concealed handgun. The ETBU President may grant authorization to a qualified and certified full-time faculty or staff member, who is a license holder with a concealed handgun to conceal carry on the University campus, at a University- sponsored event or within or on a University vehicle.
Final Exam Policy
You must take the Final Exam at the time scheduled by the University. Exceptions are granted by the Dean only in the case of:
1. Four exams on the same day 2. Serious personal illness 3. Death of an immediate family member
Academic Honesty
I have no tolerance for cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty. Incidents of such will be handled according to ETBU policy (sanctions may include failure on test or assignment to dismissal from the course). If you have any questions regarding what constitutes academic dishonesty, please see me before you hand in your work.
In all assignments, you are expected to work alone unless specifically instructed otherwise. For example, during exams you are expected to work without any assistance from anyone. Additionally, work for all courses should be original to that course – work should not be admitted in multiple courses, as that constitutes self-plagiarism.
Plagiarism consists of more than turning in someone else's work as your own. If you use someone else's paragraphs, sentences, or even partial sentences or phrases without quotation marks, you have deliberately or inadvertently plagiarized. Others' ideas should always be referenced and should be in your words, not theirs, unless their exact wording is important. In the latter case, use quotation marks. “Copy and paste” from websites is unacceptable. If in doubt, check with me ahead of time. You will avoid needless complications and penalties. My experience over the years with literature searches and article summaries is that most plagiarism is inadvertent. Yet unintentional plagiarism is still a serious violation of academic integrity and will result in your receiving a lowered or failing grade.
Students enrolled at East Texas Baptist University are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity avoiding all forms of cheating, illicit possession of examinations or examination materials, unwarranted access to instructor’s solutions’ manuals, plagiarism, forgery, collusion and submissions of the same assignment to multiple courses. Students are not allowed to recycle student work without permission of the faculty member teaching the course. Students must ask permission before submitting the work since it will likely be detected by plagiarism detection programs. If the student does not inform the instructor or ask permission before the assignment is due and submitted, the instructor may treat this as an academic integrity offense.
Penalties that may be applied by the faculty member to individual cases of academic dishonesty by a student include one or more of the following:
• Failure of the class in question
• Failure of particular assignments
• Requirement to redo the work in question PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) • Requirement to submit additional work
All incidents related to violations of academic integrity are required to be reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and multiple violations of academic integrity will result in further disciplinary measures which could lead to dismissal from the University.
If at any time you have questions about whether a particular work strategy is acceptable, please feel free to ask me. It’s perfectly acceptable to be uncertain, and better to ask than to commit academic dishonesty. Again, check with me if you have questions.
Students with Disabilities
Your instructor is committed to helping students with special needs to succeed in this class. A student with a disability may request appropriate accommodations for this course by contacting the Office of Academic Success, Marshall Hall, Room 301, and providing the required documentation. If accommodations are approved by the Disability Accommodations Committee, the Office of Academic Success will notify the student and the student’s professor of the approved accommodations. The student must then discuss these accommodations with his or her professor. Students may not ask for accommodations the day of an exam or due date. Arrangements must be made prior to these important dates. For additional information, please refer to page 15-16 of the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog.
APPENDIX A: PROJECT #1 – THE TEST REVIEW PAPER
As part of the course requirements, students will complete a research paper (5-7 pages, excluding title page and bibliography) on a specific psychological test of your choice. This paper is designed to get students involved in an in- depth exploration of one test. It involves a review of the current literature on this test (see outline). The paper is due November 30, 2016.
FORMAT OF REVIEW PAPER
The paper (5-7 pages, excluding title page and bibliography) must be typed, double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides in 12-point font. The bibliographical section of your paper must be in American Psychological Association format and completely referenced. Paper needs to have an introduction, body (with sections delineated by clear transition sentences), conclusion, and a reference page with at least 8 scholarly references. Title Page should include writer’s name, course title, and date of submission.
The Test Review/Critique contains six sections, including references. Information to be presented in each section is presented below. PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) I. GENERAL INFORMATION/Introduction • Title of the test (including edition and form, if applicable) • Author(s) • Publisher and date(s) of publication
II. TEST DESCRIPTION • Test Content o construct(s), domain(s) or variable(s) the test measures o unidimensionality or multidimensionality of construct o theoretical and/or empirical foundations of the test • Purpose of Test o purpose and potential uses of test o whom the test is designed for • Test Structure o length of test/number of items o subscales (if applicable) o item format • Test Administration o administration procedures o necessary administrator qualifications and/or training • Test Scoring o type of scoring or scaling o scoring procedures (including availability of scoring keys and scoring services, if any) o subscale, factor or dimension scores (if applicable)
III. TECHNICAL EVALUATION • Reliability o evidence of reliability (e.g., test-retest, internal consistency) o adequacy of reliability evidence to support potential uses of the test • Validity o evidence of validity (e.g., content-, criterion-, construct-related) o adequacy of validity evidence to support potential uses of the test
IV: SUMMARY EVALUATION AND CRITIQUE • Strengths and weaknesses of the test • A critique of the use of the test in an applied setting
V: MULTICULTURAL APPLICATION • An analysis of the multicultural application of the test (addressing research on multicultural comparison OR limitations of generalizability based on lack of multicultural data)
VI: REFERENCES References (at least 8 SCHOLARLY sources, can include textbook) a. Regarding such sources, websites are NOT appropriate sources and should not be utilized as one of the 8 sources (can be used in addition to the 8 scholarly sources), with the exception of… a. Scholarly journal articles from an internet database (ie, Proquest, Psychinfo, Questia, etc.) PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016)
APPENDIX B: PROJECT #2 – THE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES PRESENTATION
As part of the course requirements, we will have a number of discussions in class that are facilitated by YOU. You and your group will choose one of the topics below. We will have a topic draft in class. You and your group will research the topic below and will lead the class in a discussion of the topic. The presentations are organized throughout the semester.
In leading your discussion (30-45 minutes), you will first present a summary of the issues related to the controversy. Make sure your summary is clear and organized so students can critically understand the controversy.
You will then split your group in half, and half of your group will present research and insights on the “pro” side of the argument and the other for the “con” side.
You will then ask the class discussion questions that you have designed in order to elicit a dialogue about the topic. You are responsible for guiding the discussion in a logical way and keeping the class on track. You must be prepared with discussion questions to pose, as well as necessary background information to answer questions you may receive. Everyone in your group needs to participate in the oral presentation of your topic.
Your discussion facilitation will be evaluated based on the following: ♦ Did the group appear to be organized and professional in their presentation? PSYC 4301 Psychological Assessment (Fall 2016) ♦ How prepared did the group appear to be for their presentation? ♦ Did the presentation hold your interest? ♦ How clearly did the group present both sides of the topic from a research-informed perspective? ♦ Did the group have appropriate questions for class discussion? ♦ Did the group lead the discussion in a clear, straightforward manner? ♦ What was especially effective in the group presentations? ♦ What weaknesses were there in the presentation?
AVAILABLE TOPICS
Should intelligence testing be used in the determination of intellectual and developmental disabilities (i.e., mental retardation, autism-spectrum disorders, etc.) and learning disabilities?
Are projective instruments valid and reliable for personality assessment?
Should employers be able to use psychological testing in making decisions about job-related concerns (i.e., hiring, promotion, job type, and termination)?