2.B.1
Fitting instruments to the person being assessed
Énoncé de compétence 2.B.1 d’ASPPB : Select appropriate instruments and assessment methods, considering the characteristics of the client
The same instrument can be a sound choice for one person and a poor one for another. Age, language and culture, education, sensory and motor abilities, intellectual level, medical illness and setting all shape whether a measure was normed for someone like this client and whether it measures the intended skill rather than an unrelated barrier. Choosing well comes before administering well.
Notions clés
- Norms that include the person
- Scores are interpreted against a reference group, so the norm sample should include people of the client's age, language background and, where it matters, education. When no norms fit, the psychologist states the limit instead of ignoring it.
- Construct-irrelevant barriers
- A test should measure its intended construct, not an unrelated limitation. A timed task penalizes slowed movement and a written questionnaire penalizes poor reading or vision, lowering scores for reasons that have nothing to do with what the test is meant to measure.
- Accommodation versus modification
- An accommodation changes the format, such as large print, without changing what is measured, so the norms still apply. A modification changes the construct or the difficulty, so standard norms no longer fit and scores are interpreted with caution.
- Symptoms shared with medical illness
- In medical illness, physical symptoms such as fatigue or slowed movement can inflate depression scores. For Parkinson disease, a task force preferred observer-rated scales when feasible and suggested that scales with limited motor content, such as the HADS and GDS, may be most useful across disease severity.
- Disability-informed practice
- APA's 2022 disability guidelines ask psychologists to consider models of disability, biases and barriers, and respectful language, and to plan fair assessment with the client and their supports.
Exemple commenté
Mr. Lindqvist, 66, has Parkinson disease with tremor and slowed movement. His neurologist asks whether he is depressed and whether his thinking has declined.
- Depression: tremor, fatigue and slowness overlap with the bodily items of many depression scales, so the psychologist chooses a scale with little motor content and adds a clinician-rated interview.
- Cognition: tests that require fast hand movements will be lowered by his motor slowing, so reasoning and memory are measured with tests that use spoken or untimed responses where possible.
- Norms: each chosen test is checked for norms that cover his age and level of education.
- Any speed-dependent result is interpreted in light of his motor condition, and the report names that limit.
Choose instruments so that the score reflects the question being asked, not an unrelated limitation.
Vérifiez vos acquis
One student takes a vocabulary test in large print, with the same items and time limits. Another is allowed to use a dictionary during the same vocabulary test. Which statement is accurate?
Sources
- Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA and NCME, 2014), Chapter 3, Fairness in Testing (construct-irrelevant variance; accommodations and modifications); Chapter 5, Scores, Scales, Norms, Score Linking, and Cut Scores
- Schrag, Barone, Brown, Leentjens, McDonald, Starkstein and colleagues (2007), Depression rating scales in Parkinson's disease: Critique and recommendations, Movement Disorders (PMID 17394234), Movement Disorders 22, 1077-1092 (observer-rated scales preferred; HADS and GDS include limited motor symptom assessment)
- APA (2022), Guidelines for Assessment and Intervention With Persons With Disabilities; executive summary by Hanson, Bruyere, Forber-Pratt, Reesman and Sung (2023), American Psychologist (PMID 36931825), American Psychologist 78, 995-1009 (disability models, biases and barriers, language, fair assessment)