Assessment Methods

Assessment Methods

Psychological assessment relies on several distinct methods, each suited to different purposes. These methods were introduced in Class XI, and here we revisit their essential features.

Psychological Test is an objective and standardised measure of an individual’s mental and/or behavioural characteristics. Objective tests have been developed to measure all dimensions of psychological attributes — intelligence, aptitude, personality, and others. These tests are widely used for clinical diagnosis, guidance, personnel selection, placement, and training. Beyond objective tests, psychologists have also created projective tests, especially for personality assessment (these are covered in Chapter 2).

Interview involves seeking information from a person on a one-to-one basis. You see interviews used in many real-world settings: a counsellor interacting with a client, a salesperson conducting a door-to-door survey about a product's usefulness, an employer selecting employees for an organisation, or a journalist interviewing important people on national and international issues.

Case Study is an in-depth study of an individual in terms of their psychological attributes and psychological history, examined within the context of their psychosocial and physical environment. Clinical psychologists use case studies extensively. Case analyses of the lives of great people can also be highly illuminating for those willing to learn from their life experiences. Importantly, case studies are based on data generated by multiple methods — interview, observation, questionnaire, psychological tests, and so on. …