Course Title: Psychological Assessment

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Psychological Assessment

Credit Points: 12.00

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
BESC1116	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006
BESC1117	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006

Course Coordinator: Dr Kerry Hempenstall

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 99257522

Course Coordinator Email: kerry.hempenstall@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Rm 201.3.17c

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

All third year psychology courses.

Course Description

Against the historical background of the assessment of human abilities, this course reviews and extends knowledge related to the psychometric properties against which tests are evaluated. Using this knowledge a range of commonly used psychological assessments are evaluated with regard to their appropriateness to the referral issue, and their utility in informing intervention strategies. Additionally, this course includes the development of skills needed to correctly administer and interpret intelligence tests. Issues related to the communication of test information in psychological reports are also covered such that effective, accurate, and useful reports are produced.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

At the conclusion of this course students will be expected to be able to demonstrate their understanding of the core issues in psychological assessment, and further to demonstrate their capacity for further, more practical, training in the postgraduate program

At the conclusion of this course students will be expected to be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key psychometric considerations in evaluating assessment instruments;
2. Describe the major ethical issues in test selection and administration;
3. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of intellectual, adaptive behaviour, personality, checklists, and direct observation assessments;
4. Demonstrate the correct use and interpretation of an intelligence test
5. Write a comprehensive intellectual assessment report.

Overview of Learning Activities

D. Planned Student Learning Experiences
Lectures - Students in lectures acquire a framework of relevant knowledge and an understanding of underlying theoretical and conceptual material such that assessment instruments can be empirically evaluated (Learning objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Class demonstrations - Through class demonstrations of the administration of assessment instruments, students develop the skills necessary to evaluate and administer a range of psychological tests (Learning objectives 3, 4, 5.)

DLS articles – Available for download from the DLS are current research articles of interest. These papers particularly focus upon theoretical issues in intelligence and other individual differences (Learning objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Case discussion - Students involved in case discussion learn to apply theory and ethical issues involved in the selection of appropriate assessment instruments for particular referral questions, interpret test data, and report it in a psychological assessment report (Learning objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.)

Video presentations - Through observation and discussion of selected video material, students observe the administration and interpretation of a variety of intellectual assessment devices (Learning objectives 3, 4, 5.)

Overview of Learning Resources

Various references and resources provided

Overview of Assessment

Assessment tasks and the percentage value of each task:

1. Students are to develop a Test Resource Folio

2. Students will provide a videotape of their abbreviated administration of an intelligence test.

3. Based on the intelligence test results obtained in 2 above, students will write an intellectual assessment report for another psychologist.

4. Students will write a theoretical essay on a topic selected from a number of topics given out in class.