Program Overview

PSY454 Psychological Testing

This subject examines both theoretical and practical issues in psychological testing. It addresses basic psychometric issues in the field of testing, such as test construction, test reliability, and test validity. Students will gain familiarity with a range of psychological tests and experience in test evaluation, administration, and scoring.

Subject Outlines

Subject Outlines for recent sessions are available for current students. Note that Subject Outlines and assessment tasks are updated each session.

Availability

The subject is available in:

• Session 1 (30)
• Online
• Bathurst Campus

Duration

The subject is one session in duration.

School

The subject is offered by the School of Psychology.

Enrolment Restrictions

Students may not complete PSY454 and PSY204 in the same award.

Assumed Knowledge

The assumed knowledge for this subject is PSY101 and PSY102.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

• be able to demonstrate an understanding of test theory and test construction
• be able to demonstrate an understanding of test reliability and validity
• be able to evaluate test reliability and validity
• be able to demonstrate a sound understanding of psychological tests and their uses
• be able to apply knowledge of psychometric theory to evaluate a test
• be able to demonstrate an understanding of the professional standards and ethical issues that apply to psychological testing

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• Nature and uses of psychological tests
• Criticisms and misuses of tests
• Social and ethical considerations
• Norms and the interpretations of test scores
• Reliability
• Validity
• Item analysis and test construction
• General nature and uses of intelligence tests
• The IQ debate
• Achievement tests
• Testing in multicultural settings
• Occupational testing
• Clinical testing
• Personality tests

Grading System

The grading system for this subject is HD/FL.