Measurement Class-Assessment Project - Research Paper Example

Measurement Class-Assessment ProjectThe test construct I chose involves the detection of a lie. This test is mostly useful in crime detections, criminal justice, or to be specific in security settings. The constructs utilize some psychological principles, although it does not assimilate the best psychological instrument. The typical lie detector involves measuring several physiological processes, for instance, blood pressure, temperature of the skin, heart rate, skin conductance and respiration.

Something quite different takes place in the lie detector. The lie detector does not tell the reaction of the physiological reactions rather the whole process involves measuring and recording the reactions. The administrator is the one seeing and not the one experiencing physiological reactions (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian, 2010, p.370).So how does the lie detector detect a lie? The whole process involves the test administrator asking various questions and keeping watch on the physiological response as he or she gives the answers to the questions.

Some questions are so easy, for instance, "what is your name?" The response to this question is usually quite relaxed. Then the test administrator asks a real question, like, “Are you a registered agent?” If the answer to this is truthfully “No”, the physiology of the one answering remains relaxed. However, if he or she lies while saying “No”, then the recording needles will have to jump all over because there are some unconscious conflicts he or she experience in telling a lie, and hence, leads to slight physiological consequences.

Therefore, the test might look effortless, but it is somehow difficult as it is more of an art that science. For instance, detecting the indication of the needles jumping around rather than the nervous is more tasking. However, the test administrator has a task of subjective judgment that bases slightly on science and slightly on experience. The test and measurement results of this lie detector is quite controversial, as there are creations of mistakes. Sometimes when certain company uses this experiment in hiring someone, a truly qualified person misses the job because of false negative mistake while they accept a person not truly qualified.

Therefore, the one taking the tests and measurements is the only one who is sure of the results.Reference:Plotnik, R and Kouyoumdjian, H, (2010), Introduction to Psychology, Cengage Learning