Pros And Cons of Using IQ Tests to Assess Giftedness - Report Example

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Using IQ Tests To Assess Giftedness? Task: What Are The Pros And Cons Of Using IQ Tests To Assess Giftedness? The Beck Depression Inventory is a series of questions that are meant to measure the severity, depth and the intensity of depression in those patients that have psychiatric diagnoses. Its past form comprises of twenty one queries, each of them designed to evaluate and assess a symptom that is common among persons with depression (Groth-Marnat, 2011). A shorter form of the BDI test comprises an assortment of seven questions and is meant for administration by basic care practitioners. Beck Aaron T., a pioneer in cognitive testing and therapy, was the initial developer of BDI. Purpose The BDI, on its development and the application, was meant to pinpoint, detect, access, analyze and monitor alterations min depressive symptoms amongst persons in a mental health care dispensation. Health care practitioners use it to additionally detect depression symptoms in a primary care institution. Moreover, the BDI assessment tool normally takes from five to ten minutes to complete in the course of medical or psychological examinations and analyses (Groth-Marnat, 2011). With regard to precautions on is application, it is notable that the BDI is only for application by learned and trained professionals. However, it is pertinent to let administrative and knowledgeable health practitioners; who are thoroughly qualified in its application and interpretation, people can administer it on self. Description Beck innovated and developed the BDI assessment tool in 196 1. Furthermore in the course of its development, health practitioners in this field formally adapted it in the year 1969, and they copyrighted it in 1979. A second version of the inventory referred to as BDI-II was innovated to reflect and embody revisions of the fourth edition revision of text of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. This is a resourceful handbook that mental health practitioners apply in diagnosing mental disorders (Ward, 2002). Furthermore, the long form of the BDI assessment tool comprises of twenty one queries or items, each inculcating four probable responses. Besides, each response or answer is assigned a distinct score value that spans from zero to three. Additionally, it indicates the severity or seriousness of the tested symptom. A version is meant for application by the primary care practitioners, BDI-PC, inculcates seven self administered items or queries (Ward, 2002). Each of the question correlates to a symptom that is part of radical depressive disorders. It analyses in terms of personal experiences over the past two weeks. In the BDI test, the individual assessments and evaluations include issues surrounding mood, sense of failure, punishment, work adversities, self esteem, physical preoccupation, fatigue, decrease of libido, and punishment. Moreover, it assesses aspects such as social withdrawal, suicidal thoughts, dissatisfaction and personal accusation, feelings of guilt and irritability of a person. Notably, the items or queries one to thirteen analyze the symptoms that have psychological correlations. However, the rest of the questions fourteen to twenty one examine and test the physical symptoms (Beck, 2005). Results The total tally of all BDI assessment scores depicts the seriousness or severity of depression that a person has. Personalities score the BDI assessment test differently. This applies for individual personalities and individuals who have been diagnosed with depression in the recent past. For the general populace, a score of twenty one or beyond it represents or depicts severe depression on the assessed. For persons who have been under clinical diagnosis score from zero to nine, representing that they have a minimum level of depression (Beck, 2005). Moreover, scores of ten to sixteen succinctly depict that the individual has mild depression. In addition, scores of seventeen to twenty nine depict that the person has moderate depression with more elevated scores ranging from thirty to sixty-three showing severe depression on the individual. Besides, the BDI assessment tests can differentiate between diverse types of depressing disorders. These include severe depression and dysthymia, a less serious form of depression. Apparently, the BDI assessment test has its testing extensively done for construct, concurrent and content validity (Ward, 2002). The BDI has content validity, which refers to the degree to which question of a test is a depiction of that which is under scale. This is because its creation rooted from a consensus amongst physicians regarding depressive symptoms that psychiatrist patients depict. American Psychological Association Article Review on BDI In accordance with the article “Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) by the American Psychological Association, concurrent validity refers to the measure of the degree to which an assessment test concurs with presently existent standards. Apparently, approximately thirty-five studies have depicted concurrent validity between the BDI and other measure of depression such as Hamilton Depression scale and the Minnesota Multiphase personality Inventory-D (APA, 2012). Noting an assortment of biological elements, behaviors, attitudes and tests for construct validity have proven that the BDI test relates to medical symptoms, alcoholism, adjustment among young people, stress and solace. It also relates to sleeping patterns and suicidal intentions among people. Moreover, factor analysis, a statistical mode of determining underlying relations between variables, has levied the validity of the BDI assessment test. The BDI is apparently one of the syndromes that inculcate three factors; negative self-esteem bodily disturbances and performance weakening. Besides, the BDI has also been under reliability tests (APA, 2012). This was under the guidance of establishes psychological tests that started in 1985. Moreover, researchers in this field have determined internal consistency of BDI tests on the basis of analysis and examination of twenty studies on numerous populaces. It is purportedly reliable and valid, with results matching with clinician ratings of the syndrome in more that approximately ninety percent of all cases at their disposal. Furthermore, the BDI assessment tool is regarded to be related inversely to educational attainment in various studies on that dimension. However, the test does not have any consistent correlation with age, race or gender of a person. With regard to a general overview of the BDI test, it is overtly clear that the BDI-II is a prospective assessment instrument (APA, 2012). It offers a fast and effectual way of examining depression in either a nonclinical or clinical environment. Notably, one concern is that the sample of standardization is not demographically an embodiment of the American populace. Additionally, criticisms regarding pantry evidence regarding sexual and cultural fairness of items and eventual score are present. News notes Article Review on BDI According to “Test Review: Beck Depression Inventory II”, only white females originating from the East coast participate in the standardization sample. Additionally, the sample is somewhat pantry, comprising of five hundred individuals and the socio-economic situation of the participants of the test does is not availed in the sample (News notes, 2001). The fake nature of the inventory has been a matter with all the three versions of this inventory. Therefore, administrators of this test ought to initiate the tests and interpret them with this issue in mind. In addition, a caution is under warranty when making use of the cutoff guidelines that are availed for opinionated interpretation. Psychometrically, the studies on the BDI-II test depict excellent intrinsic consistencies and a single week reliability assurance. Notably, the psychometric evaluations prove that there is consummate diagnostic effectuality and correlation with other assessment tests suggesting measuring the extent of depression syndrome. However, further exploratory and testing factor analytics ought to be practiced to enhance further comprehension of the underlying elements of the BDI-11. Besides, the instructions that come with the BDI test are concise and straightforward. Pantry training is pertinent to administer or carry out the test and in scoring the test. These functions may be inculcated into practice by professional personnel (News notes, 2001). The interpretation of the eventual score requires a professional figure with clinical expertise. In addition, it s the complete, eventual score, measuring clinical depression, is possible to interpret. This is because the subscale scores are apparently unreliable. References Newsnotes. (2001). Test Review: Beck Depression Inventory - II .Retrieved from APA. (2012). Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Retrieve from Ward, C. et al. (2002) An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561-571. Beck, A. et al. (2005) Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8(1), 77-100. Groth-Marnat G. (2011). The handbook of psychological assessment (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Read More