Psychological and neuropsychological tests - Essay Example

Psychological and neuropsychological tests Affiliation: Discuss the differences between psychological and neuropsychological tests with regard to purpose and psychometric properties Psychological tests are abroad range measurements of psychological constructs in an individual for example a person’s intelligence, brain structure or even emotions among others. All these are measured with an aim of determining the proper psychological functioning of an individual so that preventive or therapeutic measures can be taken if they do not fall within the norm provided for each particular test.

Different psychometrics properties are employed depending on what psychological construct is being measured. Neuropsychological tests on the other hand are part of the larger psychological tests but they specifically measure the brain structure of an individual and relate that with the behavior of that person (Hood and Johnson 2007). Brief summary of the article you located for this assignment Kaplan and Sacuzzo (2009) in their book “Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications and Issues” discuss the different types of psychological tests like the intelligence tests, neuropsychological tests among others and how their validity and reliability can be determined on top of explaining how they are conducted in different people like in children or in adults and the analysis of the results is also discussed.

Discuss the central finding of the article Validity according to the book refers to how meaningful the inferences and results of the test are to both the researcher and the patient. Reliability is the accuracy and dependability of the test results in such a way that they can be replicated and produces the same results (Kaplan and Sacuzzo 2009). Both tests are reliable and valid (though sometimes that depends with the test administrator, individual characteristics and the influences of the environment in tests that are not controlled).

Neuropsychological tests are however reliable and valid since they are conducted under strict controlled situations and by highly qualified administrators. Elaborate on how the article supplements and extends the material in the text. The book provides other ways to conduct some psychological tests and especially intelligence tests without having to use the exact tools and methods indicated. This usually happens in an informal setting and helps make quick deductions that can be verified later.

The results of such alternatives cannot however be generalized in any way because they are not valid or reliable (Kaplan and Sacuzzo 2009). References Hood, A. B. and Johnson, R. W. (2007). Assessment in counseling: a guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures. New York: American Counseling Association. Kaplan, R. and Sacuzzo, D. (2009). Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications and Issues (7th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Publishers