Technology and the future of testing

Technology and the future of testing

Technology and the future of testing: Psychology is changing. The way we conduct evaluations, administer tests, and the way we provide treatment are all undergoing change. Technological advances in neurology, physiology, and genetics have changed our ability to evaluate, treat, do research, and teach about the field of psychology. More to the point, how we administer psychological tests has been greatly affected by technology. Computers have taken on an expanded role in administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests. They also help us reach more people—people who might not otherwise receive the services they need. These all sound good, but there are cautions about the changes that will be required. In this unit, we will discuss technology and the future of testing; and both positive and negative aspects will be addressed.

Technology and the future of testing: What Technology Means

The first paragraph began with a list of some technological advances that are affecting, and will continue to affect, psychology. To give you a better idea of what we mean by technology, we can look at cognitive-behavioral assessment. Cognitive-behavioral assessments are based on principles of behavior modification. Exhibited behaviors are not only symptoms of an underlying problem, as traditional assessments see them. In cognitive-behavioral assessment, the behaviors are the problem. For example, if a person shows anxiety, the anxiety is treated. However, anxiety can cause, or be caused by, many physiological symptoms (such as high blood pressure or muscle tension). This is where cognitive-behavioral assessment has opened up the area of testing and treatment. Through technology, biofeedback instruments have been developed that can measure the body’s response to stimuli. This can be measured and then treated. More accurate biofeedback instruments continue to be developed as we learn more about psychophysiology, the relationship between psychological and physiological processes. Computers have made it possible to measure, evaluate, and treat individuals using these and similar techniques.

 

Computers, the Internet, and Testing

 

Psychological testing increasingly makes use of computers and the Internet. Computers have been a great help in understanding the mathematical and logical models of psychometric theories used in the development of tests, and of their psychometric properties. Computers allow us to get more done and eliminate scoring errors. In addition, we are better able to reduce test bias. The Internet allows us to reach people who otherwise would not receive services, as well as administer larger numbers of surveys, questionnaires, and other online tests. These strengths can certainly benefit many people, but testing is more than just entering data. Computerized testing also eliminates our ability to observe test behavior, and it can even create test anxiety in people who are not familiar with computers. There are also ethical and legal issues which must be considered. These are addressed in your textbook.

 

Testing on the Internet is often less expensive, and publishers can more easily revise an Internet test than a traditional hard-copy test. Test administrators can find tests of any kind and evaluate their quality much more quickly. As technology becomes more advanced, so does psychological practice. Throughout this course, we have mentioned the relationship between psychological testing and areas such as neurology, chemistry, and genetics. Computers play a large role in all of these, and that role will continue to grow. They help run clinical practices more efficiently, and have changed the possibilities in psychological testing. However, there are strengths and weaknesses to everything, and we must be aware of them. Technology can do quite a bit, but it is not a panacea.

 

Continuing Toward the Future or Back to the Future? Trends in Psychological Testing

 

The following will continue to be important trends:

 

Testing instruments continue to become more precise, so testing in the school setting will become more sophisticated and realistic as the relationship between teaching and learning becomes better understood.

Greater use of technology will increase our accountability. It can be safely assumed that the use of technology will increase in the development, administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological tests.

Technology will also continue to improve the reporting of results, which will be woven into people’s overall treatments, along with the reports of other specialties.

Technological advances will continue to raise questions and concerns about the effect of computerized testing. For example, relationships have always been important in therapy. While testing is not therapy, our interactions with the people we test can affect their performance. For example, when testing children, we can do much to reduce test anxiety and increase motivation prior to starting a test. Whether that might be done, or even need to be done, for people participating in online testing is another question.

Psychological testing will change, not only with technology, but also with social and legal changes. However, technology will not change everything we do in the future. We must always use tests and the information they provide professionally and ethically; just as we do today.

 

OBJECTIVES

 

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to: Identify the differences between cognitive-behavioral assessment and traditional assessment procedures.

Analyze the impact that computers and other technological advances have had on the development, administration, uses, techniques, and applications of psychological testing.

Readings

Read the following in your Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications, and Issues text:

 

Chapter 15 “Computers and Basic Psychological Science in Testing,” pages 411–440.

Chapter 21 “Ethics and the Future of Psychological Testing,” pages 609–628.

Read the following from the Capella Library:

 

Scheu, I. E., & Lawrence, T. (2013). Considerations of translating psychological tests into digital mediums: A case study. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 49(2), 133–154.

Nicholson, I, R. (2011). New technology, old issues: Demonstrating the relevance of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists to the ever-sharper cutting edge of technology. Canadian Psychology, 52(3), 215–224.

Access the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct in preparation for the second discussion in this unit, Technological Advancements and Ethical Dilemmas.

 

This is a two part paper:

 

(1)Cognitive-Behavioral Assessment and Treatment

Imagine you are a cognitive-behavioral therapist at a university counseling center. Your first appointment is with Lisa. You only have a few minutes to review the case summary and you need to look over the critical events journal you asked Lisa to keep. After reading the case summary and journal you will respond to these related questions.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource

Describe differences between:

A traditional approach to assessment and a cognitive-behavioral assessment approach.

A traditional approach to treatment and a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach.

As a cognitive-behavioral therapist, how will you conceptualize Lisa’s presenting problem? (Remember, cognitive-behavioral assessment approaches view situation-specific behavioral excesses or deficits as the focus of treatment rather than as a symptom of an underlying problem. While her low self-esteem is a factor, it is Lisa’s thoughts and behaviors that are the main focus.)

By analyzing the Lisa’s thoughts and self-statements preceding the problematic behavior in her critical events journal:

What patterns or themes can you find?

What seem to be risk factors or triggers for the occurrence of the problematic behavior or critical event?

Identify any patterns or themes in the circumstances or thoughts that follow the problematic behavior or critical event.

Based on your assessment, what seems to maintain or reinforce the problematic behavior or critical event?

Describe at least one cognitive-behavioral intervention that follows directly from your assessment of Lisa. How will you measure whether the intervention was successful?

 

(2)Technological Advancements and Ethical Dilemmas

Throughout this course, psychological tests have been seen as valuable professional tools that can have positive and negative aspects. Test construction, standardization, and psychometric properties can all affect the usefulness of psychological tests. However, tests are just tools that psychologists use. Possibly more important is how tests are used and interpreted. Current trends, such as Internet and computer testing, and physiological and neurological measures all show promise. While new procedures and trends can create many theoretical questions, it is the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct that is woven throughout everything psychologists do.

 

In order to participate in this discussion, please access the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Two relevant general principles are Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence, and Principle C: Integrity. These principles apply to testing as well as to other activities performed by psychologists. After you review these two ethical principles, complete the following:

 

Write a statement that describes the meaning of each principle as it relates to psychological testing.

Identify a specific behavior exemplifying good practice and a specific behavior exemplifying poor practice with regard testing for each principle.

What guidance can the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct give you as technology and other advances create ethical dilemmas in the area of psychological testing?