PART 4 : DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND METHODS OF TESTING

• Jurisdiction: Australia

[60.4210] Introduction

There are several different categories of structured psychological tests. Each category has a specific purpose (ie a certain question it seeks to answer) and thus also a context in which tests within that category should and should not be used. Due to these differences, each category of test has different strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, within these different categories of psychological tests, there is also a variety of different methods and formats of testing. Again, each method also has it strengths and weaknesses, which contribute to the overall reliability and validity of the test (see earlier parts of this chapter for a more detailed discussion regarding reliability and validity). Therefore, in order to understand and thus critically evaluate the use of a test in a legal setting, it is important to understand the broader category of the test, the methods it uses, and consequently the strengths and weaknesses of the test relative to its contextual parameters.

[60.4220] Categories of psychological tests

The categories of structured psychological tests include:

• Broad measures of general symptoms/general dispositions

These tests are used when there is a need to screen for a range of psychological issues. Often these tests are used early in the assessment process when the referral question is either unclear or ambiguous, or as a general measure of the client's overall wellbeing. Whilst broad measures differ significantly in length (ie some are brief checklists, whilst others are lengthy personality inventories), they are generally considered as screening tools only, providing a cross-sectional snapshot of the person's current

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