Availabilities:

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour Session 1 Session 1
Online Session 1 N/A

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Intermediate

Former School/College

Former School of Health and Human Sciences

Pre-requisites

BHS11001 - Introduction to Psychology I

Unit aim

Develops knowledge and skills in methods of observation, measurement and psychometric assessment, including the use of formal psychological tests.

Unit content

Introduction and unit overview
Topic 1: Psychological testing and assessment
Topic 2: Historical, cultural and legal/ethical considerations
Topic 3: Research in Psychological Assessment
Topic 4: Intelligence and its measurement
Topic 5: Tests of intelligence
Topic 6: A brief stats refresher; reliability and validity
Topic 7: Tests and testing
Topic 8: Personality assessment overview and methods
Topic 9: Clinical and counselling assessments
Topic 10: Assessments in the disability sector (functional analysis, adaptive functioning measures, case management, etc...)
Topic 11: Preschool and educational assessment; Paediatric testing and assessment
Topic 12: Neuropsychology

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 demonstrate knowledge of types and uses of psychological tests
2 demonstrate an understanding of societal and ethical issues surrounding psychological testing including factors that may unfairly bias assessment and some potential solutions
3 understand methods for test construction and scoring
4 understand and apply the statistics used to judge the appropriateness (e.g., culturally, developmentally) and psychometric properties of tests (e.g. explain, analyse and report reliability and validity coefficients)
5 describe a number of common psychological tests of ability, personality and clinical diagnosis
6 understand major issues regarding selection, administration, and scoring of tests, and interpreting and reporting assessment results
7 write a clear, concise description of test and interview results.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate knowledge of types and uses of psychological tests
    • GA4:
  2. demonstrate an understanding of societal and ethical issues surrounding psychological testing including factors that may unfairly bias assessment and some potential solutions
    • GA4:
    • GA7:
  3. understand methods for test construction and scoring
    • GA4:
  4. understand and apply the statistics used to judge the appropriateness (e.g., culturally, developmentally) and psychometric properties of tests (e.g. explain, analyse and report reliability and validity coefficients)
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  5. describe a number of common psychological tests of ability, personality and clinical diagnosis
    • GA4:
  6. understand major issues regarding selection, administration, and scoring of tests, and interpreting and reporting assessment results
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA7:
  7. write a clear, concise description of test and interview results.
    • GA4:
    • GA6:

Prescribed texts

  • Cohen, RJ, Swerdlik, M & Sturman, E, 2013, Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and Measurement, 8th edn, McGraw Hill. ISBN: 978-0078035302.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.