Psychological
Assessment
Psychological assessments are
designed to measure “individual differences in behaviors, and applying this knowledge
to a single person for his and society’s interest” (Laak, Desai,
& Gokhale, 2013) and must demonstrate reliability and
validity. Determining the validity of an
assessment has been accomplished through implementing the correlation method
which involves examining the relationship between results and criterion,
however Bornstein published an article that provided an explanation on how using
the process-focused model is more effective when providing evidence of
validity. Selecting an appropriate method for determining the validity of an
assessment that identifies problem behaviors in school-aged children is
important to ensuring the accuracy of the measurement so that the proper
treatment methods and interventions are implemented. Even though human behavior is constantly
changing, and often the results of an assessment may not be accurate of one’s
true behavior, The Clinical Assessment of Behavior has been rated as a valid
measurement tool because the reliability coefficients range from .77 to .95 and
.88 or higher across the three forms on the scale and cluster internal
consistency. This paper will provide information supporting the validity of The
Clinical Assessment of Behavior by comparing the process-focus model and the
traditional model to determine which method is most applicable of assessing the
validity.
The Clinical Assessment of Behavior
A psychological assessment that is
intended to “assist in the identification of children and adolescents across a
wide range who need behavioral, educational, or psychiatric treatment or
intervention” (Clinical Assessment of Behavior,
2004) . The Clinical Assessment of Behavior measures
behaviors on a clinical scale and adaptive scale. The clinical scale measures internalized
behaviors that relate to feelings that children may have towards themselves,
such as depression, anxiety and somatization.
Externalized behaviors are also measured on the clinical scale and
include problem behaviors that are directed towards others such as anger,
aggression and bullying. Behaviors that
are associated with Sociopathy and Psychopathology are also measured on the
clinical scale. The adaptive scale
measures social skills related to how children interact with peers and adults
as well as competence and adaptive behaviors.
Competence refers to cognitive and language development and adaptive
behaviors involve social responsibility and independent performance of daily
activities. The Clinical Assessment of
Behavior has three forms, parent rating form, teacher rating form an extended
rating form and takes nearly 15 minutes to complete and 30 minutes for the
extended rating form. The assessment
includes 70 questions that must be answered according to the five-point rating
scale that range from always or very frequently to never and is completed by
parents, caretakers and/or teachers based upon the behaviors that were directly
observed. Once the forms are completed
the data will be entered in The Clinical Assessment of Behavior scoring program
to generate results. This process is
designed to validate the assessment of children’s behavior by assessing the
knowledge that participants have on human behavior which is why Bornstein believe that a substantial amount of
time and effort has been dedicated by researchers to “maximize test score
validity by ensuring assessment tools measure what we think they do” (Bornstein,
2011) .
Traditional Models of Validity
Content, criterion-referenced and
construct validity are traditional models of validity that are utilized to
conceptualized assessment validity.
Content validity provide evidence that is based on the content of the
assessment and involves a reasonable examination and evaluation of the test
content. To ensure content validity for
The Clinical Assessment of Behavior, (Miller, 2016) states that
researchers must examine the format of the test, questions and wording to verify
that the content represents the concepts related to identifying problem
behaviors in children and adolescents and evaluating adaptive skills “without
underrepresenting those concepts or including elements that are irrelevant to
their measurement”. Criterion-referenced
validity refers to correlational relationships between variables and involves
comparing test scores of The Clinical Assessment of Behavior “with other
measures to determine whether those scores are related to other measures to
which we would expect them to relate” (Miller, 2016, p. 185) . Construct validity provides evidence that the
test is measuring what it claims to measure. (Miller, 2016) defines constructs as “attributes,
traits, or characteristics that are not directly observable and can only be
inferred by examining observable behaviors”.
The content of The Clinical Assessment of Behavior is an important
component to construct validity because it demonstrates that the assessment
provides “a balanced theoretical framework of both competence-based qualities
and problem-based concerns that is useful for evaluating adaptive strengths and
clinical risks in children and adolescents” (Clinical Assessment of Behavior,
2004) . While traditional models of validity are commonly
used, the validity coefficient indicates strengths and weaknesses of measured
variables and Bornstein (2011) believes
that improvements can be made to the process by adapting the process-focus model
that will allow the validity of assessments to be examined in a different
context.
Process-Focused Model of Validity
The Process-Focused model of
validity is another method of providing evidence of validity on assessments
that measure psychological constructs by applying an experimental method to
manipulate variables. Manipulating
variables in the process-focused model allow researchers the opportunity to
examine other factors involving psychological processes and how they influence
test scores. Borstein describes the
process-focused model as an “outcome-based validity assessment with a
process-driven approach” (Bornstein, 2011) that is designed to
improve the assessment procedure.
Examining other factors involve psychological processes links
psychological disciplines in the process-focused model and Borstein designed a
four-step model to demonstrate how manipulating variables incorporates ideas
from different psychology subfields.
Borstein’s (2011) four-step model.
Borstein has provided an outline on
a procedure that is applicable to assessing the validity of any psychological
construct. The Clinical Assessment of Behavior focuses on defining the
measurement of psychological constructs that are not directly observable using
the process-focused approach.
Psychological constructs such as internalized behaviors, externalized
behaviors and critical behaviors can be measured using the four-step model
designed by Borstein.
Step
1. Deconstruct assessment
instrument has two separate components, the first component involves specifying
underlying processes in the behavior of school-aged children that should occur
when children respond to motivational techniques that occur during observation
for testing purposes and then identifying circumstances that can alter their
behavior.
Step
2. Operationalize and evaluate
process-outcome links has three components that can be used in the assessment
of a psychological construct such as human behavior. Bornstein
(2011) identified those components as “turning process-altering
variables into manipulations, delineating hypothesized outcomes, and
experimental design”. This step involves
developing hypotheses on the behavior of young children and adolescents
relating to the school environment that will require performing a research
experiment.
Step
3. Interpreting the outcome
involves evaluating the results of the assessment and interpreting the data
collected on the behavior of young children and adolescents in relation to
limiting conditions that can alter the assessment process. The test-retest method is applicable in this
step because it will identify behavioral changes that were caused by limiting
factors.
Step
4. Evaluate generalizability and
ecological validity is the final step in assessing the validity of
psychological constructs in the process-focused model and involves putting the
data collected on the behavior of young children and adolescent into context. Inconsistencies in the research design is a
limiting condition that can influence the assessment process which is why the
test-retest method is important to the process.
The Clinical Assessment of Behavior includes three forms that are
completed in different context, therefore assessing the behavior of young
children and adolescents can occur through validating the data across the three
forms.
With these steps in mind, a
comparison of the Traditional and Process-Focused Models is necessary to
determine which method is best suited for The Clinical Assessment of Behavior
because of Borstein’s belief on using “experimental manipulations to alter
respondents’ psychological processes during testing” (Bornstein,
2011, p. 5) ,
examining the similarities and differences will provide clarity.
Comparison of the Traditional and
Process-Focused Models
Differences
Bornstein
(2011) article on the process-focused
model explains how this method differs from the traditional method by outlining
key points to the process that determines validity as it relates to the
outcome. The traditional method limits
the variables associated with the assessment and the test score through
correlational methods that are designed to “quantify the relationship between
test scores and criterion” (Bornstein, 2011, p. 1) . On the contrary, process-focused model
theorizes the idea of validity is based on the point in which participants can
demonstrate their participation in an anticipated set of psychological
processes during the assessment.
Experimental procedures are applied that are designed to manipulate
variables that balance the connection between criterion and test scores in the
process-focused model.
Similarities.
After carefully examining the
information pertaining to the traditional method and the process-focused method
the only similarity that was obvious was the goal to provide evidence of
validity through different processes. The
traditional and process-focused model both examine and evaluate data, however
these functions are performed differently.
Each model is designed to provide evidence that will prove the data
collected from an assessment measuring psychological constructs is an accurate
measure.
Bornstein’s Claims.
Bornstein promotes the use of the
process-focused model because he believes that it enhances the goals of
providing evidence of validity by switching the direction of the relationship
between test scores and conducting experiments.
Borstein (2011) believes that validating test scores can only be
achieved by conducting experimental procedures as part of the method that
requires changing the direction of the relationship between test scores and
experiments from unidirectional to bidirectional. This will allow variables to be manipulated
and that can form a connection between psychological testing to other areas in
psychology.
Summary
Psychological assessments are used
in a variety of settings to measure constructs that cannot be directly
observed, therefore validity is important to the process to ensure the accuracy
of results. The Clinical Assessment of
Behavior is an assessment that is used in a school setting to identify problem
behaviors in young children and adolescents and contains three forms that are
completed by parents/caretakers and teachers to determine what if any
additional services are needed to assist the child in the classroom
environment. Evidence of validity for
this assessment can be demonstrated through the traditional method or the
process-focused method, however Borstein believes that researchers should shift
towards the process-focused method because it improves psychological processes
and enhances the knowledge of the researchers and participants. A four-step model was developed by Borstein
to support his theory on the importance of moving in the direction of utilizing
the process-focused model and is included as part of the discussion. Borstein provides substantial information to
support his claims by providing the main differences between the two models
that were outlined to show how providing evidence of validity is evolving.
References
Bornstein, R. F. (2011). Toward a Process-Focused
Model of Test Score Validity: Improving Psychological Assessment in Science
and Practice. Psychological Assessment, 23(2), pp. 532-544.
Clinical
Assessment of Behavior. (2004).
Retrieved from Buros Center For Testing: http://www4.parinc.com
Laak,
J. T., Desai, D., & Gokhale, M. (2013). Understanding Psychological
Assessment: A Primer on the Global Assessment of the Client's Behavior in
Educational and Organizational Setting. New Delhi: Sage Publications Pvt.
Ltd.
Miller,
L. A. (2016). Foundations of Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach.
Thousands Oaks, California: Sage. Retrieved from
://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483369273
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