Unlocking Minds: Exploring the World of Psychological Tests

Let’s Find Out! What are some of the Commonly Used Psychological Tests?

Psychological Testing

Psychological testing refers to the use of tests to quantify psychological behaviour, abilities, and problems. Psychological tests are tools administered by therapists, counsellors, and psychiatrists to observe, assess, and measure different aspects of a person’s mental life, such as their behaviours, emotions, cognitive functioning etc, similar to how tools such as X-rays, ECGs and PET scans are used to assess physical functioning. They help mental health professionals to properly evaluate a person and diagnose and treat mental health conditions. They can help determine the cause, severity, and duration of a person’s symptoms.

Read More: The First Experimental Psychology Laboratory

Several psychologists have raised problems with the word ‘tests’, as it indicates devices of measurement that have definitive right or wrong answers. The term ‘inventory’, which does not have any right or wrong answers, is preferred by many. In completing an inventory, subjects are instructed to respond based on their typical reactions.

Types of Psychological Tests:

Psychological tests are broadly categorised into two types:

1. Free-response tests: Free-response tests place very few restraints upon the test taker in terms of the form and content of their responses. An essay test is an example of such a test.
2. Limited-response tests: These types of tests restrict the response of a subject to a smaller number of options available. Objective tests, which require the respondent to answer in the form of yes/no, true/false, or multiple-choice tests are examples of limited response tests.

Read More: 10 Great Experiments in the field of Psychology

Tests can also be categorised based on whether they are verbal (or symbol) tests or performance tests. The former requires the respondent to answer in the form of symbols, words, or numbers. On the other hand, the latter kind of test requires the respondent to do some motor activity; for example, assembling mechanical objects. Tests can also be either written or oral. While an oral test can only be administered to one person at a time, written tests can be given simultaneously to multiple people.

Projective Tests: In projective testing, the subject is intentionally provided with ambiguous stimuli, which are open to various kinds of interpretations. After this, their reactions are observed. This kind of testing is done with the expectation that each subject will project their unique reactions, which can help in uncovering internal emotions and conflicts that the subject might not be consciously aware of.

Commonly Used Psychological Tests

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS):

As is evident by its name, this test is a tool used to measure intelligence levels in adults and older adolescents. It was developed by David Wechsler, and first published in 1955. David Weschler believed that intelligence consists of multiple mental abilities rather than a single general intelligence factor, and therefore the intelligence test is also based on the same assumption. The current version of the test, which is one of the primary tools for measuring tests, was released in 2008 and includes ten core subtests as well as five supplemental subtests.

Read More: Theories of Intelligence in Psychology

It provides two overall summary scores of the test taker – a Full-Scale IQ and a General Ability Index. In addition, it also provides four major sub-scores – Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed, Verbal Comprehension, and Working Memory. WAIS compares the score of the test-taker to the scores of others who take the test in the same age group, and the average score is fixed at 100. People with scores that fall between 90 and 110 are considered to be of average intelligence.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI):

This personality inventory was developed by clinical psychologist Starke Hathaway and neuropsychiatrist J.C. McKinley. It was first published in 1943 since then it has been updated (current version: MMPI-2) and adopted for use in over 40 countries. It is a self-report inventory containing 567 questions in a true/false form. On average, the test takes about 60 to 90 minutes to complete.

Read More: The Five-Factor Model of Personality: All You Need To Know

The test is designed to find out an individual’s scores on 10 mental health scales, each of which corresponds to a different psychological condition. A very high score on any of the scales can indicate a mental disorder. The 10 scales are – Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Psychopathic Deviate, Masculinity/femininity, Paranoia, Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia, Hypomania, Social introversion.

Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI):

The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a tool used to measure the severity of an individual’s anxiety symptoms. It was developed in 1988 by Dr. Aaron Beck and is used widely both in clinical and research settings. It includes 21 questions in total, which can be self-administered or administered by a practitioner. The questions on the test assess both physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety. However, most questions on this test focus on physiological symptoms such as lightheadedness, feeling of choking, trembling of hands, difficulty breathing etc., which is why most clinicians prefer to use it in combination with other anxiety tests that focus on the cognitive symptoms of anxiety.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):

TAT is a projective test that was developed by American psychologists Henry A. Murray and Christina D. Morgan at Harvard University in the 1930s. It is used by psychologists to gain information about emotions, motivations, and personality. This test involves showing people a series of picture cards that depict a variety of scenes, situations, and characters (which can include men, women, and children). After that, they are asked to tell a dramatic story based on each of the pictures shown.

They are asked to include details like what has led up to the event shown, what is happening in the scene, the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and the outcome of the story. The complete version of TAT includes 31 picture cards in total, however, only about 10-12 cards are used by psychologists to assess a client. They are chosen based on the client’s needs and situation.

Rorschach Inkblot test:

The Rorschach test is another projective method of psychological testing, which was developed in 1921 by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach. Although it is not used very widely and is presently considered to be an unreliable method of diagnosing disorders, it was one of the most important tests in the 1960s by psychologists to assess cognition and personality and to diagnose certain psychological conditions. In the test, people are shown 10 inkblots on paper, some of which are grey, some are black, and some have splashes of colour.

Then, they are asked to describe what they see in these inkblots. Interpreting a person’s answers on a Rorschach test is a complex task. It takes into account not only the content of answers but also the behaviours displayed during the test. For example, fast responses indicate comfortable social relationships, and delayed responses, reveal that the person struggles with social interactions.

Personality testing has been criticised by many thinkers and psychologists as they try to quantify human behaviour and experiences, but the range of experiences of a human is way more diverse than any psychological tool can describe. However, they are still considered to be very important tools as they help diagnose people with mental issues and disorders, which is the first step in acknowledging their problems, and consequently providing treatment for the same.

Read More Articles from Psychologs

• 10 Best Books to read for Personality Development in 2024
• Life of a Psychologist: Career, Challenges and Responsibility
• 15 Women psychologists Who made their contribution to the field
• Roles and Responsibilities of Being a Clinical Psychologist
• 5 Most Famous Psychologists