Mastering Modern Psychological Testing: Theory and Methods

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to psychological assessment and covers areas not typically addressed in existing test and measurements texts, such as neuropsychological assessment and the use of tests in forensics settings. The book introduces the vocabulary of the profession and the most basic mathematics of testing early as being fundamental to understanding the field. Numerous examples are drawn from tests that the authors have written or otherwise helped to develop, reflecting the authors’ deep understanding of these tests and their familiarity with problems encountered in test development, use, and interpretation. Following the introduction of the basic areas of psychometrics, the book moves to areas of testing that represent various approaches to measuring different psychological constructs (memory, language, executive function, etc.), with emphasis on the complex issue of cultural bias in testing. Examples of existing tests are given throughout the book; however, this book is not designed to prepare students to go out and administer, score, and interpret specific psychological tests. Rather, the purpose of this book is to provide the foundational core of knowledge about tests, measurement, and assessment constructs, issues, and quantitative tools. Explains what constitutes a psychological test, how tests are developed, how they are best used, and how to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses; Describes areas of testing that represent different approaches to measuring different psychological constructs; Explains applications of psychological testing to issues in the courts; Addresses how test authors and publishers design and research tests to address the difficult and demanding issues of cultural differences in test performance and interpretation of test results.

About the Author

Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD, ABN, ABPdN is an Emeritus professor of educational psychology, professor of neuroscience, and Distinguished Research Scholar at Texas A&M University. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Georgia in 1978, with a major in school psychology and minors in statistics and in clinical neuropsychology. Dr. Reynolds is a diplomate in clinical neuropsychology and past president of the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology, and was a diplomate in school psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology prior to retiring this credential. He is a past president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, APA Divisions 5 (Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics), 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology), and 16 (School Psychology). He is a Fellow of APA Divisions 1, 5, 15, 16, 40, and 53 and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. Dr. Reynolds has taught courses primarily in the areas of psychological testing and diagnosis and in neuropsychology in addition to supervising clinical practica in testing and assessment. He is an author of more than 40 commercially published psychological and neuropsychological tests. He has served as editor for several major journals and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Samuel Messick Award for Distinguished lifetime contributions to measurement science. He currently practices forensic neuroscience in Austin, Texas.

Robert A. Altmann, MA, is the sole proprietor of a consulting company specializing in test development, measurement, and evaluation services. He has over 25 years experience in the testing industry, serving as a research director for numerous educational, psychological, and personnel selection test development projects, including both the second and third editions of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, as well as its family of assessment tools. He continues to provide development and evaluation consulting services to commercial companies and higher education institutions.

Daniel N Allen, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a clinical neuropsychologist with research interests in severe mental illness, substance use disorders, and traumatic brain injury.  In these areas, he has published more than 200 professional papers. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in psychological and neuropsychological assessment and provided mentoring to many students in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests.