A constructive alternative to family assessment

This article discusses George Kelly's theory of personal constructs and its Repertory Grid technique as a means of assessing couples and families. Kelly postulated that groups of people, such as couples and families, are best understood in terms of their system of personal constructs; these are the lenses through which they view their world. The paper shows how Kelly's Repertory Grid can be tailored to elicit and assess a couple's and/or family's individual and shared constructs.     

Using assessment to individualize early mathematics instruction

Accumulating evidence suggests that assessment-informed personalized instruction, tailored to students' individual skills and abilities, is more effective than more one-size-fits-all approaches. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of Individualizing Student Instruction in Mathematics (ISI-Math) compared to Reading (ISI-Reading) where classrooms were randomly assigned to ISI-Math or ISI-Reading. The literature on child characteristics X instruction or skill X treatment interaction effects point to the complexities of tailoring instruction for individual students who present with constellations of skills. Second graders received mathematics instruction in small flexible learning groups based on their assessed learning needs. Results of the study (n = 32 teachers, 370 students) revealed significant treatment effects on standardized mathematics assessments. With effect sizes (d) of 0.41–0.60, we show that we can significantly improve 2nd graders' mathematics achievement, including for children living in poverty, by using assessment data to individualize the mathematics instruction they receive. The instructional regime, ISI-Math, was implemented by regular classroom teachers and it led to about a 4-month achievement advantage on standardized mathematics tests when compared to students in control classrooms. These results were realized within one school year. Moreover, treatment effects were the same regardless of school-level poverty and students' gender, initial mathematics or vocabulary scores.     

Paul E. Meehl's contributions to personality assessment

Many of Meehl's interests converged in his work on personality assessment. In empirical research, development of the K scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and various scales of other tests are noteworthy, but his most profound contributions were conceptual and philosophical. Essays on the role of base rates in clinical decision and on construct validity in psychological tests provided vital insights on core issues in assessment. The concept of nomological nets allowed systematic investigation of unobservable theoretical entities, with liberating effects on all natural sciences. An active clinician, Meehl understood deeply the complexities of professional service, but his insistence on empirical validation as the ultimate arbiter of the value of any procedure required all attainable rigor in the scientific foundations of clinical practice.     

Microcomputer-based organizational survey assessment: Applications to training

As sophisticated technology continues to impact on organizations, a growing need for efficient, flexible and cost effective training programs becomes paramount. To cope with these increased training demands, many organizations have turned to Computer Based Training (CBT). The present paper describes a XENIX-based IBM PC/AT Computerized Executive Network Survey System (CENSUS) which can interface with CBT training programs to enhance training quality and assess training effectiveness. The multi-user support capabilities of CENSUS allow training-related surveys to be conducted in a more efficient, accurate and reliable manner than paper and pencil instruments. It is this microcomputer-based multi-user system, unique to CENSUS, that may provide an alternative delivery system for microcomputer-based training programs in the future.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, they are not official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Navy Department. The authors appreciate the help of Mitch Vicino, John Kantor, Marie Thomas, Catherine Riordan, and Jack Edwards.     

Training staff to conduct a paired-stimulus preference assessment

Three staff members were trained to conduct stimulus preference assessments using a paired-stimulus format with 8 children with autism. Staff were trained to mastery level using brief instruction, a video model, and rehearsal with verbal feedback. Training took about 80 min per staff member. Results demonstrated that staff rapidly learned to correctly perform paired-stimulus preference assessments with children.     

Using connectionist models to guide assessment of psychological disorder

Connectionist models are introduced as promising tools for understanding the nature of psychological disorders and guiding their assessment. Specifically, ways in which connectionist models can guide the following aspects of the assessment process are described: understanding what constructs are relevant to assess, designing approaches to assessing these constructs, and understanding individual differences in data from assessments. Two extended examples are given based on the authors' research on cognitive aspects of depression and Alzheimer's disease.     

Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness

The authors examine the facet structure of mindfulness using five recently developed mindfulness questionnaires. Two large samples of undergraduate students completed mindfulness questionnaires and measures of other constructs. Psychometric properties of the mindfulness questionnaires were examined, including internal consistency and convergent and discriminant relationships with other variables. Factor analyses of the combined pool of items from the mindfulness questionnaires suggested that collectively they contain five clear, interpretable facets of mindfulness. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analyses suggested that at least four of the identified factors are components of an overall mindfulness construct and that the factor structure of mindfulness may vary with meditation experience. Mindfulness facets were shown to be differentially correlated in expected ways with several other constructs and to have incremental validity in the prediction of psychological symptoms. Findings suggest that conceptualizing mindfulness as a multifaceted construct is helpful in understanding its components and its relationships with other variables.     

Community competence: A positive approach to needs assessment

A procedure was developed for assessing residents' perceptions of community functioning. A questionnaire, derived from Cottrell's work in the area of community competence and elaborated upon by community workers and researchers, was constructed and field tested in five rural communities. In a telephone interview, 433 residents were surveyed. Responses were analyzed to determine which items discriminated among the communities and to what extent they represented Cottrell's original model. Representing six of Cottrell's eight conditions of competence, 14 items were judged to discriminate among the communities (analysis of variance, F-test, maximum p = .008). A factor analysis of the 14 items revealed four factors that were labeled Democratic Participation Style, Crime, Resource Adequacy and Use, and Decision-Making Interactions. The factors are consistent with Cottrell's model and explain 35% of the variance. These findings are discussed in relation to current community research and methodological constraints.     

Personal and professional integrity in relation to pastoral assessment

Though concerns about personal integrity have led some to de-emphasize the role of assessment and the pastor's professional viewpoint in pastoral care, as re-examined here these same concerns call for a recognition of the vital connection between professional and personal integrity. The relationship between personal and professional integrity as they shape pastoral assessment is analyzed in terms of respect, encounter, and anticipation. The relationship of a theology of hope or anticipation to the predictive validity of pastoral assessment presents a challenging agenda for pastoral ministry today.Dr. Underwood is Associate Professor of Pastoral Care at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary     

Empirically informed approaches to topics in suicide risk assessment

The purpose of this article is to approach topics in suicide risk assessment from a scientifically informed standpoint. We summarize and elaborate a general framework for an empirically supported best practice recommendation in evaluating suicide potential and minimizing risk. This risk assessment framework provides a concise heuristic for assessment of suicidal symptoms, points the way to relatively routinized clinical decision-making and activity, and is compatible with best practices relevant to the legalities of suicide risk assessment. Having established a general and scientifically based framework for risk assessment, we go on to address the other questions noted above, with reference to the framework and to our ongoing scientific work. We conclude by summarizing all the work and providing clear and concise clinical recommendations based thereon.     

A structure-based approach to psychological assessment: matching measurement models to latent structure

The present article sets forth the argument that psychological assessment should be based on a construct's latent structure. The authors differentiate dimensional (continuous) and taxonic (categorical) structures at the latentand manifest levels and describe the advantages of matching the assessment approach to the latent structure of a construct. A proper match will decrease measurement error, increase statistical power, clarify statistical relationships, and facilitate the location of an efficient cutting score when applicable. Thus, individuals will be placed along a continuum or assigned to classes more accurately. The authors briefly review the methods by which latent structure can be determined and outline a structure-based approach to assessment that builds on dimensional scaling models, such as item response theory, while incorporating classification methods as appropriate. Finally, the authors empirically demonstrate the utility of their approach and discuss its compatibility with traditional assessment methods and with computerized adaptive testing.     

A psycho-analytical approach to the assessment of a psychotic patient

SUMMARY

When approached from a psycho-analytic point of view, psychotic states reveal a wide variety of patterns. Some of these are so complex and so rigid in their organisation as to render the patient quite unsuitable for formal psychotherapy. Others are more benign and accessible to a psycho-analytic approach.

The attempt to assess whether a psychotic patient might benefit from psycho-analytic psychotherapy can be facilitated by the use of certain psycho-analytic concepts which provide “ground rules” for decoding psychotic communication, for understanding the psychotic patient's experience and how it has come about.

This paper represents an attempt to show how the psychoanalytic approach to such understanding can help in the management of the case and open the way for psycho-analytic psychotherapy within the N.H.S. Although extremely limited in its provision of skilled psychotherapy, the N.H.S. provides an extremely rich potential for effective understanding, care and treatment of the psychotic patient if the psycho-analytic approach is sufficiently well understood and implemented.