Overview
This unit will introduce you to the principles, processes, applications, and issues pertaining to the development and use of psychological assessment. This unit is presented through a number of themes, covering topics such as origins, ethics and uses of psychological testing; testing in adults, children and vulnerable populations; neuropsychological testing and testing for industry and career development. The psychometric basis of psychological assessment and testing is emphasised. You will focus on a variety of common psychological procedures and tests measuring individual differences. Consideration of individual differences and assessment in an Australian context will be a key component of your studies in this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
CA10 & CQ01 – Must complete PSYC11008, PSYC11009, PSYC12014, and PSYC12013 or PSYC12010 CF59 – Must have completed PSYC12048 and PSYC12010 or PSYC12012 or PSYC12013 or PSYC12014 CC43 – Minimum of 96 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Course Evaluation Report
Assessment structure could benefit from review to reduce the focus on essay-format assessments, and the quantity of material required for examination.
The teaching team will focus on development of new assessment options which promote engagement with weekly content, and a more practical main assessment.
Feedback from Course Evaluation Report
Too much material is expected in an examination worth 40%
The content associated with this course is dense as it provides essential theoretical foundations for future study in the discipline of psychology. The weighting of the exam will be reviewed in line with reviewers from within the school to determine whether a different weighting for the examination is appropriate. A reframing of content delivery for 2017 should promote greater student engagement, and a new textbook will also provide a different lens to facilitate learning.
Feedback from Course Evaluation Report
Lecture/tutorial times were difficult for many students to access
With the restructured content proposed for 2017 will come an opportunity to offer Zoom sessions at two different points of time in the day to facilitate easier access for all students.
Feedback from Course Evaluation Report
The textbook did not hold cultural significance (American).
At this point in time, a suitable targeted Australian textbook is not available for this content. A new textbook has been sourced for this course, and will be supported by relevant Australian literature wherever appropriate via the moodle page to enhance applicability to the Australian context.
- Articulate the purposes and principles of psychological assessment and testing
- Restate the qualities and appropriate applications of common psychological assessment procedures and tests
- Apply knowledge of test construction processes and basic statistics to develop and validate a test of a psychological construct
- Apply knowledge of psychometric principles to evaluate the reliability, validity and other relevant features of psychological assessment processes and tests
- Locate and use professional standards, ethical codes and sources of information relevant to developers and users of psychological assessments and tests
- Explain cross-cultural considerations and other relevant issues pertaining to the development and use of psychological assessment procedures and tests.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||
| 3 - Examination - 30% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Psychological Testing: History, Principles and Applications
Seventh Edition (2015)
Authors: R.J. Gregory
Pearson
Essex , England
ISBN: 12: 978-1-292-05880-1
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.reynolds@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Theme 1: Origins, Ethics and Uses of Psychological Testing
Chapter
Chapter 1; Topic 1A and 1B
Chapter 2; Topic 2A
Events and Submissions/Topic
All quizzes are OPEN for completion.
Module/Topic
Theme 2: Statistical Knowledge for Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 3; Topic 3A and 3B
Chapter 4; Topic 4A and 4B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 2: Statistical Knowledge for Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 3; Topic 3A and 3B
Chapter 4; Topic 4A and 4B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 3: Psychological Testing in Adults
Chapter
Chapter 5; Topic 5A and 5B
Chapter 6; Topic 6A
Chapter 8; Topic 8A and 8B
Chapter 9; Topic 9A and 9B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz one CLOSES 5pm 4th August
Module/Topic
Theme 3: Psychological Testing in Adults
Chapter
Chapter 5; Topic 5A and 5B
Chapter 6; Topic 6A
Chapter 8; Topic 8A and 8B
Chapter 9; Topic 9A and 9B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 3: Psychological Testing in Adults
Chapter
Chapter 5; Topic 5A and 5B
Chapter 6; Topic 6A
Chapter 8; Topic 8A and 8B
Chapter 9; Topic 9A and 9B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2 CLOSES 5pm 25th August
Module/Topic
Theme 3: Psychological Testing in Adults
Chapter
Chapter 5; Topic 5A and 5B
Chapter 6; Topic 6A
Chapter 8; Topic 8A and 8B
Chapter 9; Topic 9A and 9B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 4: Children, Culture, Vulnerability: Important Considerations in Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 6; Topic 6B
Chapter 7; Topic 7A and 7B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 4: Children, Culture, Vulnerability: Important Considerations in Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 6; Topic 6B
Chapter 7; Topic 7A and 7B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 5: Neuropsychological Testing
Chapter
Chapter 10; Topic 10A and 10B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theme 6: Psychological Testing for Industry and Career
Chapter
Chapter 11; Topic 11A and 11B
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3 CLOSES 5pm 29th September
Online Quizzes (3; total 30%) Due: Week 11 Friday (29 Sept 2017) 5:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Bringing it all together: Considerations and examples for examination
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
Assessment task one consists of three quizzes which you will complete online over the course of the unit. These quizzes are open book assessments and are timed, meaning you have 30 minutes from commencement to complete each quiz.
You will only have one opportunity to complete each quiz.
Topics assessed relate directly to the textbook. Each quiz is linked to specific chapters from the text. You will need access to assigned textbook for this unit – Pearson Education offer this as a hard copy, and an online copy for ease of access.
Gregory, R.J. (2015). Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
Questions are randomized from a large bank of potential questions; no two students will receive the same questions in their assessment.
All three of the quizzes will open on 1 July 2017, to allow to you work ahead if desired. However, I would encourage you to complete these quizzes as you progress through the learning Themes so you can support your reading with lecture and tutorial material.
A breakdown of the content contained within each Quiz can be found in the Assessment One Information sheet on Moodle, under the topic 'All things Assessment'.
3
Other
Week 11 Friday (29 Sept 2017) 5:00 am AEST
Please note - this due date is for the FINAL Quiz. Quizzes are due on the Friday (5pm) of WEEK 4, WEEK 6, and WEEK 11.
Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2017)
Feedback will be provided via Moodle utilising the assessment criteria below
Quiz items will be presented in multiple choice format, with only one correct item. Quizzes will be automatically graded. Students will be able to determine which items were incorrect, to facilitate individual reflection and review of the prescribed text.
- Locate and use professional standards, ethical codes and sources of information relevant to developers and users of psychological assessments and tests
- Explain cross-cultural considerations and other relevant issues pertaining to the development and use of psychological assessment procedures and tests.
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
Task Description for Assessment 2
For Assessment 2, you will produce an individual written essay of 2000 words. This essay will be worth 40% of your grade.
The 2000 word count does not include the reference list.
You will choose from four prescribed questions, available via the assessment information on Moodle from the beginning of the Term.
Week 9 Friday (15 Sept 2017) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 11 Friday (29 Sept 2017)
Assessment criteria
Use of least 10 appropriate references consisting of journal articles and books (10 marks)
Clear and critical exploration of relevant material to either compare or contrast, or consider similarities and differences (15 marks)
Use of appropriate examples, with clearly justified inclusion and discussion to support development of essay (10 marks)
Effective use of APA referencing (5 marks) - the CQU APA referencing style guide can be found at https://www.cqu.edu.au/?a=14033
- Restate the qualities and appropriate applications of common psychological assessment procedures and tests
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
Examination
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
