What to Look For When Buying Psychological Assessment Tools

Like all tools, every psychological assessment has a specific use and purpose. No assessment is comprehensive for all psychological issues or conditions. That's why only trained professionals should select and administer them. When professionals go to purchase a diagnostic tool, they have a lot of considerations. After all, an ineffective tool, or one that can result in serious errors, can gravely affect the lives of patients. Professionals have to stay on top of the latest developments to be informed, smart consumers.  

Research

• Every assessment has research to support its efficacy. However, the amount and quality of research can vary tremendously. Before investing in a psychological assessment tool, professionals need to examine the research and findings. It's particularly important to know if studies were conducted solely by the test designers and sellers or if there are independent studies confirming the science behind it.

History

• The reliability of a test is largely determined by its successful track record. The longer an assessment has been around and the more people who have been assessed, the easier it is for researchers to accurately review it. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) remains a widely used diagnostic tool for certain mood disorders, psychopathic disorders, personality traits and depression. The test was developed at Minnesota University in 1930 and revised in 1989, giving it a long track record that has led to a very high degree of accuracy. More recently developed tests may be just as accurate, but have yet to prove themselves as reliable.

Appropriateness

• When a test is improperly used, it yields erroneous results. When a professional goes to buy a diagnostic tool, she needs to make sure it's appropriate to her patients and practice. For example, a pediatric MMPI probably isn't appropriate to a clinician who works with autistic children unless she suspects autism may not be the real issue for a particular patient.

Demographics

• Diagnostic tools are not one-size-fits-all. Some are designed only for use with particular age groups. Others are designed without use of an ethnically or culturally diverse population. Controversy surrounds many Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests that were developed at a time when they were primarily administered to Caucasians. Many people feel IQ tests are worded and constructed in ways that do not accurately assess minority and foreign-born populations. Clinicians have to consider the demographic profiles of their patients and the intended population target of an exam before making a purchase.