What Is in a Basic Psychological Test Battery?

Perhaps you--or a loved one--are to visit a psychologist to undergo psychological counseling. The thought can be intimidating, not knowing what will happen. But psychologists are likely to give you simple tests that help to better understand you as a person and the challenges you face.

History

• Psychology was born in the 1800s with tentative explanations that for once did not rest on supernatural explanation. Psychological testing soon arose out of this search for understanding. As early as the 1860s founding fathers of psychology experimented in unheard-of labs, posing new questions. Many premises and tests were flawed or in today's understanding--ridiculous. Yet, it was on this foundation that today's results rests.

Theory

• Over time tests evolved from flawed designs such as measuring head circumference and quantifying sanity from intelligence, to modern standardized psychological tests. Tests today, as Foothills Individual Practice Association states, are adept at identifying and assessing "behaviorally expressed mental conditions, disorders and diseases." Both written and verbal tests can be scored as a measure of departure from "normal" results. The amount of deviation "from established norms helps determine the severity and scope of the mental condition or pathology being manifested," FHIPA continues.

Types of Tests

• Depending on the reason the test battery (a fancy term for a series of tests) is administered, various psychological tests may be used. Some of the most common include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2 is the modern version); the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT); Rorschach inkblots; intelligence tests; or more--there are hundreds. Tests may even include measurement of bodily responses or brain activity.