Types of psychological tests: their functions and characteristics

Within psychology, mental status assessment of the subject who comes for consultation or who requires our services is a necessary and essential element.

Psychology professionals have a series of tools in order to carry out this evaluation, including among them: different types of psychological tests.

• Related article: "What is a psychological evaluation?"

Psychological test: concept

A psychological test is considered all that test, method or instrument used in order to evaluate or measure one or more than one of the different characteristics that are part of the psyche of the individual. The psychological tests are based on the observable behavior and the expression of the subjectivity of the analyzed in order to infer the characteristics and mental state of the subject, being necessary a subsequent analysis in order to be able to extract information with clinical significance.

Psychological tests try as much as possible that the information obtained through its realization is valid and reliable

, trying to reflect what is intended to be measured (let's not forget that psychological characteristics are constructs not directly observable) and that they can be replicated by other professionals (that is, the information obtained by a person about a subject can be obtained by another professional if he performs the same measurement).

Likewise, the scores obtained have to be transformed in order to have a meaning, being generally compared or with the mean obtained by representative samples of the population, with their own previous performance or with an established criterion of beforehand.

Based on this concept, numerous types of psychological tests have been formulated, created following different criteria and with different objectives.

Dimensions and types of derived psychological tests

When conducting a psychological test there are numerous aspects that we have to take into account when assessing what type of information we want to obtain and in what way we are going to obtain it.

Some of the main dimensions to be assessed are as follows.

1. Structuring level

The different types of psychological tests can vary enormously as the information is requested. in a more or less concise way or else the analysand is left more or less free to Express oneself.

This aspect is essential in order to obtain the information. Having a very structured test will allow obtaining short and concise answers, directing the evaluation to the aspects considered most relevant. However, a large amount of relevant information can be lost that could help to better adjust and understand the subject's mental state.

In this sense, we can find types of unstructured psychological tests (in which the content of the evaluation varies according to the subject's responses), semi-structured (in which although freedom of response is offered and the questions vary depending on the information that is reflected an attempt is made to follow a more or less predetermined script) or structured (in which although the answers given are taken into account, the evaluation follows a course predefined)

2. Volunteer level

By voluntariness we mean the degree to which the subject has control over the response issued. For example, if an electroencephalogram is done, the subject has no control over what response he emits, while in some tests the individual can decide the type of response he gives.

3. Masking level

Masking is understood as the degree to which the subject knows the purpose of the test or test that is being applied and / or the connotations of your answers. In this sense, the tests can be masked (such as the Rorschach test, in which the individual does not know what her responses mean) or not masked.

4. Objectivity level

The level of objectivity of the data refers to the degree to which the answers are derived from the subjectivity of the patient or they are empirical and visible data. In this sense we can find different types of psychological tests, objective tests and subjective tests, although all measurement instruments can be evaluated in this sense.

According to the number of evaluated

When we think of a psychological evaluation we generally imagine a situation in which a person is being analyzed by a professional, usually in the clinical or resource setting humans.

However, whether in these or other contexts often a joint assessment of several individuals is possible, or even conduct an evaluation of a group as such. So we can find:

1. Individual tests

These are those types of psychological tests in which they are evaluated the characteristics or performance of a single subject. These are usually tests that require a certain level of specialization to be carried out, and they provide a lot of information regarding the same individual. Likewise, it allows establishing a relationship with the evaluator that can allow him to see and analyze various aspects that may or may not be included in the test.

2. Collective or group test

Collective tests are those that are carried out in a group. They usually require a lower level of training for their application than the individual ones. Yes OK save time and money, they usually involve a certain loss of information regarding the individual and the evaluation by a psychologist or evaluator is greatly difficult.

Depending on the content

Tests can also be classified according to what kind of mental content do they engage in evaluating. In this sense we can find the following types of psychological tests.

1. Inteligence test

Intellectual capacity is one of the aspects that have been most evaluated throughout history. With its use it is intended to discover the potential and ability to adapt and use various strategies, along with the ability to store and use one's own mental resources is evaluated with these tests.

• Related article: "Types of intelligence tests"

2. Aptitude test

But mental capacities are not limited only to intelligence, there are many other characteristics that allow our behaviors to be more or less effective in one or more areas. Especially applied in personnel selection, this type of tests reflect the ability in specific aspects of reality and allow to predict the effectiveness and performance of the subject.

3. Personality test

People tend to behave and see the world in a certain way, a pattern that we acquire partly through inheritance and partly according to our experiences throughout development. Measure these patterns of behavior, beliefs, emotions and thinking allow us to get an idea of ​​the way the person evaluated is, as well as the way they usually see or act in the world.

• Related article: "The 5 great personality traits: sociability, responsibility, openness, kindness and neuroticism"

4. Psychopathology tests

The presence of mental problems and even disorders is an increasingly frequent element in today's society. Diagnose such problems It allows us to guide the individual regarding different measures and treatments to apply in order to solve the difficulties they suffer.

• You may be interested: "The 16 most common mental disorders"

5. Neuropsychological test

This type of psychological test is used in order to help determine the mental and perceptual state of an individual, generally applied to subjects who have suffered an injury of some kind. Therefore, the objective with which they are designed is the scope of the possible damages in different types of mental processes.

6. Development / aging test

This type of test is used to assess the degree to which an individual develops throughout the life cycle, observing the presence of alterations and comparing the degree of development in relation to the regulations.

7. Test of interests / professional vocation

They are based on the analysis of the subject's preferences, allowing the orientation of her towards certain goals or objectives. They are normally applied to young people who are going through their adolescence or post-adolescence and who need to be guided to decide their educational path.

Depending on the performance criteria

Another fundamental aspect when taking a test is to take into account how it is going to be evaluated. In this aspect we can find two main types of psychological tests.

1. Maximum execution test

The maximum execution tests are intended to evaluate the maximum potential of a person in a characteristic or psychological aspect. Therefore, the efficiency of the individual is taken into account, being relevant the time it takes to finish a task and evaluating the measured characteristic based on its correction and speed. Objective and sometimes psychometric techniques tend to use this type of criterion, as in intelligence tests or neuropsychological tests.

2. Typical execution tests

This type of test is characterized because it seeks to evaluate the performance or the typical characteristics of the subject in certain tasks or aspects, that is, what is habitual and daily in the individual. The time it takes to perform the required task is not of interest or significant per se. Within this group subjective and projective techniques are usually found, which evaluate aspects such as personality.

Pervin's classification

Taking into account all the above aspects, various authors have generated different classifications of the types of psychological tests throughout history. One of the most widespread and accepted classifications is that of Pervin, which he considers the existence of the following categories.

1. Psychometric tests

Psychometric tests are those used in measuring specific characteristics of the psyche, such as intelligence or aptitude tests. It is one of the types of psychological tests that considers that individuals will answer honestly, applying non-masked tests, in which the responses are voluntarily controlled by the subject.

They are highly structured, and are used frequently both in the clinic and in areas such as work and education.

2. Objective test

Highly structured, this type of quiz and tests are based on physiological correlates in order to measure a certain item. Due to this, the answers given are not voluntary nor can they be modified. However, the purpose of the test is usually clear, so it would be considered unmasked. Different instruments and devices are used to record the individual's responses, not depending on the evaluator for the record per se. Typical examples of objective tests may be the polygraph or the biofeedback.

Within the objective tests we can find:

• Cognitive tests. They evaluate aspects such as attention, concentration or perception
• Engine test. Evaluate the execution of muscular responses to various stimuli
• Psychophysiological tests. They evaluate the relationship between behavior and physiology in aspects such as respiration, heart rate, temperature, sexual response or digestion.

3. Subjective tests

It is the most common type of psychological tests when it comes to measuring aspects of personality and experiences of the subject from self-verbalizations or self-descriptions provided by the same subject according to a series of items. Of voluntary response, the individual may try to falsify the information providedHowever, in order to detect such attempts, different reliability scales are usually applied. They are usually semi-structured and adapted to the objective or the specific element to be measured

4. Projective tests

Subjective tests are often used in order to analyze the deepest aspects and personality traits of the individual. It is the least structured type of psychological test, not restricting in any way the response issued by the analyzed and having all the responses of the subject a valid meaning that must be analyzed and valued.

These responses are subjective, since represent the internal world of the subject in question. The individual in question does not know the meaning or significance of his responses, being one of the types of masked psychological tests. Each answer and aspect represented is important, but it only makes sense and can be given meaning in relation to the whole.

The main problem of this type of test is in the wide freedom of possible answers and the low level of standardization of these, being able to interpret the same answer from different points of view according to the method of interpretation used. you don't usually know the psychological meaning of your answers.

Within the subjective tests we can find different typologies. Specifically they stand out:

• Structural tests. In them the patient must make sense and organize a visual material. One of the most famous is the Rorschach test.
• Thematic tests. It is asked to tell a story from the material presented in pictures (the TAT or Thematic Apperception Test is usually the best known).
• Expressive tests. The subject is asked to draw a specific element (one of the best known is the HTC, a test in which a person, a house and a tree are drawn)
• Constructive tests. The individual is asked to build a specific element with the pieces provided (the Imaginary Village Test is a good example of this)
• Associative tests. In this type of projective psychological tests, the patient is asked to associate a word (either orally or in writing) with another word or stimulus that is provided. The Word Association test is one of the most used.
• Refractory tests. It is based on the analysis of the personality from the products of the subject's activity, such as her writing.

Bibliographic references:

• Buela-Casal, G. and Sierra, J.C. (1997). Psychological evaluation manual. Ed. Siglo XXI: Madrid.

• Cohen, R.J. & Swerdlik, M.E. (2002). Psychological testing and evaluation. McGraw-Hill: Madrid.

• Sanz, L.J. and Álvarez, C.A. (2012). Evaluation in Clinical Psychology. CEDE PIR Preparation Manual. 05. CEDE: Madrid.