PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT I PCO 6316C Instructor: Michael J. Herkov, Ph.D. Office: 4001SW 13 th Street Suite 613 Phone: (352) 265-5516 352 678-0010 (c) Email: herkov@ufl.edu Office Hours: Monday: 1:00-5:00 and by appointment Class Time: Monday 8:30am 11:30 am (Periods 2-4) Meeting Room: Psychology Building Room 098 Required Texts: Flanagan, D.P. & Kaufman, A.S. (2009). Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment: Second Addition. New York: Wiley. ISBN: 978-0-470-18915-3 2002 APA Ethics Code - Online at www.apa.org Florida Board of Psychology Statutes and Rules: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/psychology/ WAIS-IV, WISC-IV, WPPSI-IV Technical and Manuals (in provided testing kits) Equipment and Materials Needed: The WISC-IV, WAIS-IV and WPPSI-IV testing kits will be provided, although there will be sharing of kits required. Students will be responsible for providing: DVDs for submission of test administrations. Students can record assessment sessions in any medium they like. However, the final form will have to be in DVD format for review by the instructor. Digital stopwatch (cell phones and wrist watches are options, if approved by Dr. Herkov) Prerequisites: None Course Overview: Psychologists engage in many activities also practiced by other mental health professionals. For example, third party reimbursement for psychotherapy occurs for psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, etc. However, the one domain that has remained relatively exclusive to doctoral level psychologists is that of psychological testing. Psychological assessment is a valuable tool that is used in a variety of settings for a host of different reasons. Psychological testing is used by schools, hospitals, employers, the military, etc., to obtain specific and detailed information about a person s cognitive or personality functioning. This information is then used to make decisions on things such as academic placement, employment, tort damages and treatment. One of the most important contributions of psychological assessment has been in the area of measurement of cognitive functioning. This course is designed to teach you the essentials in the correct administration and interpretation of various Wechsler scales for a wide range of patient
populations and situations. The course will involve didactic instruction in the area of cognitive assessment with special emphasis on gaining actual experience administering, scoring and interpreting test. Course Goals and Core Competencies: By the end of the course the successful student will have: 1. Gained a basic understanding of the history and evolution of intellectual assessment. 2. Learned basic psychometric theory used in the development and validation of these tests. 3. Gained practical experience doing an assessment interview, including the importance of behavioral observations 4. Achieved basic competence administering, scoring and interpreting the WPPSI-IV, WISC-IV and WAIS-IV. 5. Gained appreciation for ethnic and cultural issues in cognitive assessment. 6. Learned the basics of writing a psychological cognitive testing report. Assignments: Readings: Students will be assigned reading assignments in the above listed texts and other sources. It is assumed that students will read assigned material prior to the scheduled class so that class time can be devoted to answering questions and providing illustrative material. Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend class. This course involves the learning of appropriate techniques for test administration that requires observation and in-class activities. Test : Students will perform three administers each of the following tests: WPPSI- IV, WISC-IV, and WAIS-IV. Students are encouraged to practice administering the tests as much as possible. Due to the high number of students enrolled in the class and the limited testing kits available, students will be assigned specific times with the various test kits. This may also result in students learning how to administer a test before the specific properties of the test are discussed in class. The first official administration of a test will be to the professor or graduate assistant. This will be a formative feedback session that will not be graded. The student will be free to ask questions and receive live feedback regarding administration procedures. The second and third administrations (WAIS-IV and WISC-IV, only) will be to an outside class participant. Because some of the tests involve difficult populations to obtain (e.g., preschool children), students should start as soon as possible locating volunteers for testing. The instructor will attempt to help students obtain subjects for testing, but the ultimate responsibility for securing volunteers rests with the student. 3 (2 for WPPSI-IV) must be video recorded and presented to the instructor on DVD format. This administration will be graded in terms of administration, scoring and written results. The student will receive feedback regarding their performance. Reports: Students will turn in scored protocols for each of the administered tests (administrations 2-3). 3 (2 for WPPSI-IV) will also include a written report with a brief history, behavior observations and interpretation of test results and any treatment recommendations. Informed Consent: Informed consent must be obtained from each non-class participant who undergoes assessment. The informed consent will be developed by the class and given to the instructor for approval. Remember to pay attention to issues of assent and consent and any special issues with normal and patient populations.
Evaluation: Student performance on the above assignments will be evaluated using the following point system: Examinations- There will be a midterm examination that will be comprised of multiple choice, essay and short answer questions. The exam will focus on lecture material and case specific scenarios. The final examination will provide practical information for students to score and interpret in multiple chose and short answer format. Test s, Scorings and Interpretations: Students will be assigned a numerical score based on quality of their test administration ( 2-3), scoring (Administrtion 2 and 3) and report ( 3, 2 for WPPSI-IV)). Each of these areas will be work 25 points. Due to the difficulty in obtaining participants, the WPPSI-IV will only involve one noninstructor administration. Informed Consent: The class will receive a group grade for the Informed Consent developed by the students. Point Distribution: Informed Consent Examination I WISC-IV 2 & Scoring WISC-IV 3 & Scoring & Report WAIS-IV 2 & Scoring WAIS-IV 3 & Scoring & Report WPPSI-IV 2 & Scoring & Report Final Scored Protocol and Report (Choice) Final Exam Class Attendance/Participation Total 25 points 75 points 75 points 75 points 600 points Grading Scale: The final grade will be assigned using the following scale. Please remember that final grade categories represent the maximum percentage necessary for each grade. Categories may be adjusted down to reflect general class performance or natural breaks in the distribution. 93%-100% A 90%-92.99% A- 87%-89.99% B+ 83%-86.99% B 80%-82.99% B- 77%-79.99% C+ 73%-76.99% C 70%-72.99% C- 63%-69.99% D 62.99% or Below F Academic Integrity Code: All students are required to abide by the Academic Honesty Guidelines that have been accepted by the University. PREAMBLE: In adopting this Honor Code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity are
fundamental values of the University community. Students who enroll at the University commit to holding themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the Honor Code. Any individual who becomes aware of a violation of the Honor Code is bound by honor to take corrective action. Further Information about the Honor Code can be found at the following website: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html Students are also required to abide by the American Psychological Association s 2002 Ethical Code and to maintain professional standards of behavior. Any violations of the University of Florida Academic Integrity Code will be taken very seriously and may involve faculty actions including referral to the appropriate support service; reprimand (oral or written); a grade of F or reduction of grade on the specific piece of work; a grade of F or reduction of grade in the course; or referral of the charges to the dean/director of the academic unit in which the student is enrolled. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student, who must then provide this documentation to the professor when requesting accommodation. Tentative Course Schedule and Assignment List The following class schedule is tentative and may change due to a number of factors. Students will be informed of any substantive changes via class announcement and postings. Week Date Class Topic Assignment 1 Jan 7 Introduction Review of Syllabus APA Ethics Code General Principles Competence Human Relations Privacy & Confidentiality Record Keeping and Fees Assessment Review of Florida Statutes 2 Jan 14 Historical Aspects of Assessment Cultural Diversity Behavioral Observations and Interview 3 Jan 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday None Work on Informed Consent Flanagan p. 1-22 4 Jan 28 Test WISC-IV Introduction to the WISC-IV Basic Organization Psychometric Properties WISC-IV Verbal Comprehension Index WISC-IV Manual and Scoring Chapters Subtest Practice
Similarities Vocabulary Comprehension Information Word Reasoning 5 Feb 4 WISC-IV Working Memory Index Digit Span Letter Number Sequencing Arithmetic Processing Speed Index Coding Symbol Search Cancellation Perceptual Reasoning Index Block Design Picture Concepts Matrix Reasoning Picture Completion Flannagan and Scoring Chapters Subtest Practice 6 Feb 11 1 Checkout Subtest Practice 7 Feb 18 WISC-IV WISC-IV 2 Scoring and Interpretation 8 Feb 25 WISC-IV Interpretation and Report Writing 9 Mar 4 Spring Break No Class 10 Mar 11 Exam I WAIS-IV Verbal Comprehension Index Similarities Vocabulary Comprehension Information 11 Mar 18 WAIS-IV Perceptual Reasoning Index Block Design Picture Concepts Visual Puzzles Picture Completion 12 Mar 25 WAIS-IV Working Memory Index Digit Span Letter Number Sequencing Arithmetic WAIS-IV Processing Speed Index Coding Symbol Search Turn Video to WISC-IV 2 and Scored Protocol WISC-IV 3 None Turn in Video to WISC-IV 3 and scored Protocol and Report WAIS-IV Manual and Scoring Practice WAIS-IV Practice WAIS-IV
Cancellation 13 Apr 1 WAIS-IV 1 Checkout WAIS-IV 2 14 Apr 8 WPPSI-IV Verbal Comprehension Index Vocabulary Receptive Vocabulary Information Picture Naming Similarities Comprehension Visual Spatial Index Block Design Object Assembly Working Memory Index Picture Memory Zoo Locations(WMI) WAIS-IV 2 Videotape and Scored Protocol Practice WPPSI-IV WAIS-IV 3 WPPSI-IV and Scoring Manual 15 Apr 15 Fluid Reasoning Index Matrix Reasoning Picture Concepts Processing Speed Index Bug Search Animal Coding Cancellation Test Scoring and Interpretation WAIS-IV 3 Videotape and Scored Protocol and Written Report Due Practice WPPSI-IV 16 Apr 22 WPPSI-IV 1 Checkout WPPSI-IV 2 Apr 24 Final Exam WPPSI-IV 2 Videotape, Scored Protocol and Written Report Final of WAIS- IV or WISC-IV, Videotape and Scored Protocol and Written Report Due on or before start of regular Final Exam time.