THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS AND ANALYZING THE CONCEPT OFVALIDITY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING (original) (raw)

This paper attempts to historically trace and asses the use of psychological tests and the value of using them. On the other hand the paper does not pretend to analyze every variable that encompasses this vast and complex field of study. The history of testing can be traced back to 2200 B.C. when proficiency testing took place in China, and 4000 years ago when the Chinese used tests for civil selection (Cohen, Swerdlik and Smith, 1992; Friedenberg, 1995). As Shelly and Cohen (1986:3) put it: " Long before there were psychologists there were psychological tests " (p3). And as long as there were tests, there were debates and arguments surrounding it. In the 40s, Hoffman (1962: 7) points out, " it was manifestly useless to raise even a question about the value and effect of these tests " because it was believed that individuals could be properly evaluated if given a range of psychological tests (Cohen et al., 1992). In the 1960s this changed, and proponents of testing began " fighting… the irresistible force of the argument which says that their questions are in practice often bad and in theory very dangerous " (Hoffman, 1962:8). This essay will look at anti-test arguments and the proponents' responses in relation to: psychometric properties, social and cultural factors, privacy issues and the " correct " versus. the " best " answer. The strongest argument for proponents of psychological testing is the psychometric properties of the test. According to Hoffman (1962: 60), testers " do not hesitate to point out that they have statistics to prove [tests] valid and reliable… [And] seem to believe that their scientific routines place them in an impregnable position so far as outside criticism is concerned. " Hoffman (1962: 135) from the side of the anti-test group, states that although statistics can be misleading and cannot defend all types of criticisms, proponents of testing believe " criticisms unbacked by specific statistics may be dismissed as mere opinions… [Because] the testers build their tests on a statistical foundation, and defend their tests statistically. " In 1913, when John B. Watson declared that psychology is about the prediction of behavior, psychologists started creating tests that would predict individuals' behavior and performance. Predictive validity, as Shelly and Cohen (1986:83) state " is perhaps at the heart of the matter. "