Issues In Forensic Psychology - Psychological Testing

ISSUES IN FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
Psychological Testing

Psychological tests are intended to be used and interpreted by psychologists -- and only by psychologists.
Psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals, who use psychological tests and attempt to interpret them extend themselves far beyond the limits of their practice. Their education and training provide neither the theoretical nor the empirical foundation necessary to comprehend the complex, technical issues involved in psychological testing.
The value of any psychological test inevitably corresponds to its validity, but it is always mistaken to speak of a "valid test" without specifying for what it is valid.
For example, a pregnancy test is valid for diagnosing pregnancy; but it is not valid for diagnosing kidney stones. Similarly, an intelligence test may be valid for predicting success in a college curriculum, but invalid for identifying brain damage.
Unfortunately, too many psychologists assume that psychological tests are valid for any and all evaluations. They act as if the evaluative tool they possess is a hammer - and all the questions they encounter are nails. This kind of rigidity undermines the value of psychological evaluations.

For more information regarding the most frequently used psychological tests, visit the web sites identified below corresponding to different tests.