Psychological Assessment & Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real LSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Psychological Assessment & Evaluation flashcards as text
A practitioner uses the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). Which is its PRIMARY advantage over an unstructured clinical interview?
Answer: It improves diagnostic reliability by standardizing questions
The SCID-5 uses standardized questions and decision trees that enhance inter-rater reliability when making DSM-5 diagnoses.
On the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV), the Processing Speed Index is MOST sensitive to deficits related to which condition?
Answer: Traumatic brain injury
Processing Speed is particularly sensitive to the cognitive slowing that commonly follows traumatic brain injury due to disrupted neural efficiency.
A standard error of measurement (SEM) of 3 points on an IQ test is used to construct a confidence interval. What is the 95% confidence interval around a score of 100?
Answer: 94–106
A 95% CI uses approximately ±1.96 SEMs; 1.96 × 3 ≈ 5.88 ≈ 6, yielding a range of 94–106.
Which assessment approach involves comparing a client's performance to their own prior functioning rather than to a normative group?
Answer: Ipsative assessment
Ipsative assessment compares a person's scores to their own mean performance across scales rather than to an external normative sample.
A clinician assessing for PTSD uses the PCL-5. Which cutoff score is commonly used to indicate probable PTSD for research purposes?
Answer: 31–33
A PCL-5 score of 31–33 is the commonly recommended range for a provisional PTSD diagnosis in research and clinical screening contexts.
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-RF (MMPI-2-RF) differs from the MMPI-2 in that it:
Answer: Is based on a hierarchical model with fewer, more precise scales
The MMPI-2-RF uses 338 items organized into a hierarchical structure with Higher-Order, Restructured Clinical, Specific Problems, Interest, and PSY-5 scales for more targeted interpretation.
When a child's performance on the Conners Rating Scale significantly differs between parent and teacher reports, a psychologist should FIRST:
Answer: Consider situational variability as a clinically meaningful finding
Discrepant informant reports often reflect genuine context-specific differences in behavior that carry diagnostic significance, such as ADHD symptoms manifesting more in one setting.