Key features

Chapter 1 indicates the key features of good psychological measures.

More detailed guidelines can be seen and downloaded free of charge from the BPS PTC: Psychological Testing: A Test User’s Guide (available from https://ptc.bps.org.uk/sites/ptc.bps.org.uk/files/guidance_documents/ ptc02_test_users_guide_2017_web.pdf) and Code of Good Practice for Psychological Testing (available from https://ptc.bps.org.uk/sites/ptc.bps. org.uk/files/guidance_documents/ptc09_code_of_good_practice_0.pdf). These outline the features of good psychological measurements and the safeguards to be employed in using them.

There are lengthier guidelines, notably The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (2016) developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) (available from https://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/standards).

Other useful sources of guidelines include the usefully concise Australian Psychological Society’s recommendations (available from http://www. psytech.com/Content/Guidelines/AUSTTEST.pdf).

Copyright

The copyright of published tests is usually owned by the publishers. Anyone who reproduces a test (electronically or by photocopying or otherwise) without the copyright owner’s consent is effectively stealing, and is certainly breaking the law. Some institutions and individuals have been successfully prosecuted for violating copyright, particularly by the use of photocopying. So if a test is published commercially, you may not and should not copy it; you should buy it, or buy permission to make copies.

Tests published in academic journals may normally be used, though you should get permission from the author and/or the journal concerned. Academic authors are usually happy to discover that someone is interested in using their test.

Test user restrictions and training

Some tests require special training: the well-known Rorschach (‘inkblot’) test used for describing personality and psychopathology is a classic example. Another is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers & McCaulley,

1985), popular among occupational psychologists, which assesses personality according to the Jungian typology and for which some claims have been made regarding its predictive validity in occupational performance (Ryckman, 1993). Many, indeed most intelligence tests require users to be effectively trained.

Other tests may not need such test-specific training, but professional training and qualifications are required by the test distributors before the test can be obtained. In the United Kingdom, Professional Chartered Psychologist status is needed for the use of many tests. Thus an occupational psychologist may administer tests involved in staff recruitment, selection and development; clinical, counselling, forensic, or health psychologists can administer tests appropriate to their professional expertise. Psychological testing may also be carried out by individuals who hold the BPS’s qualifications in test use and are on the Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU). These qualifications involve the Certificates of Competence in the use of Ability tests (formerly Level A) and Personality tests (formerly Level B) awarded by the BPS and European Federation ofPsychologists’ Associations (EFPA). These certificates are particularly appropriate for those carrying out educational and occupational testing. Consult the BPS’s website for information about professional qualifications and Chartered Psychologist status (https://www.bps.org.uk) and the society’s PTC for information specific to testing and qualifications in test use (www.psychtesting.org.uk; in particular, ptc.bps.org.uk/register-qualifications-test-use-rqtu/join-rqtu).

For research purposes, some tests may be used under the supervision of a qualified user. Other tests require no special qualifications for use.

Test distributors should and do ensure that tests are purchased only by or for qualified users.

Testee welfare

The BPS includes in its code of good practice the following guidelines for client welfare (accessible via https://ptc.bps.org.uk/).

• • Obtain the informed consent of potential test takers, making sure that they understand why the tests will be used, what will be done with their results and who will be provided with access to them.
• • Ensure that all test takers are well informed and well prepared for the test session, and that all have had access to practice or familiarisation materials where appropriate.
• • Give due consideration to factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, disability and special needs, educational background and level of ability in using and interpreting the results of tests.

• • Provide the test taker or other authorised persons with any agreed-upon feedback about the results in a form that makes clear the implications of the results, is clear and is in a style appropriate to their level of understanding.
• • Ensure test results are stored securely, are not accessible to unauthorised or unqualified persons and are not used for any purposes other than those agreed upon with the test taker.

Relating to these general points, one should be aware that some scales and tests may be seen as threatening, intrusive or offensive by some people, even when there were no apparent problems when they were first developed. For example,

• • Some traditional or religious groups of people are particularly likely to find questions to do with sex-related matters offensive. They are not regarded as matter for public discussion or record.
• • There are many topics that might be very personal or threatening to some people. Likely topics include drug use, suicide, AIDS and other health problems, mental health problems, finance, religion and politics.
• • Some people may feel that test results reflect on their abilities, or reflect on them in some crucial way. One can never be sure which issues are going to touch an individual most deeply, but you may have a good idea what might be crucial for the kind of people you are going to be testing.

Safeguards to do with opting out, anonymity and other ethical issues described in Chapter 3 may help to protect people to an extent, but if you have really offended people, these may not be enough. Always be on the lookout for the sensitivities of the people you are testing and be prepared to abandon tests and items that could cause distress.