Overall objectives:

1 - To know how to contextualize historically the beginning of psychological assessment, in both international and national contexts;
2 - To know the multiple definitions of psychological assessments, which reflects their complexity, as well as, their main goals, key-concepts and intervention fields;
3 - To recognize psychological assessment as a co mplex, comprehensive and integrator process, based on theoretical and conceptual reference frameworks;
4 - To develop basic skills on interview, d irect observation and test selection, or other psychological assessment tools, considering their psychometric properties;
5 - To think and reflect about the central and exclusive role of the psychologist in the hypothetical-deductive process that underlies psychological assessment, with particular focus on inferential processes and deontological issues.

Syllabus:

1 - Psycholog ical assessment introduction:
1.1 - Psychological assessment history (e.g. , initial developments, evolution in the Portuguese Context)
1.2 - Definitions, key-concepts and main goals of psychological assessment
1.3 - Psychological assessment contexts (e.g., health, forensic, organization al, geriatric)
2 - Phycological assessment as a comprehensive and integrated process:
2.1 - Theoretical and conceptual frameworks (e.g., psychoanalytic, cognit ive-behaviour, psychometric)
2.2 - Phases of the psychological assessment
2.3 - Methodologies
2.3.1 - Interviews
2.3.2 - Observation
2.3.3 - Testing
2.4 - Providing feedback (psychological assessment reports and interview feedback)
3 - The psychologist role in the psychological assessment:
3.1 - Heuristics, bias and errors
3.2 - Ethical and deontological issues

Literature/Sources:

Segal, D.L., & Hersen, M. , 2010 , Diagnostic interviewing , New York: Springer
Fernández-Ballesteros, R. , 2002 , Introducción a la evaluación psicológica (VoI. I e II) , Madrid: Pirámide
Goldfinger, K. & Pomerantz, A. , 2014 , Psychological assessment and report writing , Los Angeles: SAGE.
Wright, A. J. , 2011 , Conducting psychological assessment: A guide for practitioners. , New York: Wiley
Graham, J.R., & Naglieri, J.A. , 2003 , Assessment Psychology (vol. 10). In I.B. Weiner (Ed.), Handbook of Psychology. , Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Groth-Marnat, G. , 2009 , Handbook of psychological assessment. , Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Cohen, R.J., & Swerdlik, M.E. , 2018 , Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.) , NY: McGraw-Hill
Coaley, K. , 2014 , An introd uction to psychological assessment and psychometrics (2ª ed.) , Los Angeles: SAGE
Suhr, J. A. , 2015 , Psychological assessment: A problem solving approach , NY: Guilford

Assesssment methods and criteria:

Classification Type: Quantitativa (0-20)

Evaluation Methodology:
Classes will be supported in an expositive method , allied to audiovisual media (e.g., powerpoints, videos), and it will be complemented with practical exercises (e.g., paper?s analysis, role-plays). It will be prioritized the active participation of students inside (through active participation to professor solicitations and practical exercises) and outside (through autonomous work) classes. The material to support the study will be available in Infoalunos or in the library. The curricular evaluation will follow the directives proposed by Model B (cf. Regulamento de Avaliação da Aprendizagem dos Alunos da Universidade da Madeira), this is, at least one theoretical and theoretical-practical component (e.g., written test accounting for 50% of the final grade) and at least one practical component (e.g., group/individual work or practical reports accounting altogether for 50% of the final grade).