Overall objectives:

1 - To understand the importance of psychological assessment in order to define adjusted psychological interventions, considering methodologies and tools available and also age groups of subjects to be evaluated;
2 - To know theoretical basis underlying some central psychological dimensions in Psychology, as well as, the instruments available, and their psychometric qualities, to assess those dimensions;
3 - To promote the acquisition of applied skills such as administration, scoring and inte rpretation of testes results, with special focus for those that are validated to Portuguese population;
4 - To understand and to adjust psychological assessment process to the specificities of evaluated subjects according to their age groups;
5 - To think about cur rent status of psychological assessment as an applied area of psychology and also identify potential lines for their scientific development.

Syllabus:

1 - The relationship between psychological assessment and psychological intervention: Hypothesis test model.
2 - Theoretical framework, tests and other instruments of some psychological assessment dimensions:
2.1 - Intellectual functioning (e.g., Weschler scales, Raven Matrices, BPRD/BPR)
2.2 - Personality and psychopathology (e.g., NEO-PI-R, EPQ-R; projective techniques)
2.3 - Vocational guidance (e.g., QIV, IPP-R)
2.4 - Neuropsychological functioning (e.g., Rey Complex Figure Test)
3 - Specificities of assessed dimensions according to age groups:
3.1 - Children and adolescents
3.2 - Adults and seniors
4 - Psychological assessment current status and future directions.

Literature/Sources:

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.
Weiner, I. B. & Greene, R.L. , 2008 , Handbook of personality assessment , New York: Wiley.
Cohen, R.J., & Swerdlik, M.E. , 2018 , Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.) , NY: McGraw-Hill
Flanagan, D. P., & Harrison, P. L. (Eds.) , 2012 , Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests and issues (3rd ed.) , New York: Guilford
Mavers, D. , 2011 , Children?s Drawing and Writing. The remarkable in the unremarkable , New York: Routledge
Saklofske, D. H., Reynolds, C. R., & Schwean, V. L. (Eds.) , 2013 , The Oxford handbook of child psychological assessment , New York: Oxford University Press

Assesssment methods and criteria:

Classification Type: Quantitativa (0-20)

Evaluation Methodology:
Classes will be supported in an expositive method, allied to audio visual media (e.g., PowerPoints, videos), and it will be complemented with practical exercises (e.g., handle with psychological tests, role-plays, analysis of case studies). It will be prioritized the active participation of students inside (through interrogative method) and outside (through autonomous work) classroom. 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. Learning Assessment Regulation from the students of Universidade of 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).