Principles of Psychological Assessment (PSYC90030)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 1
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This subject introduces students who are studying clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology at the graduate level to the principles and practice of psychological and neuropsychological assessment, covering childhood and adulthood. Current trends in the theoretical understanding of personality, psychopathology and cognitive ability will provide the conceptual basis assessment practice. It will be shown that psychological and neuropsychological assessment is best understood to include all aspects of the clinical encounter which lead to diagnostic case formulation. In particular, the subject content will address the application of techniques derived from psychological science to enhance correct classification of psychological conditions.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should:

Knowledge

  • Describe a range of assessment techniques useful for the evaluation of psychological conditions in children and adults with an emphasis on cognitive ability assessment and the clinical contexts they are relevant in.
  • Demonstrate mastery of the principal criteria practicing psychologists use to evaluate the quality of psychological data, as they relate to the clinical assessment of individuals.

Skills

 

On completion of this subject students should be able to: 

  • Apply criteria for evaluation of psychological test reliability and validity to enhance the accuracy of psychological classification decisions.

 Application of Knowledge and Skills


On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate practical implementation a critical understanding of the strategies employed in evaluating the validity of psychological opinions.

Generic skills

Written, oral and interpersonal communication skills
Analytic, information integration and synthesizing skills
Ability to evaluate the quality of data against formal criteria

Last updated: 4 March 2025