Desarrollo del Instrumento para Evaluar la Calidad Técnica de Pruebas Psicológicas

Una de las estrategias utilizadas para garantizar procesos de evaluación psicológica de acuerdo con altos estándares éticos y técnicos consiste en evaluar la calidad de las pruebas que se utilizan en tales procesos y divulgar ampliamente la información, para que los profesionales usuarios de pruebas tengan suficientes elementos de juicio a la hora de decidir sobre la selección y uso de las mismas. Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un instrumento para valorar la calidad técnica de las pruebas publicadas en español, utilizadas en Colombia. Con base en la revisión de seis modelos de evaluación de pruebas (alemán, español, holandés, británico, brasileño y el de la Federación Europea de Asociaciones de Psicólogos, efpa) y la identificación de las pruebas más usadas en Colombia (Herrera, & León, 2015), se adelantó un proyecto colaborativo dentro del cual se conformó un grupo de expertos con participación de instituciones de todo el país para desarrollar un la primera versión del instrumento; ésta fue sometida a revisión por jueces y se adelantó una aplicación piloto con seis de las pruebas más usadas. Este documento presenta en detalle la estructura, los indicadores de calidad y los criterios de evaluación que conforman el instrumento que se constituye en el primer modelo para Colombia.

Testing Practices in the 21st Century

The main goal of the European Federation of Psychologists’Associations (EFPA) Standing Committee on Tests and Testing (SCTT) is the improvement of testing practices in European countries. In order to reach this goal, the SCTT carries out various actions and projects, some of which are described in this paper. To better inform its work, it decided to survey the opinions of professional psychologists on testing practices. A questionnaire of 33 items was administered to a sample of 12,606 professional psychologists from 17 European countries. The questionnaire was based on, but not identical to, one used in 2000. The new data show that the positive attitude of the respondents toward the use of tests that was obtained in 2000 has increased in most countries, with a high percentage of the surveyed psychologists using tests regularly. Five main dimensions explained 43% of the total item variance. The dimensions involve items relating to: Concern over incorrect test use, regulations on tests and testing, Internet testing, appreciation of tests, and knowledge and training relating to tests and test use. Important differences between countries were found on these five dimensions. Differences were found according to gender for four of the five dimensions and in relation to field of specialization for all five dimensions. The most commonly used tests are the classic psychometric tests of intelligence and personality: WISC, WAIS, MMPI, RAVEN, 16PF, NEO-PI-R, BDI, SCL-90. Finally, some future perspectives are discussed.

Contributions of the EFPA Standing Committee on Tests and Testing to Standards and Good Practice

The EFPA Standing Committee on Tests and Testing (SCTT) has been active in the development of standards relating to tests and test use in Europe for more than a decade. This paper summarizes the work of the SCTT with a particular focus on the development of its Test Review Model and its standards for test use. The latter are now being developed as the basis for a special post-EuroPsy qualification. The SCTT members have also been involved in the developments of the ISO 10667 and through this we have seen how members of the profession can have a major influence on standards that are designed for the wider community of assessors and test users rather than just focused on the needs of psychologists. EFPA needs to take an outward-looking approach if it is to cover all the ways in which psychology has an influence on society.

A Historical Analysis of the European Journal of Psychological Assessment

We conducted a historical analysis of the articles published in the first (1992–1996) and last 5 years (2005–2009) of the European Journal of Psychological Assessment (EJPA), mainly on the basis of an analysis of abstracts and keywords of articles. We dealt with the impact of EJPA, the main characteristics of its articles, its evolution, and to what extent main features in psychological assessment are represented in the journal. EJPA is a journal with a steadily rising impact factor that is relatively high for the field of assessment. Authorship is mainly European and coauthors usually come from the same country. The personality domain has gained popularity at the expense of cognition and education. Questionnaires are the most often and increasingly popular assessment method; there is also a tendency to employ multiple instruments and methods, and computerized assessment. More recent volumes have fewer substance-oriented and more measurement-oriented studies, notably studies in which validity is addressed by factor-analytic procedures. The incomplete coverage of recent developments in psychological assessment is discussed.

Improving International Tests and Testing

Abstract. Tests constitute one of the techniques most widely used by psychologists for assessment, evaluation, decision-making, and diagnosis. Like any other scientific technique, tests can be used correctly or incorrectly. Given increasing globalization and ease of communication, the use of tests in international contexts is becoming more and more frequent, and this raises new problems. With the aim of improving the construction and correct use of tests in the international context, different national and international organizations have developed a range of strategies. In this work we present the projects and activities developed in recent years by the International Test Commission (ITC) and the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) for improving test practice on an international level. First of all we present a project whose aim is to survey the opinion of European professionals on tests. This is followed by a description of the EFPA model for the technical review of tests, before we move on to descriptions of the ITC Guidelines on Test Adaptation, on Test Use, and on Computer-based and Internet-delivered tests. Finally, we present the EFPA-EAWOP (The European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology) guidelines for the use of tests in the field of work and organizations. After discussing the six projects, we analyze the future perspectives of psychological and educational assessment, placing special emphasis on the influence of IT and multimedia developments. We highlight certain areas that seem highly likely to attract the attention of researchers and professionals in psychological and educational assessment in the near future.

Testing Practices in European Countries

Summary: Tests constitute one of the technological tools most frequently used by psychologists in their professional practice. Like any other scientific technology, tests can be used both in appropriate and inappropriate ways. Currently, various institutions, both national and international, are developing projects and activities aimed at improving testing practices. In Europe, the Task Force on Tests and Testing created by the European Federation of Professional Psychologists' Associations (EFPPA) designed a questionnaire to sample the opinions of professional psychologists about tests and testing in order to help in making the right decisions for improving testing practices in Europe. This paper presents the results obtained using the EFPPA Questionnaire. A sample of 3,455 Spanish, 2,407 English, 2,079 Dutch, 321 Slovenian, 218 Croatian, and 210 Belgian psychologists responded to the questionnaire. In general, European psychologists show a positive attitude toward tests and testing, while at the same time expressing the need for institutions to adopt a more active role in promoting good testing practices. Results show that the tests most frequently used are intelligence tests, personality questionnaires, and depression scales. Finally, the results are analyzed in detail, and some possible measures for improving testing practices in Europe are discussed.

Guidelines for Test Users: A Review of National and International Initiatives

Summary: The paper describes why we need guidelines on test use and why, in particular, we need international agreement on what these guidelines should be. The work of the International Test Commission (ITC) is described and the ITC 's International Guidelines on Test Use are reviewed. Various other important national initiatives in Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States are described together with the work of the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Associations (EFPPA) Standing Committee on Tests and Testing. While there is considerable agreement on what constitutes good practice in test use, there is wide diversity in the ways in which different countries have attempted to implement good practice or regulate test use. The need for guidelines and test user qualification procedures to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate innovation and change in assessment practices is stressed.

Test Use in Spain, Portugal and Latin American Countries

Summary: The two main sources of errors in educational and psychological evaluation are the lack of adequate technical and psychometric characteristics of the tests, and especially the failure to properly implement the testing process. The main goal of the present research is to study the situation of test construction and test use in the Spanish-speaking (Spain and Latin American countries) and Portuguese-speaking (Portugal and Brazil) countries. The data were collected using a questionnaire constructed by the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Association (EFPPA) Task Force on Tests and Testing, under the direction of D. Bartram . In addition to the questionnaire, other ad hoc data were also gathered. Four main areas of psychological testing were investigated: Educational, Clinical, Forensic and Work. Key persons were identified in each country in order to provide reliable information. The main results are presented, and some measures that could be taken in order to improve the current testing practices in the countries surveyed are discussed. As most of the tests used in these countries were originally developed in other cultures, a problem that appears to be especially relevant is the translation and adaptation of tests.

Variations in National Patterns of Testing and Test Use: The ITC/EFPPA International Survey

This study examined a range of issues relating to testing and test use in 36 countries. It also explored attitudes towards issues relating to competence in test use. Respondents included representatives of professional psychological associations, test publishers, and other groups with a national perspective on testing. For the purposes of the study, the domain of testing was divided into four areas: Educational, Clinical, Forensic, and Organizational. While detailed reports on the overall results of the survey have been reported elsewhere ( Bartram & Coyne, 1998a , 1998b ), the present paper focuses on patterns of similarity and difference between countries. Cluster analysis was used to examine patterns of consistency in responses between countries. The results indicate that the clustering of countries is, for the most part, not attributable to either geographical proximity or to common cultural or language factors. In reviewing these patterns, however, one should note that there is, overall, more consistency between countries within each subdomain, or area, of test use, than there is between subdomains within countries.