What is a psychological evaluation?
The process of psychological evaluation It is one of the most important components of the intervention in the field of psychology. It is thanks to this that it is possible to propose effective measures to deal with specific problems from the observed.
In this article we will see how it is defined and what is a psychological evaluation and the diagnosis that leads .
- Related article: "Types of psychological therapies"
The birth of the idea of psychological evaluation
The historical moment in which the greatest rise and scientific development of the psychological peculiarities of the human being took place corresponds mainly to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (although a considerable volume of previous studies and research is assumed).
With this and from the development of certain disciplines of knowledge such as statistics, pedagogy, experimental psychology among others, it was possible to establish some first approximations to the concept of diagnosis .
As in most aspects related to the field of psychology, the definition of this phenomenon has been reformulated from the new contributions that the authors have been proposing throughout history.
Within the most contemporary perspectives there are three theoretical currents that have been used to explain what kind of variables should be diagnosed : the environmentalist (emphasis on situational factors as behavioral determinants), the interactionist (relevance of the interaction between subject and environment) and the cognitivist (cognitive style as a behavioral basis).
The psychological diagnosis and its components
The findings of the three mentioned psychological currents have allowed a deeper and more complete definition of what the diagnostic process implies. Considering its general meaning, diagnosis involves the analysis of collected data in order to assess (or know) certain aspects of different nature .
Applying this characterization to the field of psychology, the object of study is the description of the cognitive, emotional and behavioral particularities of a specific subject. Therefore, it seems relevant for this purpose to consider how this individual relates to their usual interaction contexts .
In addition, it is assumed that the diagnosis has the ultimate purpose of intervention (as the most frequent objective, although not unique) and it is delimited at all times within the scientific-technical field . Its process involves the combination of different work methodologies.
The three elements of diagnosis in psychology
A diagnosis It has three main elements: the subject on which the process falls, the object that establishes what contents base the diagnosis and the purpose of the same, which motivates the application of a concrete intervention where the causes or factors that propitiate the observations exposed in the diagnosis are reflected.
In addition, the proposed intervention it can be qualifying (place occupied by the subject with respect to a reference group), modifier (what influential causes must be modified), preventive (implementation of alternatives to avoid a certain future situation) or restructuring (reorganization of influential factors for preventive purposes).
The phases of the general process of psychological diagnosis
Diverse are the contributions made by the expert authors in the matter on the number and type of procedures that should conform the diagnostic process. It seems that, however, There is a certain consensus in including four main phases , each of which has different, more concrete stages.
1. Planning
In the planning phase, the preliminary information search Regarding the subject and its environment, an analysis that supports the initial assumptions (depending on the classificatory, preventive or restructuring character that the diagnosis presents) and, finally, the configuration of the diagnostic development where the initially proposed analysis variables are established.
2. Development
A second stage consists in the development of the process, in which the theoretical framework is delimited on which to base the contributions that facilitate the study of the units of analysis, being as simple as possible and presenting a predictive capacity adequate on the results of future observations.
3. Verification of hypotheses
Subsequently, a third step is the verification of the theoretical hypotheses initially proposed regarding what was found in the observations made during the evaluation.
4. Writing the report
Finally, a report of results should be prepared in which the pertinent data of the evaluator and the evaluated one are included, those referring to all the procedures applied during the process, the findings and their evaluation and, ultimately, the pertinent guidelines that will guide the subsequent intervention process.
The report must be adapted to the recipient in terms of the form and type of language used, as well as the tone and expressions used in it, so that he understands it.
Characteristics of the Psychological Report
A psychological report is a document that reflects the result obtained from the analysis and contrast of hypotheses initially raised, which have motivated the evaluation of the subject in question.
This instrument has an objective character, in such a way that the communication of the data found to the addressee is facilitated .
In general, a report must include identification data of the evaluator and the evaluated person, the objectives that motivate said report, the exposition of the information collection techniques, the procedure used, the results obtained, the conclusion and final evaluation of the examiner and the guidelines to be put into practice as an intervention.
Further, and The format and style of a psychological report can be differentiated according to the of the criterion that is taken as a basis for its elaboration: theoretical (according to the directives of a concrete theoretical model), technical (organizing the results from the tests and techniques applied) and based on the problem (the demand or reason for consultation mark a specific structure in the report).
On the other hand, the psychological report It has legal validity and is considered a scientific document (the findings are replicable) and useful (it includes final orientations of psychological intervention).
The behavioral or functional approach in psychological evaluation
There are several types of approaches that can be taken to guide the process of psychological evaluation of an individual:
- Traditional approach (or attribute model): focused on analyzing personality traits as fundamental units of study.
- Operational approach or evolutionary: model that defends a set of evolutionary stages in the psychological development of the subject.
- Cognitive approach : focused on the study of the cognitions of the person as the main axis.
- Psychoeducational approach or prescriptive: more aimed at the field of school learning and the analysis of the intellectual abilities of students.
- Behavioral approach or functional: oriented to the evaluation of the relationship between the internal and external variables of the subject as determinants of their own behavior.
From the most behavioral psychological (or cognitive-behavioral) currents the functional approach It is usually the approach used during the reference diagnostic process . This model allows a more complete study and analysis of the determinant variables in the evaluation process because it defends the premise that the behavior must be considered taking into account a multiplicity of influential factors, both internal and external.
Thus, human behavior it should not be understood as the result of the sum of individual factors , since each interaction that occurs between two (or more) already derives in a totally different type of influence from the aggregate of its original originators. Given its enormous complex and plastic (or modifiable) character, its explanation should be approached following this same philosophy: that of considering its determining elements also as complex and variable.
The characteristics of the functional approach
The functional approach prioritizes the environmental or contextual (at first) and interactionist (at a later time) as determinants of the individual's behavior, prioritizing the analysis of this type of variables in the diagnostic process. Its postulates derive from the Theory of Behavior Modification and from the contributions of authors such as B. F. Skinner, mainly.
Within this model three perspectives can be distinguished , which differentially emphasize the influence of the environment, the characteristics of the subject or the interaction of two factors: the behavioral-situationalist perspective, the cognitive-behavioral and the cognitive-social behavioral, respectively.
Given the relevance of the observable factors that defends this theoretical proposal, the variables that it takes as a unit of analysis are those that occur in the present moment, which are accompanied by a background and consequent next.
On a methodological level, their assumptions are evaluated experimentally by objective observation of the subject's behavioral repertoire as a reflection of internal skills and abilities. It corresponds, therefore, to a deductive-inductive intrasubject methodology.
This model has a purpose that is both interventive (or modifying) and preventive, since it has incorporated the interaction between the subject and its environment as the variable object of analysis.He understands, thus, the dynamic power of this relationship between both elements and gives the behavior a meaning of modifiability and adaptability (hence its preventive capacity).
The psychological evaluation as a process
As can be seen from the reading of the text, the process of psychological evaluation becomes a set of rigorously established procedures which are fundamental to enable an adequate diagnosis and, subsequently, a psychological intervention appropriate to the particularities of each individual in particular and to the therapeutic objectives that they wish to achieve.
In this sense, the functional approach has been exposed as a model that has a significant theoretical support, which allows a complete analysis of all the variables that may be affecting the current state (symptoms, behaviors, cognitions, etc.) of the individual.
Bibliographic references:
- Caballo, V. E. & Simon, M.A. (2001): Manual of Child Clinical Psychology. Madrid: Pyramid.
- Cohen, R. & Swerdlik, M. (2001): Psychological Tests and Evaluation. Mexico: McGraw-Hill.
- Fernández-Ballesteros, R. (2000): Introduction to Psychological Evaluation. Madrid: Pyramid.
- Forns, M. (1993): Child psychological evaluation. Barcelona: Barcanova.
