Explain the difference between individual decisions and institutional decisions. Provide examples not already referenced in the chapter that relate to psychological testing.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Individual decisions:
o Both individuals and institutions use the results of psychological tests to make decisions.
o If test takers use their test scores to make decisions about themselves, these are referred to as individual decisions.
o Examples in the chapter (which should not be referenced by students) include the following;
? For example, in the future you may take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a half-day standardized test required for admission to most law schools. Because you know that some law schools are more competitive than others, the score you receive on this test might influence the law schools to which you apply. If you do very well on the test, you may apply to more competitive law schools.
? Or perhaps you are having a difficult time deciding what career you would like to pursue. You might seek assistance from a career counselor to explore and discuss various career options. As part of the process, the career counselor may ask you to complete an interest inventory. Based on the results of this inventory (as well as other information), you may decide to pursue a career in, for example, teaching or computer science. In this case, you (the individual who took the test) used the test results to make a decision about your career.
• Institutional decisions:
o Institutional decisions are those made by another entity (e.g., a company, an organization, an institution) about an individual based on his or her test results.
o When institutions use test scores to make decisions about those who took a test, they do so using either a comparative method or an absolute method.
o Examples in the chapter (which should not be referenced by students) include the following;
? For example, let us say that because you did well on your LSAT, you have decided to apply to a highly competitive law school. Administrators at the law school to which you apply will use your LSAT score, among other things, to help them make a decision about whether you will be offered admission to their law school.
? Likewise, let us say that an acquaintance of yours is attending counseling sessions with a mental health professional. As part of these counseling sessions, the mental health professional may administer a number of psycho- logical tests and use the results to develop a treatment program for your acquaintance. In each of these cases, someone else—usually representing an institution—has used the results of a psychological test to make a decision about another individual.