Psychological testing withholds great importance as the results may be used by a person or institution for critical decision-making. The results could have significant consequences as well as it could have the potential to affect many individuals. Due to its great implications, there are certain measures that should be followed such as strong psychometric evidence and ethical guidelines to prevent possible misuse. As stated in Chapter 1 in our textbook, “psychometrics is the quantitative and technical aspect of testing” (Lover & Miller, 2016, p.6) containing two central concepts; validity and reliability. Validity, as stated in Chapter 1 in our textbook, states that “good tests measure what they claim to measure, and any conclusions that are …show more content…
Reliability, on the other hand, is the consistency found within these measures. The articles of “Can a Test Really Tell Who’s a Psychopath?” illustrating Robert Dixon’s case and the article of “Jobseekers Made to Carry Out Bogus Psychometric Tests” truly surrounds itself in the question of the importance of psychometric evidence and ethical guideline, and unfortunately demonstrate the potential misuse of such.
The case of jobseekers and the bogus psychometric tests brings to attention the concern of validity. The test claims to identify an individual’s personality in order to assist in job seeking. As stated by the spokesperson, the exercise was to “help jobseekers identify their strengths, and we have had extremely positive feedback from both jobseekers and their advisers – it is right that we use every tool we …show more content…
The psychological test gives such power to the American criminal justice system, allowing them to make crucial decisions, such as sentence length, option of parole or it someone should be put to death. Unfortunately, Mr. Dixon, had a very high score than others who had taken the test. He was confident that he had changed, but was denied parole due to such high score. The creator of the test states that “science cannot progress without reliable and accurate measurement of what it is you are trying to study… the key is measurement, simple as that” (Franklin, Richards, & Edens, 2011). However, there is the possibility that perhaps not validity, but the use of incorrect research and reliability could hurt people. The creator of the test further states that “the potential for misuse of an instrument that has solid scientific credentials is very great” (Franklin, Richards, & Edens, 2011), particularly those who have decision to make. Under unqualified and untrained individuals seeking results for decision making, there was an inaccurate consistency of “ten, 15, even 20-point score differences found” (Franklin, Richards, & Edens,