A good understanding of psychological measurement is vital if you are to effectively assess the quality of patient care and the effectiveness of medical treatments. For example, did you know that even though test results indicate that a patient is feeling better, the effect of the treatment he is receiving may be significantly less than what his previous treatment achieved? Do you really believe that the difference between the two measurements can be due to psychological measurement errors? Only someone who is intimately knowledgeable about psychological measurement would know this.
There are many reasons why testing should be done before a treatment begins. One reason is to determine whether the cause of a physical illness is psychological or physical. Another important reason is to gain an understanding of how an individual’s mind affects his behavior. Fortunately, because of advanced technology it has become much easier for us to perform psychological measurement with the use of neuropsychological tests. As a graduate student in Clinical Psychology, I was introduced to the new NLP and EIT tools that enable us to conduct a psychological test accurately.
Now I know how to take a psychological test correctly. The steps I took when I took the test is easy to do and I shared them with the nurses before the examination began. In fact, the one time I shared the steps with the clinical research psychologist assigned to me reduced my stress level and made me feel comfortable enough to complete the entire test successfully. If I hadn’t been guided in my instructions, I’m afraid I might not have completed it at all!
First of all, the researcher explains the procedures and then collects psychological information from the patient. The collected information includes details about the patient’s lifetime and current psychological state. After reading the information, the researcher asks questions about everyday activities, thoughts and feelings, as well as past experiences and behaviors. The psychologist will then conduct a psychological test using the gathered information. This test will assess the patient’s psychological state and provide valuable information on her or his mental health and functioning.
Once the psychologist has conducted the psychological test and obtained the results, he will share them with the patient. I was given an envelope with a pad of paper and a pencil inside. Inside the envelope was written the name of the psychologist, the name of the person to be measured, and the information the psychologist has received from the patient during the test. I was provided with a written report after I finished the psychological test and wrote down the results. I also indicated whether I showed an improvement or not from the results.
When I got the results, I compared them to my memories during my earlier years and found that I had changed drastically. I started to have positive thoughts and feelings, and I no longer thought too much about the things that bothered me. As time passed by, I saw that the improvement I had shown in my psychological measurement was because I was now more confident. I was able to think clearly and understand what I was reading in my notes, and I was able to apply the findings to my life.
I am not saying that psychological testing is easy. There are times when you may not get accurate results or you may interpret the information incorrectly. However, with proper guidance and information, you can improve your psychological performance through psychological measurement. This will give you a new perception of yourself, and a chance to learn more about yourself and your true capabilities. This will enable you to take control over your life and achieve your goals. It will also help you develop your skills so that you can achieve even greater heights in life.