Psychodiagnostics as a science and practical activity

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Plan 1. The concept of psychodiagnostics. 2. Connection of psychodiagnostics with other sciences. 3. The essence of psychological diagnostics. 4. The importance of psychological diagnostics. 5. Objectives of psychological diagnostics.

“We don’t tell teachers to do this or that way; but we tell them: study the laws of those mental phenomena that you want to control, and act in accordance with these laws and the circumstances in which you want to apply them.”

K.D.Ushinsky

The concept of psychodiagnostics

Psychological diagnostics translated from Greek means “recognition.” For example, recognizing that children have developed self-service skills, behavioral culture, communication skills, etc. Psychological diagnostics are intended to improve the content of educational work with children, as well as with parents.

The subject of psychological diagnostics is:

design and testing of methods,
developing the requirements that they must satisfy,
development of rules of conduct for examination,
development of methods for processing and interpreting results,
discussion of the possibilities of certain techniques

Psychodiagnostics is a field of psychological science that develops methods for identifying individual psychological characteristics of a person. The term psychodiagnostics appeared in 1921 and belongs to the Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach (1874-1922). For a long time, psychodiagnostics was identified with testing. Psychodiagnostics became firmly established in psychology after the use of not testing, not psychometry, but projective methods that did not make a direct diagnosis. Because of the word “diagnosis,” this science was more often used in the clinic and was even defined in the encyclopedic dictionary of medical terms as follows: “Psychodiagnostics is an assessment of the patient’s mental state using experimental psychological testing.” The term “psychodiagnostics” is still rarely used abroad. Well-known manuals are called as follows: “Psychological testing” (Anastasi, 1968, Anastasi, 1982, 2001), “The essence of psychological testing”, “Test theory”, “Theory and practice of psychological testing”. In the book "Encyclopedia of psychology", 2000 (Encyclopedia of psychlogy), which includes eight volumes, there is no article devoted to psychodiagnostics. According to L.D. Burlachuk, we are dealing with a very curious, unusual phenomenon for science - the absence of its name despite the real existence of the science of psychodiagnostics itself. In the Leningrad psychological school, B.G. Ananyev substantiated the term “psychodiagnostics”. According to B.G. Ananyev, psychodiagnostics aims to “define psychophysiological functions, processes, states and personality traits, establish the structural features of each of them and their constellations that form complex behavior syndromes, recognize human states under the influence of various stimulants, stressors, frustrators and complex situations, determining the potential of human development (work capacity, talent, special abilities, etc.)" (Ananyev B.G., 1968) In the textbook "Psychological Diagnostics" (Edited by K.M. Gurevich, E.E. Borshova , Moscow, 2000) psychodiagnostics is defined “as a psychological discipline that develops methods for identifying and studying individual psychological and individual psychophysiological characteristics of a person.” Its purpose is to collect information about the characteristics of the human psyche.” The “Concise Psychological Dictionary”, 1985, gives the following definition of psychodiagnostics: “psychodiagnostics is an area of psychology that develops methods for identifying individual characteristics and prospects for personal development.” Thus, at present, the content of the subject of psychodiagnostics is aimed at developing methods for recognizing individual psychological characteristics, regardless of whether they are a deviation from the norm or their absence. Psychodiagnostics is not an auxiliary discipline, but a full-fledged science. Psychodiagnostics is a field of psychological science that develops theory, principles and tools for assessing and measuring individual psychological characteristics of a person” (L.D. Burlachuk).

Branches of psychodiagnostics. The essence of psychodiagnostics. The following branches of psychodiagnostics are known: 1. Educational – which is aimed at assessing the success of children’s learning of educational material, optimizing training and education. 2. Clinical – aimed at studying the individual psychological characteristics of the patient, advisory and psychotherapeutic assistance. 3. Professional – aimed at career guidance and selection of students, as well as personnel placement. 4. Forensic psychological and psychiatric.

Psychodiagnostics

Psychodiagnostics is a branch of psychology that studies methods for determining the psychological characteristics of a person in order to most fully reveal his internal potential in all spheres of life.

History of psychodiagnostics

The emergence of psychodiagnostics as an independent field of knowledge occurs at the end of the 19th century. This is due to a clear awareness of the need to assess the individual psychological characteristics of people in order to find solutions to various kinds of psychological problems. Thus, it can be argued that psychological diagnostics separated from psychology under the influence of practical requirements.

The initial source of the development of psychodiagnostics was experimental psychology; its foundations are laid in all psychodiagnostic methods. The study of mental phenomena and facts within the framework of the exact methods of the natural sciences, the increased influence of natural science on the analysis of mental phenomena served as an additional incentive for the development of psychodiagnostics.

It is believed that experimental psychology originated in Germany in 1878; its creator is considered to be Wilhelm Wundt, who founded the world's first laboratory of experimental psychology, the main task of which was to study human sensations and the accompanying motor reactions, color perception.

In 1883, Francis Galton included the measurement of hearing, vision and verbal associative reaction time in the science of anthropometrics, which he created, in addition to measuring tests of human physical parameters. However, F. Galton made a much more significant contribution to the development of psychodiagnostics a little later, having invented the concept of “test”.

Despite the development of psychodiagnostics as a result of the use of experiments, the study of man is not based on a purely logical development of the experimental method. The study of man was influenced by the needs of pedagogy, medicine and industrial production.

Various scientific psychological schools responded to these requests in different ways and presented the role of psychodiagnostics in the process of studying personality in their own way. The most noteworthy is the look at the psychodiagnostics of schools whose methods are directly related to the principles of behavioral psychology (behaviorism). The peculiarity of behaviorism was the recognition of the relationship between the external environment and the organism, while the organism, succumbing to the influence of the external environment, reacts to it and strives to change the current situation in a favorable direction for it and, ultimately, adapts to the external environment. Behavior in the behaviorism model is understood as a set of reactions of the body to stimuli. In accordance with this, the main goal of psychodiagnostics was to record human behavior. As a result of pursuing this goal, test methods were developed.

Purpose and application of psychodiagnostics

Psychodiagnostics is used in such areas of practice as:

1) psychotherapeutic assistance and consultation;

2) designing a person’s possible social behavior (for example, the degree of fidelity in marriage);

3) analysis of the degree of influence of changes in environmental conditions on the psychological state of a person;

4) career guidance, consultation in personnel selection;

5) forensic psychiatric examination;

6) organization of education and training;

7) analysis of interpersonal relationships and personality psychology.

The main goal of psychodiagnostics is to help people, during times of psychological stress, make the right decision with the least loss for their nervous system. It is to this goal that thousands of people who have embarked on the path of serving psychodiagnostics devote their lives.

Why is psychodiagnostics needed and how high is the likelihood of situations requiring the help of psychodiagnostics? A person can minimize the likelihood of making a wrong decision in two cases:

1) Make absolutely no decisions (in other words, sit on your hands). This option is not suitable for us, as it makes it impossible to achieve success. It is impossible to achieve anything without taking action.

2) Be a truly highly qualified professional in all areas of activity that a person encounters on the path to success. However, as you know, a person very rarely, almost never, is equally knowledgeable in all areas of life. But life is a fickle lady, and a person never knows for sure in what area he will have to implement his own knowledge. And this applies not only to work. Take the example of men who have recently become young dads - how many of them are absolutely ready for this?

Unpreparedness to face unexpected problems gives rise to fear, psychological constriction and suppression of initiative. In order to restore a person’s self-confidence, relieve him of the fear of the unknown, and change a falsely constructed model of human behavior, psychodiagnostics exists.

If we break down the term “psychodiagnostics” into its components, it is not difficult to guess that the subject of research in psychodiagnostics is:

a) the soul of a person, his inner world;

b) a detailed analysis of this inner world.

The term “diagnosis” is defined as the recognition of a person's deviation from his normal development and functioning. In order to identify these deviations, a psychodiagnostician analyzes the reasons, both internal and external, that force a person to act this way and not otherwise, and also analyzes the mental characteristics of a person during the study.

The problems of psychodiagnostics are solved in various ways

The first way is to observe a person in the process of providing him with psychotherapeutic assistance. The second way is to observe an individual in the process of his life, studying his motives and reactions. Both of these methods are excellent for studying basic information about a person, but they have some disadvantages, such as significant labor input, are not always available and applicable, and can provide distorted information about a person (in cases of short-term observations). Due to these shortcomings in psychodiagnostics, special techniques have been widespread that allow, within a short period of research, to obtain all the necessary information about the mental characteristics of an individual. In addition, the advantages of these methods include the ability to collect not only general information about a person, but also about his characteristics, personal characteristics (intelligence, self-esteem, etc.). It is these techniques that will be discussed further.

Psychodiagnostic methods

Figure 1 – Psychodiagnostic methods depending on the approach

All psychodiagnostic methods are divided depending on the approach to studying a person (see Fig. 1). There are objective, subjective and projective approaches. With an objective approach, the diagnosis of a person’s mental characteristics is determined on the basis of the methods used by a person when performing an activity and its effectiveness. According to the subjective approach, the analysis of mental processes is carried out by self-assessment of a person based on the information that the person provided about himself. With this approach, human behavior in certain situations is assessed. With a projective approach, the diagnosis of the psyche is carried out on the basis of the interaction of a person and external neutral material, which becomes the object of attention due to its uncertainty.

The objective approach presents two main types of methods - methods of testing intelligence and diagnosing personal abilities. The intelligence testing technique is aimed at determining a person’s mental development, and the personality ability diagnostic technique is designed to determine a person’s abilities that are not directly related to intelligence (the so-called character traits). The use of diagnostics of intelligence and character traits at the same time allows us to get an idea of the mental motives that guide a person when making decisions regarding his actions.

Diagnostics of the level of human intelligence development is represented by “intelligence tests”. The main types of intelligence tests are:

Culturally Fluent Intelligence Test (CFIT)

This test was invented by British psychologist R. Cattell in 1958. A distinctive feature of this test was the ability to diagnose the level of intellectual development of a person, regardless of the influence of environmental factors. An interesting example of this test is diagnosing the level of intelligence among children and adults without higher education. All tasks in the test are presented in the form of graphic images. The test consists of two parts with 4 subtests. Each test taker is given a test form with tasks, each task contains five answer options, and there is only one correct answer - this is what the test taker must choose. A strictly defined time is given for each part of the test.

After this time, the experimenter asks the subject to put the pen aside and begins counting points by checking the selected answer options with the key. According to statistics, the average IQ level is achieved when you score 90-110 points. An indicator above this mark is a sign of the presence of mental talent in a person; an indicator below this level, on the contrary, indicates that the person still has room to grow intellectually.

WISC (Wechsler Test)

The IQ scale was developed by David Wexler in 1939. This test diagnoses general intelligence and its components - verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Like the CFIT test, the Wechsler test is divided into 2 parts - the first part contains 6 verbal subtests, and the second contains 5 non-verbal subtests. Verbal subtests consist of diagnosing intelligibility, awareness, the ability to reproduce numerical series and finding similarities between objects and images. Non-verbal subtests include identification of the missing picture, addition of figures, encryption, addition of figures. Each test contains from 10 to 30 tasks, the complexity of which increases as they are completed. Each of the subtests is assessed in points and the final result is given (scale scores). In the process of calculating the result, each completed task is analyzed in detail, the ratio of verbal and non-verbal aspects of intelligence is determined, and the final IQ level is determined. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative assessment of task completion allows us to identify gaps in the intellectual development of one or a couple of aspects of human activity and outline methods for eliminating them. A low score on any of the subtests indicates a violation in the development of one of the aspects of human activity. The classification of scores and their corresponding IQ levels are given below:

130 points and above – very high IQ level
120-129 points – high IQ level
110-119 points – good normal IQ level
90-109 points – average IQ level
80-89 points – low level
70-79 points – limit zone
69 points and below – mental deviation.

Raven's Progressive Matrices

This technique for diagnosing intelligence was presented in 1936 by the famous English psychologist John Raven. The author of the technique was absolutely convinced that the best method for measuring the “g factor” (the factor of a person’s general intelligence) was to find relationships between abstract figures. When creating the methodology, the main task of the psychologist was to invent tests that were easy to understand and convenient for processing the results, and at the same time were theoretically justified.

At the beginning of the test, the subject is provided with drawings with figures interconnected by a certain dependence, while one of the figures is missing and is given as one of the answer options for the test among 4-8 other figures. The subject’s task is to determine the logical sequence between the figures and select the correct option that corresponds to the pattern of arrangement of the figures, as well as reflect the number of the selected option in the questionnaire.

The Raven test consists of five blocks containing 60 tables. With each transition to the next block the task becomes more complicated.

The time to complete this test is 20 minutes; completing tasks beyond this time is unacceptable. Choosing the correct answer to a task earns the subject one point. At the end of the test, the scores are summed up and conclusions are drawn regarding the degree of human intelligence development - with a score of 0-20 points, the development is assessed as very weak, bordering on idiocy, and with a score of 140 points or more - as a high level of intelligence development.

Amthauer Structure of Intelligence Test

This test was developed to determine the general level of abilities, since professional diagnostics experienced certain difficulties. When creating the test, Amthauer relied on the opinion that intelligence is nothing more than a substructure in the overall structure of personality, which has a close relationship with the emotional sphere of a person’s life, his interests and needs. The structure of the test consists of 9 sections, each of which contains 16-20 tasks. The time to complete each task from the sections is strictly specified - from 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the complexity of the section. In such a short period of time, a person is unlikely to have time to complete all the tasks, and therefore the optimal strategy is to quickly move from a task to which the person is not sure of the correct answer to the next task.

Relationship between psychodiagnostics and other sciences.

Psychodiagnostics is closely related to differential psychology - the science of significant differences in mental functions and properties, as well as psychometrics, which is aimed at the quantitative determination of mental phenomena. Psychodiagnostics develops in close connection with the sciences that study humans: social sciences, biological sciences, psychology, pedagogy, anatomy, physiology. If physiologists are mainly interested in the patterns and mechanism of the brain, both at the level of its integral organization and at the level of neurons and even molecules, then psychodiagnostics studies the result of this work, manifested in the form of certain images, ideas, concepts, a certain amount of memory, attention, thinking and other mental processes. The connection between psychodiagnostics and pedagogy consists in the formulation of recommendations for teachers on the organization of training and self-management of children’s behavior.

The essence of psychological diagnostics

The essence of psychological diagnostics lies in the effectiveness of educational and cognitive work with children. It is important to note whether there are changes in the child’s development, in his motivational sphere, in the development of self-esteem, generalized forms of thinking, semantic memorization, etc. A teacher-psychologist should know:

what and how to study in the cognitive, volitional, personal sphere of children;
what methods can be used;
how to process the received data;
where the results can be used (according to the “do no harm” principle);
how to develop correctional work with children.

“The educator must know a person in the family, in society, at all ages, in all classes, in all positions, in joy and sorrow, in greatness and humiliation, in excess of strength and in illness, among unlimited hopes and on the deathbed, when the word human consolation is no longer powerless. He must know the motives of the dirtiest and highest deeds, the history of the origin of criminal and great thoughts, the history of the development of every passion and every character. Only then will he be able to draw from the very nature of man the means of educational influence - and these means are enormous,” K.D. Ushinsky rightly asserted. The subject of psychological and pedagogical diagnostics is reflected in the following studies:

Burlachuk L.D., Morozov S.M. Dictionary-reference book for psychological diagnostics. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 1999.
Diagnosis and correction of mental development./ Ed. Ya.L. Kolominsky, E.A. Panko.
Diagnostic component. Study of the characteristics of the development of the cognitive sphere of children of preschool and primary school age. – M., 1999.
Counseling children in a psychological and pedagogical center./ Ed. L.S. Alekseeva. – M., 1998.
Kochetov A.I. The culture of pedagogical research.
Kochetov A.I. Pedagogical diagnostics at school. – M., 1987.
Kukharev N.V., Reshetko V.V. Diagnostics of teaching skills and pedagogical creativity.
Laak Ya.G. Psychodiagnostics: the problem of content and methods. – Voronezh, 1996.
Determination of children's functional readiness for school. L. 1981.
Pedagogical diagnostics. M., 1999.-672 p.
Psychological diagnostics of children and adolescents. Ed. K.M. Gurevich. – M., 1995.
Psychological diagnostics. Ed. K.M. Gurevich.
Psychological, medical and pedagogical examination of the child. Set of working materials. Ed. MM. Semago. – M., 1999.
Raigorodsky D.Ya. Assessing the degree of readiness for school.
Semago N.Ya., Semago M.M. Problem children: the basics of diagnostic and correctional work. - M., 2001.
Semenchenko P. Encyclopedia of Intelligence. - M., 2000. - A collection of exercises and puzzles with the aim of teaching children to think independently and creatively.
Scheme of neuropsychological examination of children. Ed. H.L. Semenovich. – M., – 1998.
Tsvetkova L.S. Methodology for diagnostic neuropsychological examination of children. – M., 1997.-85 p.
Emotional disorders in childhood and their correction. – M., 1990.

Psychodiagnostics: origin, essence, goals and methods

Psychodiagnostics: origin, essence, goals and methods
Psychodiagnostics is a branch of psychology that studies methods for determining the psychological characteristics of a person in order to most fully reveal his inner potential in all spheres of life.

History of psychodiagnostics . The emergence of psychodiagnostics as an independent field of knowledge occurs at the end of the 19th century. This is due to a clear awareness of the need to assess the individual psychological characteristics of people in order to find solutions to various kinds of psychological problems. Thus, it can be argued that psychological diagnostics separated from psychology under the influence of practical requirements.

Purpose and application of psychodiagnostics . Psychodiagnostics is used in such areas of practice as: 1) psychotherapeutic assistance and consultation; 2) designing a person’s possible social behavior (for example, the degree of fidelity in marriage); 3) analysis of the degree of influence of changes in environmental conditions on the psychological state of a person; 4) career guidance, consultation in personnel selection; 5) forensic psychiatric examination; 6) organization of education and training; 7) analysis of interpersonal relationships and personality psychology. The main goal of psychodiagnostics is to help people, during times of psychological stress, make the right decision with the least loss for their nervous system. It is to this goal that thousands of people who have embarked on the path of serving psychodiagnostics devote their lives.

Why is psychodiagnostics needed and how high is the likelihood of situations requiring the help of psychodiagnostics? A person can minimize the likelihood of making a wrong decision in two cases:

If we break down the term “psychodiagnostics” into its components, it is not difficult to guess that the subject of research in psychodiagnostics is: a) the soul of a person, his inner world; b) a detailed analysis of this inner world. The term “diagnosis” is defined as the recognition of a person's deviation from his normal development and functioning. In order to identify these deviations, a psychodiagnostician analyzes the reasons, both internal and external, that force a person to act this way and not otherwise, and also analyzes the mental characteristics of a person during the study.

The problems of psychodiagnostics are solved in various ways. The first way is to observe a person in the process of providing him with psychotherapeutic assistance. The second way is to observe an individual in the process of his life, studying his motives and reactions. Both of these methods are excellent for studying basic information about a person, but they have some disadvantages, such as significant labor input, are not always available and applicable, and can provide distorted information about a person (in cases of short-term observations). Due to these shortcomings in psychodiagnostics, special techniques have been widespread that allow, within a short period of research, to obtain all the necessary information about the mental characteristics of an individual. In addition, the advantages of these methods include the ability to collect not only general information about a person, but also about his characteristics, personal characteristics (intelligence, self-esteem, etc.). It is these techniques that will be discussed further.

Methods of psychodiagnostics. All psychodiagnostic methods are divided depending on the approach to studying a person (see Fig. 1). There are objective, subjective and projective approaches. With an objective approach, the diagnosis of a person’s mental characteristics is determined on the basis of the methods used by a person when performing an activity and its effectiveness. According to the subjective approach, the analysis of mental processes is carried out by self-assessment of a person based on the information that the person provided about himself. With this approach, human behavior in certain situations is assessed. With a projective approach, the diagnosis of the psyche is carried out on the basis of the interaction of a person and external neutral material, which becomes the object of attention due to its uncertainty.

Figure 1 – Psychodiagnostic methods depending on the approach

Diagnostics of the level of human intelligence development is represented by “intelligence tests”. The main types of intelligence tests are:

1. Culturally Fluent Intelligence Test (CFIT) . This test was invented by British psychologist R. Cattell in 1958. A distinctive feature of this test was the ability to diagnose the level of intellectual development of a person, regardless of the influence of environmental factors. An interesting example of this test is diagnosing the level of intelligence among children and adults without higher education. All tasks in the test are presented in the form of graphic images. The test consists of two parts with 4 subtests. Each test taker is given a test form with tasks, each task contains five answer options, and there is only one correct answer - this is what the test taker must choose. A strictly defined time is given for each part of the test (see Table 1).

Subtest 1	Subtest 2	Subtest 3	Subtest 4
1 part	4 min.	4 min.	4 min.	3 min.
part 2	3 min.	3 min.	3 min.	3 min.

Table
1. Time to complete the CFIT test tasks After this time has elapsed, the experimenter asks the subject to put the pen aside and begins counting points by checking the selected answer options with the key. According to statistics, the average IQ level is achieved when you score 90-110 points. An indicator above this mark is a sign of the presence of mental talent in a person; an indicator below this level, on the contrary, indicates that the person still has room to grow intellectually.

2. WISC (Wechsler test) . The IQ scale was developed by David Wexler in 1939. This test diagnoses general intelligence and its components - verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Like the CFIT test, the Wechsler test is divided into 2 parts - the first part contains 6 verbal subtests, and the second contains 5 non-verbal subtests. Verbal subtests consist of diagnosing intelligibility, awareness, the ability to reproduce numerical series and finding similarities between objects and images. Non-verbal subtests include identification of the missing picture, addition of figures, encryption, addition of figures. Each test contains from 10 to 30 tasks, the complexity of which increases as they are completed. Each of the subtests is assessed in points and the final result is given (scale scores). In the process of calculating the result, each completed task is analyzed in detail, the ratio of verbal and non-verbal aspects of intelligence is determined, and the final IQ level is determined. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative assessment of task completion allows us to identify gaps in the intellectual development of one or a couple of aspects of human activity and outline methods for eliminating them. A low score on any of the subtests indicates a violation in the development of one of the aspects of human activity. The classification of scores and their corresponding IQ levels are given below:

• 130 points and above – very high IQ level • 120-129 points – high IQ level • 110-119 points – good normal IQ level • 90-109 points – average IQ level • 80-89 points – low level • 70-79 points – limit zone • 69 points and below – mental deviation.

3. Progressive Raven matrices. This technique for diagnosing intelligence was presented in 1936 by the famous English psychologist John Raven. The author of the technique was absolutely convinced that the best method for measuring the “g factor” (the factor of a person’s general intelligence) was to find relationships between abstract figures. When creating the methodology, the main task of the psychologist was to invent tests that were easy to understand and convenient for processing the results, and at the same time were theoretically justified.

The Raven test consists of five blocks containing 60 tables. With each transition to the next block the task becomes more complicated.

Block A contains tasks to complete the missing part of the image by choosing an option among those given in the table. Completing the task requires the subject to analyze the components of the image and find similar features with one of the fragments, and then, using imagination, combine the image with the fragment into one whole.

In block B, the subject is required to be able to draw an analogy between pairs of figures. When solving block B, it is necessary to find the principle according to which the figure is constructed, and based on this, select the missing fragment.

Block C is based on the principle of changes in figures. New figures become more complex as they develop, filling them with new elements. The subject’s task is to determine the principle according to which the figure is filled with new elements.

Block D is built on the principle of regrouping figures, and consists of finding this regrouping.

Block E contains the task of decomposing a complete image into individual elements.

4. Amthauer Structure of Intelligence Test. This test was developed to determine the general level of abilities, since professional diagnostics experienced certain difficulties. When creating the test, Amthauer relied on the opinion that intelligence is nothing more than a substructure in the overall structure of personality, which has a close relationship with the emotional sphere of a person’s life, his interests and needs. The structure of the test consists of 9 sections, each of which contains 16-20 tasks. The time to complete the tasks of each section is strictly specified - from 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the complexity of the section. In such a short period of time, a person is unlikely to have time to complete all the tasks, and therefore the optimal strategy is to quickly move from a task to which the person is not sure of the correct answer to the next task.

The Amthauer Intelligence Structure Test allows you to calculate results at three levels:

A) General level of intelligence. This indicator is determined by summing the results for each section and further converting the indicator into a standard indicator. Despite the universality of the method for calculating the general level of intelligence, certain of its features in relation to the subjects should be taken into account, namely:

— test results depend on the cultural and social conditions of the test subjects’ development;

— the level of education a person has received influences the success of testing. Thus, a person who has received a higher education will, with a significant degree of probability, show a better result than a subject who graduated from high school.

In this regard, it would be more appropriate to compare people with the same level of education;

— the test assumes quick thinking as one of the key factors for successfully passing the test;

— the test is more suitable for subjects with a mathematical and natural science mindset than for those with a humanitarian mindset.

B) Determining a group of test sections that are close to each other according to the factorization principle. For example, all sections can be divided into the following groups:

— Mathematical sections (5 and 6). High results in this section are shown by subjects with a strong mathematical mindset.

— Verbal sections (1-4). They assume the skills to effectively operate with words and phrases. People who perform best in these sections have verbal thinking. Focus on learning foreign languages and social sciences.

— Theoretical (2 and 4) and practical (1 and 3) abilities. To obtain more correct test results, these sections should be compared in pairs.

— Structural sections (7 and 8). Assumes a high level of development of spatial abilities. Good performance in this group indicates general scientific talent and the practical orientation of the human mind. C) Determination of effectiveness for each section.

Section 1 assumes that a person has a significant store of knowledge. The leading role is played by a person’s ability to analyze a given task and find ways to solve it. This section contains questions from various fields of knowledge, including the school curriculum. The section is designed to interest a person and make him want to go through the remaining sections to the end.

Section 2. The point of this section is to select an “extra” word from the five given, which are not related to the other words in meaning. In the process of choosing an extra word, a person analyzes the common and different features of words. Subsequently, objects are compared. The test is designed to identify a person’s abilities for analytical activity, the ability to determine the relationships between compared objects.

In section 3, based on the identified relationship between two words, the test taker should select one word from 5-7 words that will complement the meaning of the relationship of the first two words. The key to successfully passing this section of the test is that a person has the ability to generalize, and the presence of a large amount of knowledge fades into the background. This test provides information about a person's potential.

Section 4. A person is given a pair of words, and he must identify common features in them. Words, as a rule, have many common characteristics, which makes it possible to divide them into primary and secondary ones. Accordingly, if the subject names more primary signs, he will be assigned a larger number of points. The test is aimed at determining the test subject's ability to abstract; the presence of a large vocabulary is one of the key factors for success when passing this section.

Section 5. The basis of this section is arithmetic tasks. These tasks involve the achievement of a clearly formulated goal, and therefore require the subject to have a developed ability to make inferences. Also, to achieve a high result on the test, a person must have analytical skills, because the initial conditions of the task can be revised, and the person solving the problem will need to identify its main elements and systematize them. In the future, a strategy for solving a mathematical problem should be developed, after which, based on the solution strategy, specific operations are identified, the implementation of which allows you to achieve the goal. The quality of these operations largely depends on the computing abilities of the subject. Section 5 perfectly demonstrates a person’s abilities for mathematical analysis and synthesis, mathematical literacy, and logical thinking.

Section 6. The task is to find a number that will serve as a logical continuation of the previous series of numbers. For example, the logical continuation for a series of numbers: 2, 4, 8, 16 is the number “32”. To correctly solve the task, the test taker must first discover the rule by which a logical series of numbers is constructed. To successfully solve a task, the ability to perform analytical and synthetic activities, as well as the ability to generalize based on the analysis of the relationships between numbers in a series, is important.

Section 7. Involves working with cut parts of one whole figure. Several parts of the figure, which are its elements, are placed in front of the subject, and the person should assemble the figure. The main objective of the test is to diagnose a person’s abilities for spatial and logical thinking, as well as the ability to operate with two-dimensional images.

Section 8. A person is provided with a three-dimensional drawing of a cube and several samples of the same cube. The subject's task is to determine which of the cubes is in the rotated state and which is in the inverted state. Like section 7, this section also determines a person's ability to operate with spatial images.

Section 9. The test subject is asked to memorize a number of words, and then answer the questions posed. This section distinguishes two stages of testing - the memorization stage and the reproduction stage. The purpose of this section is to diagnose the level of development of the subject’s short-term memory.

Author: Anton Yasyr for the website therapy.by

The importance of psychological diagnostics.

Psychodiagnostics appeared for the first time after the publications of G. Rorschach (1921). At the beginning of the twentieth century, it became an independent branch of science. The significance of psychological diagnostics is as follows:

Without scientifically based diagnostic methods, it is impossible to determine the level of development of children, therefore, it is impossible to provide timely assistance to those who need it.
Without diagnostic methods, it is impossible to monitor the developmental effect of training, and thereby evaluate the comparative effectiveness of various methods, forms and means of training.
Without diagnosing the level of development of general and special abilities, the degree of formulation of various personality traits, and the student’s learning ability, it is impossible to give the student reasonable recommendations related to a specific choice of profession.
Without the use of diagnostic methods, it is impossible to establish the level of personal and intellectual development of children at various age stages, and to obtain data on individual characteristics.
Without diagnostics, it is impossible to plan correctional work with children.
Without studying personal development, it is difficult to organize appropriate training.
Without diagnosis, there is no maximum and effective use of the child’s individual capabilities.
Without diagnosis, it is impossible to provide psychological assistance to parents in raising children, spouses in a situation of family crisis, or children whose normal personality development is disrupted.
Psychological diagnostics are important in optimizing the process of training and education.
In judicial practice, it is necessary to use an examination, during which a determination is made about the qualities of a person.

Psychological and pedagogical assistance can be provided in the form of:

psychological and pedagogical consultation;
in the form of deep penetration into the personality of the person asking for help;
in the form of sympathy, empathy.

The value of psychological diagnostics consists of:

in the development of game trainings in a system of mutual contacts in a “person-to-person” environment (subject-subject)
in preventing career guidance errors. This is how the famous artist Yuri Nikulin describes the episode as he was examined by pedologists. “They kept me for a very long time. And they came to the conclusion that my abilities are very limited..."
in helping puzzled people who do not know how to find a way out of a particular life situation;
in psychological assistance to teachers. “The influence of the educator’s personality on a young soul constitutes that educational force that cannot be replaced by reproaches, moral maxims, or a system of punishments and rewards.” (K.D. Ushinsky)
in adjusting the teacher’s attitude towards children. Teachers show sympathy, indifference, and antipathy towards students. Meanwhile, it is important that teachers treat children like A.S. Makarenko, who saw a handsome man in every child (in Zadorov, and in Karabanov, and in Chobot). Unfortunately, some kindergarten teachers say this about the child: “He looks disgusting, he’s always dirty, he’s dirty.” Conclusion: describe your student, and I will tell you how you feel about him. “Oh, my little white one,” says the crow to the crow.
in summarizing the levels of pedagogical skill, findings, new technologies, methods and techniques of teaching.
In psychological assistance to managers and methodologists in identifying master teachers.
In accepting a social order and processing it into a psychological task for working with clients.
In identifying the main problem under current conditions.
In determining the most effective ways to solve psychological problems.
In systematizing the results of psychological assistance in working with a client.
In creating a system of psychodiagnostic, therapeutic, correctional, consulting and educational foundations and conditions for the productive work of clients.
In identifying cause-and-effect relationships and measures to optimize activities.
In influencing the work of personnel in order to achieve the desired result in their work and satisfy their needs.
In studying, issuing recommendations to staff and other clients on improving life activity, correcting interpersonal relationships in the social environment.
In organizing psychotherapeutic, correctional, consulting, and developmental work with staff and other clients.
In interpreting the results, identifying personality traits and opportunities for productive activity.
In the organization of socio-psychological work and personal participation in the implementation of adaptation measures.
In identifying socially maladaptive clients, persons with mental disabilities and conducting psychotherapeutic and psychocorrectional activities.
In improving the professional qualities of personnel, ensuring the ability to correctly develop strategy, tactics and techniques for effective work.
In psychological support of clients in the process of their life, control and prevention of negative deviations.
In the development of general abilities of the individual and their acmeological culture.
Helping clients achieve creative self-realization.
In formulating a positive self-concept, self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-improvement.
In conducting certification of teaching staff.

Psychological diagnostics are necessary when certifying not only teachers, but also preschool institutions. Currently, criteria have been developed - indicators of the effectiveness of preschool institutions. These include: 1. Personality-oriented approach in the educational process. 2. Compliance of the material base with the profile of the preschool institution. 3. Food quality. 4. Developmental environment. 5. Ensuring the right to choose a program. 6. State of paperwork. 7. Availability of equipped playgrounds. 8. Public awareness of the educational services provided. 9. The degree of openness of the preschool institution.

Psychodiagnostics as a science and practical activity

Psychodiagnostics : principles, scope of application. Types of psychodiagnostic methods: hardware, computer, personality questionnaires, drawing, projective, etc. Their advantages and disadvantages. Systemic psychological diagnostics.

Psychodiagnostics is a field of psychological science and at the same time the most important form of psychological practice, which is associated with the development and use of various methods for recognizing individual psychological characteristics of a person.

The term “ diagnostics ” is actively used not only in psychology and pedagogy, but also in medicine, technology, and other areas of science and social practice. It is derived from the Greek roots “dia” and “gnosis” and is literally interpreted as “discriminating knowledge.” Currently, the term “diagnostics” means recognition of the state of a certain object or system by quickly recording its essential parameters and subsequent assignment to a certain diagnostic category in order to predict its behavior and make a decision about the possibilities of influencing this behavior in the desired direction.

The goal of psychodiagnostics in its most general form is to establish the individual degree of expression of mental properties and their intra-individual relationships that determine the uniqueness of the individual. Psychodiagnostics is both a theoretical discipline and the field of practical activity of a psychologist.

The subject of psychodiagnostics is often limited to the application of various kinds of diagnostic methods to a person in order to identify his mental uniqueness and its subsequent measurement using various kinds of statistical methods. At the same time, it is overlooked that both the nature of the information received and its interpretation largely depend on the personality theory underlying psychodiagnostics.

Psychodiagnostics as a theoretical discipline examines the patterns of making valid and reliable diagnostic judgments, the rules of “diagnostic inferences”, with the help of which the transition is made from signs or indicators of a certain mental state, structure, process to a statement of the presence and severity of these psychological “variables”. Sometimes such rules are relatively simple, sometimes quite complex, in some cases they are “built-in” into the diagnostic tool itself, in others they require special work with diagnostic indicators: standard comparison of profiles, calculation of integral indicators, comparison with alternative diagnostic tests, expert interpretation, nomination and discarding hypotheses.

General psychodiagnostics as a theoretical discipline is closely related to the corresponding subject areas of psychological science (with general, social and differential psychology, etc.). Private psychodiagnostics - with such areas of psychology as medical, developmental, advisory, legal, military psychology, occupational psychology, sports psychology, etc. Another discipline that is the foundation and integral part of general psychodiagnostics is differential psychometrics, as a science that substantiates and develops diagnostic measurement methods.

The third basis of psychodiagnostics is the practical areas of application of psychological knowledge, which put forward psychodiagnostic tasks and justify the identification of complex, integral variables that act as objects of psychodiagnostics. Thus, theoretical psychodiagnostics is determined by three areas of psychological knowledge : the subject area of psychology, which studies these phenomena, psychometrics - the science of measuring individual differences in diagnosed variables and the practice of using psychological knowledge.

Practical psychodiagnostics relates to theoretical ones in the same way as the engineering operation of technical devices relates to their development and construction. Those. practical psychodiagnostics presupposes useful skills, intuition, rich experience, a set of rules for the use of psychodiagnostic tools based on knowledge of the properties of measured variables and measuring instruments, on knowledge of ethical and professional standards of psychodiagnostic work.

A practicing psychodiagnostician must understand and be able to qualify the conditions of the examination and take them into account when comparing individual data with standards. Practical psychodiagnostics also involves taking into account the client’s motivation for examination and knowledge of ways to maintain it, the ability to assess the condition of the subject as a whole, knowledge and skills of communicating information to the subject about himself, sensitivity to actions that could involuntarily harm the subject, the ability to interpret the information received, and much more. other.

Areas of practice requiring the use of psychodiagnostics:

1) personnel placement, professional selection, career guidance; optimization of training and education;

2) forecasting social behavior (psychological examination of conscripts, etc.);

3) forensic psychological examination;

4) advisory, psychotherapeutic assistance, etc.

All cases of seeking help from a psychologist can be classified into two main types:

1) client situation - when a person himself turns to a psychologist for help, for example, for advice (Helpline, Psychological Consultation Centers, private requests, etc.);

2) an examination situation - when the administration (for example, the administration of a hospital, school, court, enterprise) turns to a psychologist for help in diagnosing, for example, the level of mental development of a person, the reasons for the deviant behavior of a teenager, the state of the offender at the time of the crime, professional suitability, etc. .d.

These situations are distinguished by the client’s motivation and willingness to cooperate. In the first situation, the client himself asks for help; he is interested in resolving his issue. In a situation of examination, a person is, as it were, forcibly subjected to diagnosis and perceives it as an exam; a person's interest lies in controlling his responses as best as possible and guessing what is wanted from him. Conducting correct research with obtaining reliable and valid results requires the psychodiagnostician to be able to create the client’s situation from the examination situation. Psychodiagnostic data is used by the subject himself for self-development or other purposes; psychodiagnostician (for example, for psychocorrectional work); administration to make decisions, etc.

At the stage of preliminary work with the customer, the psychologist’s ethics requires a clear definition of the goals and objectives of psychodiagnostics (that is, placing an order). A clear definition of what the customer wants. It is important not to provide unnecessary information about the person (that does not answer the customer’s questions). It is best to answer the customer’s questions in the form of a conversation, which should be previously thought out by a psychologist.

If the customer requires a response from a psychologist in the form of a psychological report, then the latter must meet certain requirements:

1) must correspond to the purpose of the order, as well as the level of preparation of the customer to receive this type of information;

2) the content of the conclusion must follow from the diagnostic purposes and contain specific recommendations depending on the nature of the data obtained, if required by the customer;

3) the conclusion should include a brief description of the psychodiagnostic process, that is, the methods used, the data obtained with their help, the interpretation of the data, and conclusions; it is necessary to indicate the presence of situational variables during the study (state of the respondent; nature of the subject’s contact with the psychologist; non-standard testing conditions, etc.).

Stages of the psychodiagnostic process (according to J. Shvancar):

1. Formulation of the problem based on the study of all information about the individual (history, special medical reports, information about the individual in terms of his performance in an educational institution, etc.).

2. Formulation of hypotheses and selection of diagnostic methods.

3. Testing; analysis of the obtained data.

4. Formulation of conclusions (for example, about the level of mental development). Answers to the questions posed at the first stage.

5. Formulation of activities that are desirable based on psychological conclusions.

Classification of psychological diagnostic tools

Currently, there are several fairly substantiated classifications of psychodiagnostic techniques.

First, one can distinguish between diagnostic methods based on tasks that require a correct answer, or on tasks for which there are no correct answers . The first group includes many intelligence tests, tests of special abilities, and some personality traits (for example, the Raven test, the diagnostic procedure for determining Witkin’s field dependence-field independence, etc.). Diagnostic techniques of the second group consist of tasks that are characterized only by the frequency (and direction) of a particular answer, but not by its correctness. These are most personality questionnaires (for example, R. Cattell's 16-PF test).

Secondly, one can distinguish between verbal and non-verbal psychodiagnostic techniques. The former are in one way or another mediated by the speech activity of the subjects; the components of these task techniques appeal to memory, imagination, and belief systems in their language-mediated form. The latter include the speech ability of the subjects only in terms of understanding instructions, while the task itself is based on non-verbal abilities - perceptual, motor.

The third basis used for the classification of psychodiagnostic techniques is the characteristics of the basic methodological principle that underlies this technique .

On this basis they usually distinguish:

1) objective tests;

2) standardized self-reports, which in turn include: a) questionnaire tests; b) open questionnaires that require subsequent content analysis; c) scale techniques built according to the type of semantic differential of Charles Osgood; and classification techniques; d) individually oriented techniques such as role repertoire grids;

3) projective techniques;

4) dialogical (interactive) techniques (conversations, interviews, diagnostic games).

Objective tests are those methods in which the correct answer is possible, i.e. correct completion of the task.

Common to the entire group of standardized self-report methods is the use of the subject’s verbal abilities, as well as appeal to his thinking, imagination, and memory.

Questionnaire tests involve a set of points (questions, statements) regarding which the test taker makes judgments (as a rule, two or three alternative answer choices are used).

Open-ended questionnaires do not provide for a standardized response from the subject; standardization of processing is achieved by assigning random responses to standard categories.

Scale techniques involve the assessment of certain objects (verbal statements, visual material, specific persons, etc.) according to the expression in them of the quality specified by the scale (for example: “warm - cold”, “strong - weak”). Three-, five-, and seven-digit scales are commonly used. A special version of scaling is a subjective classification, which involves identifying the subjective structuring of objects at the level of the naming scale.

Individually oriented (ideographic) techniques such as repertory grids can be similar in form to scale, survey methods, or resemble a conversation or interview. Their main difference from questionnaire tests is that the parameters that are assessed (axes, dimensions, constructs) are not set from the outside, but are identified on the basis of the individual responses of this particular test subject. The difference between these methods and the interview method is that repertory grids allow the use of modern statistical apparatus and make reliable diagnostic conclusions regarding the individual characteristics of the subject.

In projective techniques, insufficiently structured material acting as a “stimulus”, with the appropriate organization of the entire experiment as a whole, gives rise to processes of fantasy and imagination, in which certain characteristics of the subject are revealed.

Dialogical techniques take into account that the psychodiagnostician comes into contact with the subject and achieves the best diagnostic results due to the specific features of this contact that are relevant to the diagnostic task. For example, when diagnosing family difficulties, the nature of a child’s personal development, and other cases when the diagnostician simultaneously acts as both a consultant and a psychotherapist. The situation of a diagnostic pathopsychological examination dictates the construction of communication on the principle of examination. Dialogical techniques can be verbal (interviews, conversations) and non-verbal (for example, playing with a child can act as a non-verbal diagnostic procedure).

Various methodological techniques on the basis of which certain methods are built can be placed on the same scale if the basis for the classification is taken as the measure of involvement of the psychodiagnostician himself in the diagnostic procedure and the degree of his influence on the examination result . Instrumental methods and objective psychological tests have the least involvement of the psychodiagnostician in the psychodiagnostic procedure, minimal influence of the personality of the psychodiagnostician and his experience as a psychologist on the results of the examination. Some forms of standardized self-reports—many questionnaires and scale techniques—have almost the same low degree of involvement of the psychodiagnostician.

In these methods, the personal qualities of the psychologist were embodied at the stage of development of the method; the examination procedure itself, as well as the recording of its results, turns out to be a routine operation, which, in principle, can be performed with the help of a non-psychological laboratory assistant or using a computer program. Diagnostic techniques, on the contrary, are characterized by the maximum degree of involvement of the psychodiagnostician in the process of psychodiagnostics, the maximum influence of his experience, professional skills, and communication abilities on the results of the examination.

Various types of conversations, interviews, diagnostic games, and pathopsychological experiments have these qualities. All other psychodiagnostic methods occupy an intermediate position between the two poles formed by objective tests and dialogic techniques. Multidimensional tests-questionnaires, which involve analysis of the profile as a whole and interpretation of individual scales, require the clinical experience of a psychodiagnostician and, therefore, at the stage of the psychodiagnostic conclusion are not free from the influence of the personality of the diagnostician.

The classification of diagnostic techniques serves the purpose of organizing information about them, finding grounds for their relationship, and thereby contributes to the deepening of specialized knowledge in the field of psychological diagnostics.

The tools available to modern psychodiagnostics can be divided into two groups based on their quality:

1) formalized methods (tests; questionnaires; methods of projective technique; psychophysiological methods);

2) poorly formalized techniques (observation; conversation; analysis of activity products).

Formalized methods are characterized by:

— certain regulation;

— objectification of the examination or test procedure (exact adherence to instructions, strictly defined methods of presenting stimulus material, non-interference of the researcher in the activities of the subject, etc.);

— standardization (i.e. establishing uniformity in the processing and presentation of the results of diagnostic experiments);

— reliability;

— validity.

These techniques make it possible to collect diagnostic information in a relatively short time and in a form that makes it possible to quantitatively and qualitatively compare individuals with each other.

Slightly formalized techniques provide very valuable information about the subject, especially when the subject of study is such mental processes and phenomena that are difficult to objectify (for example, poorly realized subjective experiences, personal meanings) or are extremely changeable in content (dynamics of goals, states, moods, etc.) .d.).

It should be borne in mind that poorly formalized methods are very labor-intensive (for example, observations of the subject are sometimes carried out over several months) and are largely based on the professional experience and psychological preparedness of the psychodiagnostician himself. Only the presence of a high level of culture in conducting psychological observations and conversations helps to avoid the influence of random and side factors on the results of an examination or test.

Both types of diagnostic techniques should not be opposed to each other. As a rule, they complement each other. A full-fledged diagnostic examination requires a harmonious combination of these and other techniques. Thus, the collection of data using tests should be preceded by a period of familiarization with the subjects (for example, with their biographical data, their inclinations, motivation for activity, etc.). For this purpose, interviews, conversations, and observations can be used.

The test as the main psychodiagnostic method also has various classifications:

1) by form (individual and group; oral and written; form, subject, hardware and computer; verbal and non-verbal);

2) by content (intelligence tests, ability tests, achievement tests, personality tests).

The objectives of psychodiagnostics are:

measurement of certain qualities, mental processes: cognitive, emotional, volitional;
determination of the characteristics of mental states, which are understood as holistic, temporary and dynamic characteristics of mental activity (uplift, confidence, melancholy, sadness, doubt, depression, despondency);
determination of the characteristics of a person’s mental properties: social orientation, character, temperament, abilities;
identification of psychological patterns in the formulation of personality and professionally important qualities;
study of a team, class, group;
development of the problem of psychological training of specialists;
studying the psychology of personality and work of specialists, the psychological foundations of his pedagogical skills and creativity;
psychological analysis of interaction and communication between teachers and children;
analysis of adaptation to the educational process;
justification of ways of democratization;
determining the state of development of a particular quality;
establishing changes that occurred under the influence of educational influences;
determining the prospects for the development of a particular quality;
dividing the people being examined into groups and categories for further differentiated work;
establishing a person’s professional suitability to perform their official duties;
determining the compliance of a particular quality with the norm in order to carry out corrective work;
developing recommendations for an individual or group;
studying the dynamics of cognitive, intellectual, personal and interpersonal development of the individual.
determining the child’s giftedness, his inclinations, individual abilities and inclinations in order to take timely measures for their development;
obtaining reliable information for educators, teachers and parents.

Psychodiagnostic methods: types, classification, application.

Although psychodiagnostics is considered a practical field, it is rather a link between general and applied psychology. That is, this is simultaneously the entire theoretical basis and the scope of practical work of a psychologist. Therefore, psychological diagnostics are divided into:

Theoretical . Here, testing methods are designed, data is collected and processed.
Practical . Here a technique is selected for a specific testing purpose and a specific client.

In the 21st century there is no single generally accepted classification of psychodiagnostic techniques. In practice, they are more often used:

Verbal: The test taker describes his actions in words.
Standardized: an approved test with a clear number of sequential questions, instructions for deciphering the result.
Intellectual: tests-tasks for speed of solution with clearly “correct” and “incorrect” answers, carried out with a time limit.
Personal: study of character, abilities, emotions, characteristics of memory, attentiveness, reactions, performance.

Psychological testing is:

Group/individual.
Oral/written/emotional.
Form/subject (cubes, figures)/software.
Professional/career guidance.

Psychological testing is used in individual counseling, but it is widely used to select candidates for vacant positions. Employment testing gives the employer the opportunity to evaluate an applicant using subjective methods and select the best candidate for the position, avoiding bias on the part of the manager, recruiter, or HR department employee.

During professional selection, the Amthauer (intelligence), Lüscher (temperament), Cattell (personal qualities), Belbin (sociability) and others tests are used. Depending on the vacant position, the specifics of the job, and the employer’s preferences, the set of techniques may vary.

In addition to data on professional suitability, the employer receives information: how well the applicant will meet the team and the requirements of corporate discipline, how he will be able to establish collaboration with colleagues. Separate stress checks provide information about how a person behaves in non-standard, extreme situations, how inclined he is to deceive and blame others.

But despite all the advantages, diagnostic methods have a big disadvantage: they do not predict how effective an employee will be after a year or two of working in the company. And therefore, a personal interview is still considered the decisive test.

Take a mental test