What Have Surveys Taught Us About the Teaching and Practice of Psychological Assessment?

Abstract

In efforts to gather information about training in and the practice of psychological assessment, numerous surveys of practicing psychologists, training program directors, and internship training directors have been conducted. In this article, I briefly review all survey studies about psychological assessment that have appeared in the last 30 years (1960 through early 1990). The major findings of all the surveys are summarized in 14 points, and discussion of several of the points is provided. Of most significance, the surveys collectively attest to (a) the remarkable stability of psychologists' assessment practices over the past 3 decades; (b) the ever-consistent, ever-continuing significance of the assessment role in psychological training and practice; and (c) the resilient, enduring nature of projective techniques in psychodiagnostic assessment.

Historical influences on the use of assessment methods in counseling psychology

“…First, assessment has long occupied and continues to occupy an important place in counseling psychology. This may go without saying, but considering some of the hard times upon which assessment has fallen in past decades (Millon, 1984;Weiner, 1972), it seems worth repeating that assessment is still very much alive and, at this particular point in time, is experiencing a renaissance of sorts (Abeles, 1990;Watkins, 1991). The importance of assessment can be seen reflected in documents about the counseling specialty (AACD, 1988;APA, 198l), in recent role and function studies (Bubenzer et al, 1990;May & Scott, 1989), and in publications that increasingly attempt to address the assessment-counseling interface (Hood & Johnson, 199 1 ;Watkins & Campbell, 1990a, 199Ob).…”

Use of psychological tests within vocational rehabilitation

“…It is clear that throughout the decades professionals have been drawn to particular tests [18,32], and it would be prudent to ask why this pattern continues (particularly when one considers the number of tests now available and continued concerns with projectives). After reviewing 30 years of research related to psychological assessments, Watkins [31] presented three reasons for the continued stability and frequent use of certain instruments: (1) assessors' belief that they provide the best information to respond to the assessment question at hand, (2) longevity of instruments and their frequent mention in research jour-nals, and (3) assessors' graduate training. Watkins [31] contended that popular tests may be caught in a reinforcement cycle, whereby graduate training programs emphasize particular tests which in turn are selected by both practitioners and researchers.…”

Trainee and Client Experiences of Therapeutic Assessment in a Required Graduate Course: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Although there has been a historical decline in the use of and training in psychological assessment, in some ways this defining professional practice has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of criticism from the 1960s to the early 1990s (Watkins, 1991). The rise of managed care organizations during this period represented a critical threat to psychological assessment (e.g., Stedman, Hatch, & Schoenfeld, 2001), which continues to this day.…”