academic achievement
knowledge and skills that children learn through formal and information educational experiences; typically reflects reading, math, and written language
Achenbach System for Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)
behvior checklists that can be completed by parents, teachers, and children to assess children's externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and social-emotional functioning
affect
a child's short-term emotional expression; usually assessed by observation
Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) Self-Report of Personality
a broad, self-report measure of problems and areas of strength and adaptation for older children and adolescents
categorical classification
diagnostic approach in which disorders are divided into mutually exclusive groups based on sets of essential criteria
content validity
the degree to which test items are relevant to the construct of interest; usually supported by asking experts to rate the quality of each item
construct validity
the degree to which test scores assess the construct of interest; usually supported by strong correlations with similar constructs (convergent validity) and weak/absent correlations with dissimilar constructs (discriminant validity)
criterion-related validity
the degree to which test scores can be used to infer a probably standing on some external variable of interest; usually supported when test scores are associated with outcomes at the same point in time (concurrent validity) or in the future (predictive va
diagnostic interview
the most common assessment technique in which the clinician collects data regarding the child and family's presenting problem, history, and current functioning
dimensional classification
diagnostic approach in which the severity of the individual's distress and/or impairment is described on a continuum
fluid reasoning
a component of intelligence; the child's ability to solve novel, largely nonverbal problems; to detect underlying patterns or relationships among objects; and to engage in abstract thinking
functional analysis of behavior
an assessment technique in which the clinician attempts to identify the antecedent events that elicit a behavior and the environmental consequences that maintain it over time
insight
during a mental status exam, the degree to which the child recognizes that he might have a psychological problem
intelligence
a broad construct related to people's abilities to adapt to their environments, to solve problems, and to learn and use information accurately and efficiently
inter-rater reliability
the consistency of test scores across two or more raters or observers
internal consistency
the degree to which items on the same test are consistent with each other
judgment
during a mental status exam, the child's ability to consider the consequences of behavior before acting
mental status examination
a brief assessment of the child's current functioning in three broad areas: (1) appearance and actions, (2) emotion, and (3) cognition
MMPI-Adolescent-Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF)
a broad self-report measure of adolescents' social-emotional functioning; assesses emotional/internalizing dysfunction; behavioral/externalizing dysfunction; and thought, as well as nine clinical scales
mood
a child's long-term emotional disposition; usually assessed by self-report
multi-informational assessment
the process of gathering data from several different people to obtain an estimate of children's functioning across settings
multimethod assessment
the process of gathering data in a number of different ways to obtain a more complete picture of children's functioning
negative predictive power (NPP)
the likelihood that a low score on a test accurately indicates that the person does not have a disorder
norm-referenced tests
tests that yield scores that quantify the degree to which a child's performance on the test is similar to that of her peers
normally distributed
a bell-shaped distribution of scores in which most children earn scores near the mean and fewer earn scores at the extremes
orientation
during a mental status exam, the child's awareness of person, place, and time
personality
a broad construct that refers to a person's relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and overt actions
positive predictive power (PPP)
the likelihood that an elevated score on a test accurately indicates that the person has a disorder
predictive power
the ability of test results to predict the presence or absence of a disorder
processing speed
a component of intelligence; the child's capacity to visually scan visual information, to make quick and accurate decisions, and to rapidly implement your decisions
prototypical classification
diagnostic approach that is based on the degree to which the individual's signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture of the disorder
psychological assessment
the process of gathering data about children and families in order to reach valid conclusions about their current functioning and future well-being
psychosocial history
a portion of the diagnostic interview in which the clinician gathers information about the child's developmental, educational, medical, and psychological past
reliability
the consistency of scores generated by a psychological test
sign
an observable feature of a disorder
specifier
a label that describes a relatively homogenous subgroup of individuals with a given disorder
standard score
a child's raw score on a test that has been changed to a different scale with a designated mean and standard deviation
standardization
a property of evidence-based tests; indicates that tests are administered, scored, and interpreted in the same way to all examinees
structured diagnostic interview
an assessment process in which the clinician systematically reviews all of the major psychiatric diagnoses with children and/or parents to determine whether the child meets criteria for any diagnosis
symptom
a subjective experience associated with a disorder
test-retest reliability
the consistency of test scores over time; temporal stability
thought content
during a mental status exam, the manner in which the child forms associations and solves problems
validity
a test's ability to accurately reflect a desired construct
verbal comprehension
a component of intelligence; the child's word knowledge and her ability to use verbal information to express herself and solve word or story problems
visual-spatial reasoning
a component of intelligence; the child's ability to attend, organize, and interpret visually presented material and to use visual information to solve immediate problems
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V)
the most frequently used intelligence test for children; yields a full scale IQ (FSIQ) score and scores on five broad composites
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV)
the most frequently used intelligence test for children; yields scores for reading, math, and written language
working memory
a component of intelligence, the child's ability to attend to information, retain and manipulate visual or auditory information in memory, and apply information when necessary
academic achievement
knowledge and skills that children learn through formal and information educational experiences; typically reflects reading, math, and written language
Achenbach System for Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)
behvior checklists that can be completed by parents, teachers, and children to assess children's externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and social-emotional functioning
affect
a child's short-term emotional expression; usually assessed by observation
Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) Self-Report of Personality
a broad, self-report measure of problems and areas of strength and adaptation for older children and adolescents
categorical classification
diagnostic approach in which disorders are divided into mutually exclusive groups based on sets of essential criteria
content validity
the degree to which test items are relevant to the construct of interest; usually supported by asking experts to rate the quality of each item
construct validity
the degree to which test scores assess the construct of interest; usually supported by strong correlations with similar constructs (convergent validity) and weak/absent correlations with dissimilar constructs (discriminant validity)
criterion-related validity
the degree to which test scores can be used to infer a probably standing on some external variable of interest; usually supported when test scores are associated with outcomes at the same point in time (concurrent validity) or in the future (predictive va
diagnostic interview
the most common assessment technique in which the clinician collects data regarding the child and family's presenting problem, history, and current functioning
dimensional classification
diagnostic approach in which the severity of the individual's distress and/or impairment is described on a continuum
fluid reasoning
a component of intelligence; the child's ability to solve novel, largely nonverbal problems; to detect underlying patterns or relationships among objects; and to engage in abstract thinking
functional analysis of behavior
an assessment technique in which the clinician attempts to identify the antecedent events that elicit a behavior and the environmental consequences that maintain it over time
insight
during a mental status exam, the degree to which the child recognizes that he might have a psychological problem
intelligence
a broad construct related to people's abilities to adapt to their environments, to solve problems, and to learn and use information accurately and efficiently
inter-rater reliability
the consistency of test scores across two or more raters or observers
internal consistency
the degree to which items on the same test are consistent with each other
judgment
during a mental status exam, the child's ability to consider the consequences of behavior before acting
mental status examination
a brief assessment of the child's current functioning in three broad areas: (1) appearance and actions, (2) emotion, and (3) cognition
MMPI-Adolescent-Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF)
a broad self-report measure of adolescents' social-emotional functioning; assesses emotional/internalizing dysfunction; behavioral/externalizing dysfunction; and thought, as well as nine clinical scales
mood
a child's long-term emotional disposition; usually assessed by self-report
multi-informational assessment
the process of gathering data from several different people to obtain an estimate of children's functioning across settings
multimethod assessment
the process of gathering data in a number of different ways to obtain a more complete picture of children's functioning
negative predictive power (NPP)
the likelihood that a low score on a test accurately indicates that the person does not have a disorder
norm-referenced tests
tests that yield scores that quantify the degree to which a child's performance on the test is similar to that of her peers
normally distributed
a bell-shaped distribution of scores in which most children earn scores near the mean and fewer earn scores at the extremes
orientation
during a mental status exam, the child's awareness of person, place, and time
personality
a broad construct that refers to a person's relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and overt actions
positive predictive power (PPP)
the likelihood that an elevated score on a test accurately indicates that the person has a disorder
predictive power
the ability of test results to predict the presence or absence of a disorder
processing speed
a component of intelligence; the child's capacity to visually scan visual information, to make quick and accurate decisions, and to rapidly implement your decisions
prototypical classification
diagnostic approach that is based on the degree to which the individual's signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture of the disorder
psychological assessment
the process of gathering data about children and families in order to reach valid conclusions about their current functioning and future well-being
psychosocial history
a portion of the diagnostic interview in which the clinician gathers information about the child's developmental, educational, medical, and psychological past
reliability
the consistency of scores generated by a psychological test
sign
an observable feature of a disorder
specifier
a label that describes a relatively homogenous subgroup of individuals with a given disorder
standard score
a child's raw score on a test that has been changed to a different scale with a designated mean and standard deviation
standardization
a property of evidence-based tests; indicates that tests are administered, scored, and interpreted in the same way to all examinees
structured diagnostic interview
an assessment process in which the clinician systematically reviews all of the major psychiatric diagnoses with children and/or parents to determine whether the child meets criteria for any diagnosis
symptom
a subjective experience associated with a disorder
test-retest reliability
the consistency of test scores over time; temporal stability
thought content
during a mental status exam, the manner in which the child forms associations and solves problems
validity
a test's ability to accurately reflect a desired construct
verbal comprehension
a component of intelligence; the child's word knowledge and her ability to use verbal information to express herself and solve word or story problems
visual-spatial reasoning
a component of intelligence; the child's ability to attend, organize, and interpret visually presented material and to use visual information to solve immediate problems
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V)
the most frequently used intelligence test for children; yields a full scale IQ (FSIQ) score and scores on five broad composites
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV)
the most frequently used intelligence test for children; yields scores for reading, math, and written language
working memory
a component of intelligence, the child's ability to attend to information, retain and manipulate visual or auditory information in memory, and apply information when necessary