Cross - cultural and ethical considerations in assessment

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Cross - cultural and ethical considerations in
assessment

• Discuss the culture in cross cultural
  assessment
• Summarize sources of measurement bias
• Linguistic considerations in test taking
• Psychometric Explanation for cultural bias
• Culture Fair Tests
• Ethical issues/guidelines in assessment
• Practice time
• Course Evaluations

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What do we mean by culture?

• 1) To delineate people living in different
  countries
• To refer to minority groups within a particular
  country, for example Blacks and Latinos living in
  the US
• a set of shared values and behaviors that include
  beliefs, customs, morals, laws, etc., that are
  acquired by a person, shared in common with other
  members who are typically in close proximity, but
  different from those held by others living in
  same geographical setting

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Measurement Bias - where can it occur?

• 1) Before the test
• 2) In the Test Itself
• 3) In the decisions that are made on the basis of
  tests scores

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Measurement Bias

• 1) Were loaded with items based
• on white middle class values/experiences
• 2) Penalized children w/ linguistic
• styles different from majority culture
• 3) Assessed cognitive styles often
• substantially different from those found
• in low income families
• 4) Were of no use in formulating
• instructional programs and
• 5) Were culturally biased and discriminated
  unfairly against racial and ethnic minorities

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Understanding Sources of Differences Between
Groups

• Messck and Anderson (1970) indicated that there
  are 3 possible sources for the typical finding
  that minority children do less well than majority
  children on tests of cognitive abilities
• 1) The test may measure different things for
  different groups.
• The test may involve irrelevant difficult
• The test may accurately reflect ability or
  achievement levels

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The psychometric perspective on cultural test
bias

• Psychometrically if a test is biased then that
  test results in systematic error related to one
  group but not to another.
• Slope Bias
• Intercept Bias

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English Speaking Considerations

• Lam (1993) indicates that test developers, of
  standardized achievement tests, make 5
  assumptions
• 1) Test takers have no linguistic barriers that
  might interfere with their performance
• 2) The test content is suitable and of
  appropriate difficulty level for the test taker
• 3) Test takers have the required test
  sophistication for taking standardized
  achievement tests
• 4) Test takers are properly motivated
• 5) Test takers to no have strong negative
  psychological reactions (such as excessive
  anxiety or stress) to testing.

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Cattells Culture Fair Intelligence Test

• No verbal content and is designed to reduce the
  effects of educational background Mean of 100 SD
  16
• Three sections typically involving completion of
  a series, recognition of how patterns have
  changed, mazes.
• Best considered culturally limited not culture
  free or fair

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Ravens Progressive Matrices

• Suitable for ages 6-80 - 3 levels of difficulty
• Unlimited (20-45 minutes average)
• Three critical aspects or critiques noted by
  Raven (based on Spearman reading)

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So--what to do?

• Recognize and verbalize limitations of testing on
  minority populations
• Dont necessarily ignore information from tests
• Work to understand the extent cultural factors
  may be influencing test results
• Use multiple sources of data (culture free tests)

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Personality assessment and cultural limitations

• Less often an issue of concern- but still
  relevant
• Some examples Asian clients more likely to
  express psych problems in terms of somatic
  complaints (elevated hypochondriasis scale on the
  MMPI). AA clients higher on schizophrenia index
• In America, African-Americans have what is called
  healthy cultural paranoia Because of the
  oppression experienced by the African-American
  people a healthy and completely normal distrust
  of Euro-Americans has formed (Terrell Terrell,
  1981).  This mistrust is beneficial to
  African-Americans in that it makes an individual
  aware of the negative elements of the
  African-American experience (i.e. racism,
  discrimination)
• Projective tests are even more problematic in
  terms of cultural limitations

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Ethics in assessment - Ethical Principles for
assessment

• 1) Basis and usage for assessment
• 2) Informed consent - purpose, limitations,
  language, and understandability
• 3) Release of test data
• 4) Test construction
• 5) Interpreting Writing assessment results
• 6) Assessment by unqualified Persons
• Example Qualification levels --
• Can you administer the 16PF???
• http//www.pearsonassessments.com/top/quallevels.h
  tm

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Ethical Principles, continued

• 7) Obsolete tests and outdated test results
• 8) Test Scoring and Interpretation Services
• 9) Explaining Assessment Results
• 10) Maintaining Test Security
• Penalties for not adhering to these codes? --
  will vary depending on your license, extent of
  violation, and most importantly degree of
  potential harm to client, prospective client, or
  broad test security issues

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Lets Practice!!!
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Case 1Referral Statement

• S.K. was referred for assessment by her mother
  who was curious to find out about her current
  psychological and intellectual functioning. S.K.
  is performing adequately in school, and her
  mother reports no known emotional or behavioral
  difficulties.

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Case 1Background Information

• S.K. is a 2nd generation Korean American 10th
  grader at Sunshine High School in Round Rock.
  S.K.s father died when she was five, and S.K.
  has lived with her mother, who works as a dental
  assistant, ever since. S.K.s mother reports a
  history of alcoholism and depression but is
  currently free of both problems.
• S.K.s teachers have reported that S.K. is
  socially isolated and unenthusiastic about her
  school work. Since beginning her education, S.K.
  has made mostly Cs on her report cards, with a
  few Bs here and there. She has not had any
  conduct problems with her teachers or fellow
  classmates in the past.
• During her interview, S.K. expressed an interest
  in improving her grades in school so that she
  could go to college and become a doctor. She
  also reported dissatisfaction with life at home
  and with the fact that she lacks a peer group.
  When asked to elaborate on these statements, she
  become quiet and replied, I dont know what I
  meant.

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Case 1Test Results

• J.J., a European American female school
  psychologist administered the following tests
  (with the exception of the WRAT) and a clinical
  interview over the course of five hours on a
  Saturday morning in the late spring in her
  private practice office.
• WRAT, taken at the end of 9th grade, percentile
  scores
• Spelling 45th
• Reading 51st
• Math 60th
• WAIS-III
• Verbal IQ 111
• Performance IQ 140
• Full Scale IQ 125

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Case 1Test Results, cont.