What does a psychological evaluation consist of?

This process allows to capture and analyze the necessary information to intervene from psychology.

The psychological assessment process is one of the most important components of intervention in the field of psychology. It is thanks to it that it is possible to propose effective measures to treat specific problems based on what has been observed.

In this article we will see how it is defined and in what consists a psychological evaluation and the diagnosis to which it leads..

The birth of the idea of psychological assessment

The historical moment in which the greatest boom and scientific development of the psychological particularities of the human being took place corresponds mainly to the 19th and 20th centuries (although a considerable volume of earlier studies and research is assumed).

With this and from the development of certain disciplines of knowledge such as statistics, pedagogy, experimental psychology, among others, it was possible to establish some first approaches to the concept of diagnosis, it was possible to establish some first approximations to the concept of diagnosis..

As in most aspects related to the field of psychology, the definition of this phenomenon has been reformulated on the basis of the new contributions that authors have been proposing throughout history.

Within the more contemporary perspectives, there are three theoretical currents that have served as a basis for explaining what is have served as a basis for explaining what type of variables should be the subject of diagnosisThe environmentalist (emphasis on situational factors as behavioral determinants), the interactionist (relevance of the interaction between subject and environment) and the cognitivist (cognitive style as a behavioral basis).

Psychological diagnosis and its components

The findings of the three aforementioned psychological currents have made possible a deeper and more complete definition of what the diagnostic process entails. According to its general meaning, diagnosis implies the analysis of data collected with the purpose of evaluating (or knowing) certain aspects of different nature..

Applying this characterization to the field of psychology, the object of study is the description of the cognitive, emotional and behavioral particularities of a particular subject. Therefore, it seems relevant for this purpose to consider how this individual relates to his or her usual contexts of interaction..

In addition, it is assumed that the diagnosis has the ultimate purpose of intervention (as the most frequent, although not the only, objective) and is delimited at all times within the scientific-technical field.. Its process involves the combination of different work methodologies.

The three elements of diagnosis in psychology

A diagnosis has three main elements: the subject on which the process is based, the object that establishes the contents on which the diagnosis is based, and the purpose of the diagnosis, which motivates the application of a specific intervention that reflects the causes or factors that lead to the observations made in the diagnosis.

In addition, the proposed intervention can be classificatory (place that the subject occupies with respect to a reference group), modifying (which influential causes should be modified), preventive (implementation of alternatives to avoid a specific future situation) or restructuring (reorganization of the influencing factors for preventive purposes).

The phases of the general process of psychological diagnosis

There are various contributions made by experts in the field on the number and type of procedures that should make up the diagnostic process. It seems, however, that there is a certain consensus there is some consensus on the inclusion of four main phaseseach of which has different, more specific stages.

1. Planning

In the planning phase, the following are distinguished search for preliminary information regarding the subject and his environment, an analysis that supports the initial assumptions (depending on the classificatory, preventive or restructuring nature of the diagnosis) and, finally, the configuration of the diagnostic development where the initially proposed variables of analysis are established.

2. Development

A second stage consists of the development of the process, in which the theoretical framework on which to base the contributions that will facilitate the study of the units of analysis is delimited, being as simple as possible and and presenting an adequate predictive capacity the results of future observations.

3. Verification of the hypotheses

Subsequently, a third step is the verification of the initial theoretical verification of the theoretical hypotheses initially proposed The third step is the verification of the theoretical hypotheses initially proposed with respect to the findings of the observations made during the evaluation.

4. Report writing

Finally, a report of results should be drawn up which includes the relevant data of the evaluator and the evaluated, all the procedures applied during the process, the findings and their assessment and, ultimately, the relevant orientations that will guide the subsequent intervention process.

The report must be adapted to the addressee in terms of form and type of language used, as well as in the tone and expressions used in it, so that the addressee understands it.

Characteristics of the Psychological Report

A psychological report is a document that reflects the results obtained from the analysis and contrast of hypotheses initially raised, which have motivated the evaluation of the subject in question.

This instrument presents an objective character, in such a way that the communication of the data found is facilitated to the target party..

Generically, a report should include identification data of the evaluator and the person being evaluated, the objectives motivating the report, a description of the information gathering techniques, the procedure used, the results obtained, the examiner's conclusion and final assessment, and the guidelines to be implemented as an intervention.

In addition, the format and style of a psychological report can be differentiated according to the criteria on which it is based. Theoretical (according to the guidelines of a specific theoretical model), technical (organizing the results from the tests and techniques applied) and problem-based (the demand or reason for consultation marks a specific structure in the report).

On the other hand, the psychological report has legal validity and is considered a scientific document (findings are replicable). (the findings are replicable) and useful (it includes final guidelines for psychological intervention).

The behavioral or functional approach in psychological assessment

There are several types of approaches that can be taken to guide the process of psychological assessment of an individual:

• Traditional approach (or attribute model): focused on analyzing personality traits as the fundamental units of study.

• Operational approach or evolutionary: model that defends a set of evolutionary stages in the psychological development of the subject.

• Cognitive approachfocused on the study of the person's cognitions as the main axis.

• Psychoeducational approach or prescriptive: more focused on school learning and the analysis of students' intellectual capacities.

• Behavioral or functional approach or functional: oriented to the evaluation of the relationship between the internal and external variables of the subject as determinants of his own behavior.

From the most behavioral (or cognitive-behavioral) psychological currents, the functional approach is usually the approach used during the diagnostic referral process.. This model allows a more complete study and analysis of the determining variables in the evaluation process because it defends the premise that behavior must be considered taking into account a multiplicity of influencing factors, both internal and external.

Thus, human behavior should not be understood as the result of the sum of individual factors, since each interaction that occursSince each interaction that takes place between two (or more) already results in itself in a type of influence totally different from the aggregate of its original causative factors. Given its enormous complex and plastic (or modifiable) character, its explanation should be approached following this same philosophy: that of considering its determining elements also as complex and variable.

The characteristics of the functional approach

The functional approach prioritizes environmental or contextual variables (at an early stage) and interactionist variables (at a later stage) as determinants of the individual's behavior, thus prioritizing the analysis of this type of variables in the diagnostic process. Its postulates derive from the Theory of Behavior Modification and from the contributions of authors such as B. F. Skinner, mainly.

Within this model three perspectives can be distinguishedwhich differentially emphasize the influence of the environment, the subject's characteristics or the interaction of two factors: the behavioral-situationalist, the cognitive-behavioral and the cognitive-social-behavioral perspectives, respectively.

Given the relevance of the observable factors advocated by this theoretical proposal, the variables taken as the unit of analysis are those occurring at the present moment, which are accompanied by antecedents and close consequents.

At the methodological level, its assumptions are evaluated experimentally by means of objective observation of the subject's behavioral repertoire of the subject's behavioral repertoire as a reflection of internal abilities and capacities. It corresponds, therefore, to an intrasubject deductive-inductive methodology.

This model has both an interventive (or modifying) and preventive purpose, since it has incorporated the interaction between the subject and his environment as a variable object of analysis. It thus understands the dynamic power of this relationship between both elements and gives behavior a significance of modifiability and adaptability (hence its preventive capacity).

Psychological assessment as a process

As can be seen from the reading of the text, the psychological evaluation process becomes a set of rigorously established procedures, the process of psychological evaluation becomes a set of rigorously established procedures that are fundamental to enable an adequate diagnosis and, subsequently, a psychological intervention which are essential to enable an adequate diagnosis and, subsequently, a psychological intervention appropriate to the particularities of each individual and the therapeutic objectives to be achieved.

In this sense, the functional approach has been exposed as a model that has a significant theoretical support, which allows a complete analysis of all the variables that may be influencing the current state (symptomatology, behaviors, cognitions, etc.) of the individual.

Bibliographical references:

• Caballo, V. E. & Simon, M. A. (2001): Manual de Psicología Clínica Infantil. Madrid: Pirámide.
• Cohen, R. & Swerdlik, M. (2001): Pruebas y Evaluación Psicológicas. Mexico: McGraw-Hill.
• Fernández-Ballesteros, R. (2000): Introduction to Psychological Assessment. Madrid: Pirámide.
• Forns, M. (1993): Evaluación psicológica infantil. Barcelona: Barcanova.