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The art of assessment in psychology: Ethics, expertise, and validity
Author(s) -
Cates James A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199905)55:5<631::aid-jclp10>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , psychological testing , psychological science , validity , applied psychology , engineering ethics , test validity , psychometrics , social psychology , clinical psychology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Psychological assessment is a hybrid, both art and science. The empirical foundations of testing are indispensable in providing reliable and valid data. At the level of the integrated assessment, however, science gives way to art. Standards of reliability and validity account for the individual instrument; they do not account for the integration of data into a comprehensive assessment. This article examines the current climate of psychological assessment, selectively reviewing the literature of the past decade. Ethics, expertise, and validity are the components under discussion. Psychologists can and do take precautions to ensure that the “art” of their work holds as much merit as the science. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 631–641, 1999.