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psychological test

any standardized instrument, including scales and self-report inventories, used to measure behavior or mental attributes, such as attitudes, emotional functioning, intelligence and cognitive abilities (reasoning, comprehension, abstraction, etc.), aptitudes, values, interests, and personality characteristics. For example, a researcher might use a psychological test of emotional intelligence to examine whether some managers make better decisions in conflict situations than do others. Also called psychometric test.

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Psychology term of the day

September 8th 2024

drift

drift

n.

1. a reduction in variation in genetic traits that can occur when sampling from continually smaller groups, such that some traits ultimately become excluded from possibility.

2. a reduction in the reliability of technical instruments orin the accuracy of observers over time. See instrument drift; observer drift.