Post  a brief description of a specific testing scenario. Then describe one reliable test item and one unreliable test item for that testing scenario. Finally, explain what determines whether an item is reliable or unreliable within the scenario you presented.

/in /by

Test item reliability indicates how consistent the results produced from items on a test are. Consistency can refer to the items’ stability over time or the consistency of the items with each other. If an item is unreliable, statistical relationships will appear weaker than they really are and inappropriate conclusions may be drawn regarding the relationships between variables.

A measurement of reliability consists of the extent to which an observed score (which is the true score plus or minus error) accurately reflects the true score. Returning to the example in this week’s Introduction, if your true weight were 150 pounds and you stepped on the scale hundreds of times, it would sometimes show 149, sometimes 151, and sometimes 150. If you averaged all of those weights, you would come close to your true score. If you looked at how much the weights varied, you would have a good measure of the scale’s error.

The situation is similar with a psychological test—a score on an IQ test represents an estimate of the theoretical “true” IQ; however, that observed score also includes error.

Researchers or test developers measure a test’s reliability with a reliability coefficient, generally a positive correlation coefficient that is less than 1.00. (A correlation of 1.00 would indicate perfect correlation, which is theoretically impossible due to inherent error in measurement.) Acceptable reliability coefficients for psychological tests or test items are generally at least .70. If you know a test’s reliability, you can calculate its margin of error, a “plus or minus” band that indicates an interval likely to contain the true score.

A test item is reliable if its variations over time primarily reflect variations in what you are measuring. An unreliable item would show changes over periods that are not possible or are theoretically unexpected depending on the construct you are measuring. For instance, personality is a construct that is believed to be constant over a period of years or decades. An item that stated, “I feel happier than usual today” would be unreliable for measuring personality, because the construct of mood easily changes from day to day, much more quickly than the construct of personality.

For this week’s Discussion, think of a specific testing scenario. Then consider a reliable test item for that testing scenario and an unreliable item for that same testing scenario. Consider how you might know if these items are reliable or unreliable.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post  a brief description of a specific testing scenario. Then describe one reliable test item and one unreliable test item for that testing scenario. Finally, explain what determines whether an item is reliable or unreliable within the scenario you presented.

1· Analyze how professionals from your specialization and from the other specialization you examined in Part 1 might collaborate to benefit the person and family in the case study you chose. 

/in /by
  • Directions-
  • Part 1

Evaluate the role of your Mental Health Counselor within the field of counseling, beginning with your own description of the field itself, including both the history and the philosophies involved, explaining where your specialization fits, and describing how your specialization might collaborate with one other specialization that you describe. Cite the articles or other sources you use for the basis of your ideas.

In this part, specifically address the following questions:

1· How would you describe the key philosophies of the counseling profession: wellness, resilience, and prevention? Choose a wellness model, and explain how that model impacts the way in which counselors view clients and the concerns brought to counseling, including the kinds of information counselors need to have about their clients.

2· How have those key philosophies developed? Provide a brief historical perspective of the counseling profession focused on the key philosophies of wellness, resilience, and prevention. Include the beliefs and assumptions that support those philosophies.

3· How did your specialization develop? Identify your preferred counseling specialization and describe how the specialization emerged or the profession developed, including the key ideas on which it is based.

4· What other counseling specialization works well in collaboration with your specialization? Briefly explain the history of how this other specialization developed, highlighting the ways in which it complements yours.

Part 2

Now, using the story of Ashley as a foundation for illustrating how professionals in different specializations might work together to meet the needs of the client you choose:

Ashley

Ashley, a 12-year-old girl, admits to one of her teachers that she feels very depressed. Her mother has recently remarried, and Ashley is having difficulty adjusting to life with her stepfather and his two children. She is not able to concentrate in class or do her homework.

For this part, apply what you have learned about counseling and how professionals can work together to explain how you might collaborate with a professional in another specialization to serve the client you chose.

In this part, complete the following:

1· Analyze how professionals from your specialization and from the other specialization you examined in Part 1 might collaborate to benefit the person and family in the case study you chose.

o Describe the role and function of each of the professionals involved.

o Identify the characteristics that make each role unique and make them effective counselors for this case.

2· Assess how to ensure good collaboration and communication between the professionals representing the two specializations.

o Identify the type of outside agency that could assist this client to promote optimal wellness, providing two examples.

o Explain the standards or criteria that you would use to evaluate the collaboration.

Must be 3-4 pages cited using APA format

Post  an argument for or against the use of cut-off scores in diagnoses that might affect court decisions.

/in /by

Assessment methods provide data to the clinician, however, the clinician must decide how to use the data in making a decision or recommendation with regard to the client. The assessment data do not make the decision for the clinician, rather the data are used by the clinician in making the decision. The process of clinical decision-making requires the clinician to apply the data to clinical “decision rules or guidelines.” For example, one guideline may be that if a clinician believes that their client, as a result of a mental illness, poses a substantial and imminent risk of harm to self or others then that clinician is obligated to pursue available means to have the client hospitalized. If a client reports suicidal ideation then the clinician must apply this information to their “decision rule” to determine if hospitalization is warranted. Also, the criteria determining an intellectual disability indicates a significantly below-average performance on a standardized test of intelligence, the presence of functional impairments, and onset prior to age 18. The criterion for establishing significant impairment in intelligence is frequently established as a score below 70 on a standardized test of intelligence.

All psychological tests have some degree of error and this reduces the accuracy of a score. Therefore, it cannot be established with certainty that an individual has a specific IQ of 69, 70, or 71, rather, there is a certainty of a score within a particular range, accounting for error. This application of data to clinical decisions is referred to as “clinical validity”—is the decision clinically valid? Clinicians must carefully assess their confidence in their decision as well as the consequences of an error in clinical judgment as a result of ever-present measurement error.

This week you are asked to take a position with regard to a current legal standard.

Review this week’s Learning Resources and analyze the Virginia v. Atkins ruling in which the Supreme Court has determined that it is unconstitutional to execute an individual who has an intellectual disability. In its decision the court stipulated that one criterion is an IQ score below 70. Consider the use of this “cut-off” score in formulating this type of decision. Remember, this is not a discussion about the death penalty; rather, it is a discussion about the use of specific cut-off scores in making clinical, administrative, or legal decisions.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post  an argument for or against the use of cut-off scores in diagnoses that might affect court decisions. Use the current literature to support your response. Then, justify an alternative solution to this issue using the Learning Resources and current literature to support your response. Finally, explain one way cut-off scores might be applied in clinical practice.

 

No more than 500 words

 

APA format

 

answer all the questions

 

no title page

Describe how the developments changed society’s understanding. How is the development applicable outside of the social sciences?

/in /by

For this assignment, reflect on what you consider to be some of the most significant developments covered in this theme (for example, discoveries, changes in thinking, or research advances), and address the following:

  • Identify the developments and how they impact individuals or larger groups/cultures.
  • Describe how the developments changed society’s understanding. How is the development applicable outside of the social sciences?

This assignment can be completed through a “micro-presentation” format (1 to 2 slides) or a short-answer response (1 to 2 paragraphs).

Please note that this assignment is an opportunity for you to practice elements of the last project, due in the next theme. In that last project, you will complete either a presentation or a short paper. When choosing your format for this assignment, consider what you will do for the last project. Then choose one of the two options below:

  • If you are choosing to submit your final reflection as a presentation: Complete the micro-presentation for this assignment (a presentation with 1 to 2 slides and accompanying notes). You may use a presentation platform of your choice (Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) to complete this assignment. To learn more about obtaining Microsoft 365 and creating PowerPoint or Prezi presentations, view the Supporting Resources document.
  • If you are choosing to submit your final reflection as a short paper: Complete the short answer response for this assignment (a written response of 1 to 2 paragraphs). Both assignments will be graded using the same criteria.

To complete this assignment, review the Learning Block 6-3 Reflection Rubric document