Monday, March 06, 2006

The "art and science" of psychologcal testing - we are the instrument


There has been an extremely active thread on the CHC listserv that has resurrected a quote that has been attributed to me...."we are the instrument"...with re: to the art and science of "intelligent" intelligence testing and interpretation. It reminded me of a quote that captures a good portion of the variance of my "we are the instrument" mantra. It is reproduced below. The source is also listed.

Meyer et al. (2001). Psychological testing and psychological assessment. American Psychologist, February
  • "Tests do not think for themselves, nor do they directly communicate with patients. Like a stethoscope, a blood pressure gauge, or an MRI scan, a psychological test is a dumb tool, and the worth of the tool cannot be separated from the sophistication of the clinician who draws inferences from it and then communicates with patients and professionals”