Controversial applications of psychology ——psychometric testing Kline（1992）suggests that psychological tests fall into one of five categories：●Ability tests—those measuringintelligence，general reasoning，verbal，numerical or spatial ability.●Aptitude tests—those measuringspecialised skills , such as hand-eyeco-ordination or attention in pilotselection .●Personality tests –those measuringtraits or characteristics such asEysenck’s personality inventory(which assesses extroversion, ect.).●Motivational tests - those measuringdrive and interest for the purpose ofvocational guidance.●Other tests –those measuring mentaldisorders or learning deficits.A psychometric test is one that measures some aspect of a person’s psychological functioning to provide a score which can●enable comparisons to be made withthe scores of other people (sometests are standardized around apopulation心理学应用的争议——心理测量保罗·克兰（1922）提议将心理测量分为五种类型：●能力测试——它们测量智力、一般推理，语言、数字运算或空间关系的能力。
●能力倾向测试——测试特殊能力，像手眼协调能力或是飞行员选拔中的注意力分配。
●人格测试——测试的是特质或特性，像艾森克的人格问卷（用于评估外倾力等等）●动机测试——测试内驱力以及有目标导向的兴趣其它测试——测试精神疾病或学习障碍。
心理测试通过测量一个人心理机能的某些方面来得到一个分数。
这个分数可以用来与他人的进行比较（一些测验标准是依据人们的平均数或标准制定的，使得分数在比较中更为准确）average or norm, enabling scores to be more accurately compared).●enable predictions to be madeconcerning future behavior andperformance .Psychometric tests are, thus, obviously of use in selection purposes, to distinguish between individuals and to decide which are the most suitable for certain tasks, careers or special treatment. Given their significant potential importance, the key controversial issues become:IS THE TEST FAIRLY CONDUCTEDThe psychologist must take into account ●conditions of testing -which must bethe same for all those being testedor differences may be due , forexample , to distractions●experience of testing - experience oftesting may lead to betterperformance due to practice , or justfamiliarity leading to less anxiety .●motivation and intentions of thosetested –unmotivated subjects willperform under theircapability ,highly motivated subjects may give socially desirable answers or lie ●这些分数还可以对未来的行为和成绩作出预测。
心理学测量常用在选拔性项目上，用来分辨个体间的不同，以确定哪一个人最适合特定任务，职业或是专业化操作。
由于心理学测验具有重大的潜在价值，产生了以下争论：测试的实施是否公平？心理学家必须考虑●测试条件——所用被试的测试条件必须相同，或者说测试结果与预期的不同是因为例如，注意力的分配。
●测试经验——测试经验可能导致较好的成绩，这是因为进行了练习或者是因为熟悉性导致焦虑减少。
●被测者的动机和意图——动机不强的被试，成绩会在他们的能力之下，而动机过强的被试，可能会为给出社会所期望的答案或说谎。
IS THE TEST FAIRLY CONSTRUCTED?Tests constructed to measure a universal ability should not be biased in favor of one type of population. This is especially important if tests are applied in cross-cultural contextsIS THE TEST TECHNICALLY SOUND?Tests need to showvalidity–measure what they are supposed to measurereliability–measure consistently and fairlystandardisation and discriminatory pow er –to be able to properly differentiate between subjects taking the testARE THE TEST RESULTS PROPERLY USED AND APPLIED? Psychologists should take care that they ●do not assume the results areperfectly stable –abilities maychange over time, so a singleassessment may be unfair●do not assume the results are perfectly predictive –there may not be a correspondence between test responses and real life behavior do not use the results to label people测验的实施是否公平？测量一般能力的测试所包含的成分不能偏向于支持一类人。
这在测验应用于跨文化测试时显得尤为重要。
测试技术是否完善？测试需要展示出效度——测量它们被假定测试的。
信度——测量一致性和公正性。
标准化和分辨力——能将参加测验的被试进行合理的区分。
测试结果是否恰当使用及应用？心理学家应该注意，●不要假设结果是非常稳定的——能力可能随时间而改变，所以，单一的评估可能不公平。
●不要认为结果是完全具有可预测性——测试的反应和真实的生活行为可能不相符。
不要用测验结果给人们贴上标●–negative as well as positive effectscan follow testing, e.g. aself-fulfilling prophecy●do not use the results to comparepeople if the test was not devisedfor the purpose –tests notstandardized on a common scaleshould not be used to comparedifferent people, e.g. ipsative tests ●do not fail to take into accountother important factors, or use thetest results as the only source ofdataGiven their potentially controversial aspects and applications, why are psychometric tests still employed? Psychometric testing has several advantages●It is easy, quick and cheap toconduct●If the tests are well constructed theycan be more objective and fairerthan the subjective views of aninterviewer for selection purposes. They have been shown to be very useful fora employersb employeesc people suffering problems ●——消极影响和积极影响会伴随测验而生，例如，自我实现的预言。
●不要用测验结果去比较人，如果测验不是为了这个目的而设计的——没有用一个标准的等级尺度加以标准化的测验不应该用于比较不同的人。
例如，自比测验●不要忘了考虑其他重要的因素，并且用测验结果作为唯一的数据源。
尽管考虑到心理测验存在潜在的有争议的方面和应用，为什么他们仍然会被采用呢？心理测验有以下优点：●实施起来简单，快捷，而且便宜。