Introduction to Psychological Assessment in the South African Context 5e is an introductory text on measuring and assessing human behaviour within a complex multicultural environment. It offers a practical guide to the development of culturally appropriate measures and the application of assessment measures, as well as the interpretation and reporting of results. The book provides advice with regard to assessing young children and disabled individuals and also discusses the various contexts in which psychological measures are used, including education, counselling, the psycho-legal domain, and research. The book features critical-thinking exercises that present students with typical assessment scenarios to develop their reasoning skills. Real-life South African examples and case studies illustrate the theory, and allow students to apply psychological assessment principles in practice.

ESSENTIALS OF STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 10th Edition delivers straightforward instruction, hands-on learning tools and real-world examples to help you go beyond memorizing formulas to truly understanding the hows and whys of statistics.

Giving extra focus to the topics students typically struggle with most, the authors take time to fully explain statistical concepts. Integrated applications reinforce concepts, offering further support to ensure that even those with a weak background in mathematics can fully grasp statistics.

The authors also illustrate how an understanding of statistical procedures will help you comprehend published findings -- ultimately leading you to become a savvy consumer of information.

This book provides an overview of the research related to psychological assessment across South Africa. The thirty-six chapters provide a combination of psychometric theory and practical assessment applications in order to combine the currently disparate research that has been conducted locally in this field. Existing South African texts on psychological assessment are predominantly academic textbooks that explain psychometric theory and provide brief descriptions of a few testing instruments. Psychological Assessment in South Africa provides in-depth coverage of a range of areas within the broad field of psychological assessment, including research conducted with various psychological instruments. The chapters critically interrogate the current Eurocentric and Western cultural hegemonic practices that dominate the field of psychological assessment. The book therefore has the potential to function both as an academic text for graduate students, as well as a specialist resource for professionals, including psychologists, psychometrists, remedial teachers and human resource practitioners.

Assessment is an important part of any psychologist's role and the outcome can have consequences, positive and negative, for the person being assessed. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is a guide to drawing up, administering and interpreting assessment procedures, and judging whether the techniques used are theoretically and procedurally sound. It also takes a special look at assessment from an organisational perspective, because although many of the technical and scientific issues with respect to psychological assessment are common to all areas of applied psychology, there are numerous issues and applications that are unique to the organisational context. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is more of a "how to" than a critical text, but includes some background information and in-depth theorising for more problematic issues. A glossary of terms and a unique cognitive map of psychological tests are provided. Changes in this third edition include a new chapter on the history of assessment in South Africa, and the dominant narrative in some quarters that industrial psychologists set out deliberately to ensure the failure of some segments of the workforce. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is aimed at third year and honours students of psychology and industrial psychology as well as practitioners.

Featuring an emphasis on future consumers of psychological research and examples drawn from popular media, Research Methods in Psychology: Evaluating a World of Information develops students' critical-thinking skills as they evaluate information in their everyday lives. The Fourth Edition of this best-selling text takes learning to a new level for both consumers and producers by offering new content, interactive learning and online assessment to help them master the concepts.

Evidence-based practice has become the benchmark for quality in healthcare and builds on rules of evidence that have been developed in psychology and other health-care disciplines over many decades. This volume aims to provide clinical neuropsychologists with a practical and approachable reference for skills in evidence-based practice to improve the scientific status of patient care. The core skills involve techniques in critical appraisal of published diagnostic-validity or treatment studies. Critical appraisal skills assist any clinician to evaluate the scientific status of any published study, to identify the patient-relevance of studies with good scientific status, and to calculate individual patient-probability estimates of diagnosis or treatment outcome to guide practice. Initial chapters in this volume review fundamental concepts of construct validity relevant to the assessment of psychopathology and cognitive abilities in neuropsychological populations. These chapters also summarize exciting contemporary development in the theories of personality and psychopathology, and cognitive ability, showing a convergence of theoretical and clinical research to guide clinical practice. Conceptual skills in interpreting construct validity of neuropsychological tests are described in detail in this volume. In addition, a non-mathematical description of the concepts of test score reliability and the neglected topic of interval estimation for individual assessment is provided. As an extension of the concepts of reliability, reliable change indexes are reviewed and the implication of impact on evidence-based practice of test scores reliability and reliable change are described to guide clinicians in their interpretation of test results on single or repeated assessments. Written by some of the foremost experts in the field of clinical neuropsychology and with practical and concrete examples throughout, this volume shows how evidence-based practice is enhanced by reference to good theory, strong construct validity, and better test score reliability.

Research is finding a way to measure the problem. This seminal 2-volume book contains hundreds of the most useful measurement tools for use in clinical practice and in research. All measures are critiqued by the editors, who provide guidance on how to select and score them and the actual measures are wholly reproduced. This second volume, focusing on measures for use with adults, whose conditions of concerns are not focused on family relationships or couple relationships, includes an introduction to the basic principles of measurement, an overview of different types of measures, and an overview of the Rapid Assessment Inventories included herein. Volume II also contains descriptions and reviews of each instrument, as well as information on how they were selected and how to administer and score them. This book is designed as the definitive reference volume on assessment measures for both practice and research in clinical mental health. This fifth edition of Corcoran and Fischer's Measures for Clinical Practice and Research is updated with a new preface, new scales, and updated information for existing instruments, expanding and cementing its utility for members of all the helping professions, including psychology, social work, psychiatry, counseling, nursing, and medicine. Alone or as a set, these classic compendiums are powerful tools that clinicians and researchers alike will find an invaluable addition to - or update of - their libraries.

Recent events have vividly underscored the societal importance of science, yet the majority of the public are unaware that a large proportion of published scientific results are simply wrong. The Problem with Science is an exploration of the manifestations and causes of this scientific crisis, accompanied by a description of the very promising corrective initiatives largely developed over the past decade to stem the spate of irreproducible results that have come to characterize many of our sciences. More importantly, Dr. R. Barker Bausell has designed it to provide guidance to practicing and aspiring scientists regarding how (a) to change the way in which science has come to be both conducted and reported in order to avoid producing false positive, irreproducible results in their own work and (b) to change those institutional practices (primarily but not exclusively involving the traditional journal publishing process and the academic reward system) that have unwittingly contributed to the present crisis. There is a need for change in the scientific culture itself. A culture which prioritizes conducting research correctly in order to get things right rather than simply getting it published.

Assessment is an important part of any psychologist's role and the outcome can have consequences, positive and negative, for the person being assessed. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is a guide to drawing up, administering and interpreting assessment procedures, and judging whether the techniques used are theoretically and procedurally sound. It also takes a special look at assessment from an organisational perspective, because although many of the technical and scientific issues with respect to psychological assessment are common to all areas of applied psychology, there are numerous issues and applications that are unique to the organisational context. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is more of a "how to" than a critical text, but includes some background information and in-depth theorising for more problematic issues. A glossary of terms and a unique cognitive map of psychological tests are provided. Changes in this second edition include two new chapters, one on Assessing integrity (which previously formed part of the chapter on personality) and a new chapter on Assessment in cross-cultural contexts, where the theoretical and practical problems associated with assessing people in their non-native language are described and ways of addressing these are put forward. Throughout the text, references and examples have been updated and issues raised in recent texts have been addressed. Contents include the following: Properties of a good measuring technique; ways of categorising the observation process; techniques used in measurement; errors inherent in the assessment process; combining and interpreting results; fairness, bias and discrimination; assessing cross-culturally; designing and locating appropriate assessment centre exercises; assessing integrity. The principles and practice of psychological assessment is aimed at undergraduate and honours students of psychology and industrial psychology, as well as at practitioners.

Tom Hogan's "Psychological Testing: A Practical Introduction, Third Edition" emphasizes active learning strategies to provide a practical introduction to the field of testing in Psychology and allied disciplines. A rigorous yet accessible text, "Psychological Testing "is uniquely written as a learning device as opposed to a reference work, encouraging readers to apply the material they are learning to real-life, contemporary situations.

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology by Dennis Howitt provides a comprehensive, practical and up to date coverage of the area. For the fourth edition, the text has been extensively revised for easier reading and comprehension. With a clear and straightforward style, the book introduces qualitative research from data collection to analysis. Examples of real research and practical guidance for each methodological approach are included throughout to equip the reader with an understanding of the process and the skills to be able to carry out their own research. There are also dedicated sections on ethics, quality and report writing. All of this is achieved while providing a thorough theoretical and historical context for the qualitative methods.

This book will be written primarily for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and professionals in the fields of school psychology, special education, and other areas of education, as well as the health professions. We see the book as being a viable textbook for courses in research design, applied statistics, applied behavioral analysis, and practicum, among others. We would not assume of the readers any prior knowledge about single subjects designs, nor any prior statistical experience. We will provide an introductory chapter devoted to basic statistical concepts, including measures of central tendency (e.g., mean, median, mode), measures of variation (e.g., variance, standard deviation, range, inter-quartile range), correlation, frequency distributions, and effect sizes. In addition, given that the book will rely heavily on R software, the introductory chapter will also devote attention to the basics of using the software for organizing data, conducting basic statistical analyses, and for graphics. The R commands used to carry out these analyses will be largely automated so that users will only need to define the range for their data, and then enter it into the R spreadsheet. We envision these tools being available on the book website, with instructions for using them available in the book itself. We envision the book as being useful either as a primary text for a course in educational research designs, school psychology practicum, applied behavioral analysis, special education, or applied statistics. We also anticipate that individuals working in schools, school districts, mental health facilities, hospitals, applied behavioral analysis clinics, and evaluation organizations, as well as faculty members needing a practical resource for single subject design research, will all serve as a market for the book. In short, the readership would include graduate students, faculty members, teachers, psychologists, social workers, counselors, medical professionals, applied behavioral analysis professionals, program evaluators, and others whose work focuses on monitoring changes in individuals, particularly as the result of specific treatment conditions. We believe that this book could be marketed through professional organizations such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of Special Education Teachers, the Association for Professional Behavior Analysis, the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science, and the American Evaluation Association. Within AERA, the following special interest groups would have particular interest in this book: Action Research, Classroom Observation, Disability Studies in Education, Mixed Methods Research, Qualitative Research, and Special Education Research. The book could also be marketed to state departments of education and their special education and school psychology divisions. Currently, many state departments of education require documentation for Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) procedures for individual students. The method taught in this proposed book would allow educators and student support personnel to document the effectiveness of interventions systematically and accurately.

Highly praised for its clear, straightforward approach, Statistics without Maths for Psychology 8th edition provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to statistics and SPSS. This widely used and trusted textbook is packed with examples, activities and questions to help you to test your learning and deepen your understanding in a practical and manageable way. Statistics without Maths for Psychology, 8e, will help you to gain the confidence to apply statistical concepts and use SPSS to analyse data within your studies and future independent research.

Introduction to SPSS in Psychology, 7th edition is the essential step by step guide to SPSS for students taking their first course in statistics. This well-established text provides a clear and comprehensive coverage of how to carry out statistical analyses using SPSS. Full colour SPSS screenshots, clear explanation and a wide ranging coverage make it the perfect companion for students who want to be able to analyse data with confidence.

This book presents procedures and research techniques that are based on critical perspectives of Psychology and Education. The content is characterized by innovations on the relationship between the researcher and the investigated context, and it problematizes different perspectives and approaches to the psychological phenomenon proposing new understandings of the subject, the world, the social and the field of investigation itself as a permanent dialectical movement. The book reports to Marxist-based perspectives - especially to Vygotsky's ideas and concepts. Therefore, it assumes the comprehension that in order to understand the phenomenon in its historical dimension it is necessary to put it into motion seeking to access the genesis of the manifestations evidenced at the moment of the investigation. That is, the historicity that characterizes the process of constitution of the human psyche can only be apprehended in its movement, thus, what matters is the process and not the product of its development. Nevertheless, apprehending phenomena in movement is a challenge for researchers interested in human processes within the scope of relationships or practices of professionals and/or subjects of various scenarios, which leads to the need to problematize the different moments of research and their dimension in the theoretical and practical fields. Which methodological techniques or procedures allow the apprehension of the meaning movement produced by the subjects in the investigated scenarios? To what extent does dialectical materialism derived from Marxism support the apprehension and analysis of research information of this nature? What other theoretical-methodological perspectives, related to Cultural-Historical Psychology, offer subsidies to these investigations? The theoretical perspectives based on the Social and Cultural analysis focus on the understandings of collective contexts precisely because of the subject view constituted in the inter-subjective relations that it undertakes - which adds even more complexity to the investigative processes. From this perspective, both the subject and other participants transform themselves during the investigation, such transformation needs to be permanently reflected and included in the research objectives and purposes, in order to follow the movement of the meanings in the expressed phenomenon.

Rigorous, yet readable. The author presents the material with sufficient elaboration, explanation, and examples that not only interest the student, but make it understandable. Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods incorporates the four basic approaches to behavioral research (descriptive research, correlational research, experimental research, and quasi-experimental research), and shows students how to conceptualize questions, measure variables, design studies, and analyze data. Chapters on research ethics and scientific writing (including the most recent version of APA style) round out the book. Throughout each chapter, boxes on "Developing Your Research Skills" and "Behavioral Research Case Study" provide practical examples and pique student interest. Teaching & Learning Experience Personalize Learning - MySearchLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. Improve Critical Thinking - New up-to-date Behavioral Research Case Studies help students apply research to practice. Engage Students - The text is designed to make research methods understandable, useful, and interesting for students. Explore Research - Real research, tidbits about the lives of famous researchers, and intriguing controversies that have arisen in behavioral science are included. A lab manual in MySearchLab helps engage students in the research process. Support Instructors - MyTest, PowerPoints, and an instructor's manual offer additional support for instructors. Note: MySearchLab with eText does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab with eText, please visit: www.mysearchlab.com or you can purchase a valuepack of the text + MySearchLab with eText (at no additional cost). VP: 0205196284 / 9780205196289

Research on the self relates to various phenomena including self-esteem, self-concept, self-verification, self-awareness, identity, self-efficacy, passion, self-determination, and goals. Moreover, research on self is multidisciplinary and of interest to a broad range of areas, such as education, economics, (social) psychology, neuro sciences, motivation, physical activity and behavior sciences, philosophy, and learning sciences. Chapters in this volume will illustrate some of the best of the research within these disciplines examining different aspects of self from various perspectives. A feature of this volume is that we will explore not only positive aspects of high perceived levels of self-determination and competence or self-concept on achievement, motivation and wellbeing, but also the dark side of an uncertain and negative self on identity and wellbeing. We learn from this that the self is a dynamic and powerful, yet fragile and highly amenable construct that needs self-care and constant reassurance. SELF - A Multidisciplinary Concept thus highlights the broad application of self-research and its diversity. This volume is intended to develop both theoretical and methodological ideas and to present empirical evidence of various disciplines and applications dealing with self. The scope of this seventh volume of the International Advances in Self Research series, started in 2000 by Herbert W. Marsh, Dennis M. McInerney, and Rhonda G. Craven, is thus very broad. Keeping within the tradition of the series, this volume will highlight the applicability of a multitude of empirical approaches and methods to self-research. We also aimed to maintain a balance between discussing theoretical research in SELF and deriving implications for effective practice. This volume thus includes chapters covering self-related topics within an educational, social, emotional, psychological, physiological, managerial, and health context.