Entry requirements
There are no formal admission requirements, but students are expected to be familiar with the theories covered in the first year (relating to personality, clinical, social and cognitive development psychology). Students are also expected to be familiar with terms from the field of psychometrics, such as test construction, standardisation (stanines, deciles, T-scores, etc.), reliability and validity.
Description
This course offers an introduction to psychodiagnostics relating to children and adults. Students acquire knowledge and skills in the field of psychodiagnostics in accordance with the guidelines of the Basisaantekening Psychodiagnostiek (BAPD), a quality label of the Dutch Association of Psychologists (NIP). The lectures and work group sessions focus on diagnostic research into intelligence and personality, neuropsychology, psychopathology, learning disorders, vocational interest and professional competences. In the work group sessions, assignments are used to help students acquire practical knowledge of diagnostics for hypothesis testing, selecting research tools, and interpreting and reporting on the results. The theoretical knowledge acquired in the lectures and assigned reading material is put into practice in the work group sessions, where the primary focus is on the diagnostic process, forming and testing hypotheses, the intake procedure and reporting.
Course objectives
After completing the Psychodiagnostics course, students will have:
Demonstrable theoretical knowledge of the contents and progress of the psychodiagnostic process with regard to different diagnostic questions;
Skills in developing and testing diagnostic hypotheses and skills in documenting in writing the various steps of the psychodiagnostic process (from intake and hypotheses to recommendation), according to the guidelines of the BAPD; and
Some skills in recognising, selecting, scoring and interpreting diagnostic resources (observation, interview) and tools (tests, questionnaires).
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures, work group sessions, and exams, select your study programme.
Psychology timetables
Lectures Work group sessions Exams
Registration
Course
Students need to register for lectures, workgroups and exams.
Instructions for registration in courses for the 2nd and 3rd year of the IBP
Examination
Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination.
Registering for exams
Mode of instruction
8 2-hour lectures and 6 2-hour work group sessions.
The main objective of the 8 lectures is to introduce students to the content and progress of the diagnostic process in relation to different psychodiagnostic topics/questions (course objective 1). The main lecture materials consist of a course book that is covered in the lectures, together with examples from practice (case studies, video fragments and guest speakers from the field).
Of the 6 compulsory work group sessions, 3 focus on youth diagnostics, and the other 3 on adult diagnostics. The main objective of the 6 work group sessions is to help students learn to recognise, select and interpret diagnostic tools and to formulate a diagnostic report (course objectives 2 and 3). In the work group sessions, students are invited to actively practise these practical diagnostic skills using video fragments and diagnostic material. In addition, students are expected to write (in a group and individually) a diagnostic report on the skills practised in the work group sessions. These reports are submitted online and provided with feedback.
Assessment method
The grade for the course is made up of 2 partial grades:
The multiple-choice exam (counts for 60% of the total grade, examination of course objectives 1 and 3).
The workgroup grade (counts for 40% of the total grade, examination of course objectives 2 and 3). Students will carry out 4 assignments, 2 focused on assessment of youth problems, 2 focused on adults. Only the last assignments (per focus) will be graded, as the first assignments will be used for practice.
These 2 grades are combined to arrive at the work group grade. Participation in the workgroups is mandatory.
Regulation on grade calculation
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud.
Reading list
Psychological Testing & Assessment (2016). Pearson Customized Edition. ISBN: 9781784482855 (available via https://www.studystore.nl/)
Additional readings will be made available via Blackboard.
Contact information
The course coordinators, van der Molen en Verkuil, can be contacted via:
psychodiagnostiek@fsw.leidenuniv.nl