Tutorial Letter 101/0/2020: Industrial Psychological Assessment

IOP4861/101/0/2020
Tutorial Letter 101/0/2020
Industrial Psychological Assessment
IOP4861
Year module
Department of Industrial and Organisational

Psychology
This tutorial letter contains important information

about your module.
BARCODE
IOP4861/101/0/2020
TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Tutorial letters............................................................................................................. 4
1.2 myUnisa ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Module layout and content.......................................................................................... 5
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ....................................................................................... 6
2.1 Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................... 6
3 CONTACT DETAILS ..................................................................................................... 9
3.1 Lecturers .................................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Department .............................................................................................................. 10
3.3 University ................................................................................................................. 10
4 RESOURCES .............................................................................................................. 11
4.1 Prescribed book ....................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Recommended book ................................................................................................ 13
4.3 Electronic Reserves (E-Reserves): ........................................................................... 13
4.4 Additional recommended information ....................................................................... 15
5 DISCUSSION OF STUDY THEMES RELATED TO LEARNING OUTCOMES ............ 18
5.1 Origin and development of psychological assessment.............................................. 19
5.2 The nature of psychological assessment .................................................................. 21
5.3 Approaches and assumptions in psychological assessment ..................................... 25
5.4 Psychometric theory ................................................................................................. 27
5.5 DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES AND AREAS OF APPLICATION...... 31
5.6 Professional, legal and social issues in psychological assessment........................... 36
6 STUDY PLAN .............................................................................................................. 40
7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................... 41
8 ASSESSMENT PLAN.................................................................................................. 41
8.1 Year mark, admission to the examination and final mark .......................................... 41
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8.2 Assignments: unique numbers and due dates .......................................................... 42
8.3 Submission of assignments ...................................................................................... 42
8.4 Evaluation of assignments ........................................................................................ 43
8.5 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................ 43
9 THE EXAMINATION .................................................................................................... 44
9.1 Examination period ................................................................................................... 44
9.2 Previous examination papers ................................................................................... 44
9.3 Content of the examination ....................................................................................... 44
10 OTHER EVALUATION METHODS .......................................................................... 45
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ...................................................................... 45
12 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 46
APPENDIX A: ASSIGNMENTS .......................................................................................... 47
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Dear Student
1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the honours module in industrial psychological assessment. A primary

task in managing human talent is to select and develop employees to their full
potential. Industrial psychological assessment provides information to select the best
candidates and to develop employees appropriately. Individual differences and the
scientific measurement thereof form the core of industrial psychological assessment.
In this module, you will study the theory and practice underlying the scientific
assessment of individual attributes such as personality, cognition and behaviour.
South Africa’s past and the current socio-political contexts influence psychological
assessment in the work context (industrial) and therefore this is a contentious
discipline. As such, you need to develop a critical attitude towards assessment theory
and practice in a multicultural work context (South Africa). You are required to develop
a responsible attitude in adhering to regulating professional standards and legal
imperatives.
This module does not include any practical training in the use of psychometric
measures, which is required for registration as a psychometrist. If you wish to
register as a psychometrist after completion of your honours degree at UNISA,
you should apply for a professional training programme at an accredited
institution. Although this is a theoretical module, we do try to provide you with
as many practical applications as possible (in your study material and in your
assignments).
Your study resources for this module consist of tutorial letters, online study guidance
(myUnisa), a prescribed textbook, a recommended book, recommended articles as
well as professional source documents.
1.1 Tutorial letters
When you register, UNISA despatch department should provide you with the following
study material for this module:
 This tutorial letter, IOP4861/101/0/2020

 Tutorial letter IPSHONT/301/2020 on writing style and APA referencing
 An inventory letter containing information about your study material
 The booklet entitled Study @ Unisa.
Study material that is not available when you register will be posted to you as soon as
possible, but it is also immediately available on myUnisa.
This tutorial letter (IOP4861/101/0/2020) contains:
 important administrative information to assist you in your communication with

the university;
 the study themes, resources, and also guidance on how to work through the
study themes;
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 your assignments.
Feedback tutorial letters: Apart from this tutorial letter, you will receive further tutorial
letters (IOP4861/201/2020 and IOP4861/202/2020) during the year relating to
assignment feedback and other academic issues. Hard copies will be posted but it will
also be made available on myUnisa after the assignment due dates.
It is your task to work through the study themes in this module, to complete the
assignments and to do self-evaluation. Make sure you read all the tutorial letters
carefully.
1.2 myUnisa
myUnisa is UNISA’s online study management system, on which you can download
all your study material and communicate with other students (discussion forum) and
with lecturers. On myUnisa, lecturers will initiate specific discussions and activities
aimed at enhancing your learning experience. Look out for the announcements posted
on myUnisa (and send to your myLife email account) containing important information
and work according to the schedule proposed on the myUnisa calendar. All the
important dates are captured on the calendar for your convenience.
To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main UNISA website,

http://www.unisa.ac.za, and then click on the "Login to myUnisa” link on the right-hand
side of the screen. This should take you to the myUnisa website. You can also go
there directly by typing in http://my.unisa.ac.za.
You can consult the booklet Study @ Unisa, which you received with your study
material, for more information on myUnisa.
NOTE: Direct all your myUnisa enquiries to myUnisahelp@unisa.ac.za and NOT to

the lecturers responsible for this module.
1.3 Module layout and content
The purpose and learning outcomes of this module are discussed in section 2. In
section 3, you will find important contact detail. Section 4 contains the prescribed and
recommended resources you should use to gain knowledge and understanding of the
important module themes as they relate to each of the learning outcomes. Section 5
contains a detailed discussion of the study themes that make up the content of the
module. We provided you with a logical study plan in section 6 to assist in your time
management and planning for the year. Section 8 contains important information on
how you will be assessed in this module and how to submit your assignments. Some
examination guidance is given in section 9.
Finally, the three assignments for IOP4861 are given in Appendix A.
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2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

2.1 Purpose
The purpose of this module is to gain comprehensive knowledge, to develop a critical

reasoning ability and to increase your applied competence in industrial psychological
assessment as a core sub-discipline of Industrial and Organisational Psychology.
2.2 Outcomes
On completion of this module, you should be able to:
1. Critically review the history and development of psychological assessment theory

and practice.
2. Demonstrate an accurate understanding of psychological assessment constructs
and theories that influence the development and application of industrial
psychological assessment techniques.
3. Critically evaluate the psychometric soundness of psychological measures.
4. Critically evaluate and reason about different types of psychometric measures.
5. Critically evaluate and reason about the legal and professional requirements to
ensure fair psychological assessment from the perspective of various relevant
graduateness related roles that you may fulfil in real-life (personally, socially and
professionally).
6. Integrate and apply knowledge of psychological assessment measures and best
practice in designing a fair assessment battery from the perspective of various
relevant graduateness-related roles you may fulfil in real-life (personally, socially
and professionally).
In Table 2 below, we have set out the study outcomes related to the study themes this
module is based on. Within each study outcome, we provide the assessment criteria
to facilitate your learning:
TABLE 2: LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Study theme: Origin and development of psychological assessment (section 5.1)

Learning outcome 1: Critically review the history and development of psychological
assessment theory and practice.
Assessment criteria (Knowledge & application) Sources
 Investigate the history of psychological assessment in the Moerdyk (2015)
global, African and South African context towards enhancing
fair assessment practices. Foxcroft and Roodt
 Analyse the development of cognitive, personality and (2005)
behavioural assessment in various work environments. (Chapter 2 & 17)
 Review historical and contemporary problems and solutions
to fair and unbiased psychological assessment practices. Laher and Cockroft
Motivate the value of industrial psychological assessment in (2013)
general and in the industrial and organisational psychology (Chapter 1, 33 & 36)
field in particular. Debate the value of psychological
assessment in general, and in the field of industrial and Recommended articles
organisational psychology in particular.
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Study themes: The nature, approaches and assumptions in psychological

assessment (sections 5.2 and 5.3)
Learning outcome 2: Demonstrate an accurate understanding of psychological
assessment constructs and theories that influence the development and application of
industrial psychological assessment techniques.
 Explain the core concepts in psychological assessment Moerdyk (2015)
practice and theory such as psychological assessment, (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 8, 9,
psychometric testing, assessment centres, competency- 10, 11, 12, 13 and 18)
based assessment and psychometric characteristics.
 Understand the nature and importance of assessment Recommended articles
criteria and apply it in relation to the specific purpose of the
assessment.
 Distinguish the relevant measurement constructs of human
behaviour.
 Understand the relationship between assessment criteria
and measurement constructs and systematically apply it in
designing an assessment battery.
 Analyse the nature and value of competencies and
competency-based assessments critically and apply it
towards fair assessment practices.
 Critically compare the principles underlying classical test
theory and item response theory and clearly distinguish
between them.
 Distinguish between assessment methods that are based on
nomothetic and idiographic approaches.
 Critically evaluate the value of dynamic assessment in
relation to cognitive assessment.
 Elaborate on the various theories for cognition and
personality assessments.
 Debate the value of personality assessment in predicting job
performance.
Study theme: Psychometric theory (section 5.4)
Learning outcome 3: Critically evaluate the psychometric soundness of psychological
measures.
 Critically discuss the nature and importance of validity and the Moerdyk (2015)
different approaches to gathering evidence. (Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 &
 Critically discuss the nature and importance of reliability and 7)
the different types of reliability.
 Comprehensively explain and apply the purpose, importance Recommended articles
and nature of norms and different types of norms.
 Recognise and describe various errors that occur during
psychological assessments.
 Critically explain and compare the psychometric requirements
of fairness and bias.
 Explain and apply the steps for the development of a
psychometric measure.
 Evaluate and critically discuss the importance of
standardisation during the development of psychological
measures.
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Study theme: Psychometric theory (section 5.4)

Learning outcome 3: Critically evaluate the psychometric soundness of psychological
measures.
 Provide evidence-based solutions and theory-driven
arguments in discussing approaches to prevent unfairness
and bias in psychological measurement development
Study theme: Different psychological assessment measures and areas of application
(section 5.5)
Learning outcome 4: Critically evaluate and reason about different types of psychometric
measures.
 Relate measurement constructs to the relevant psychometric Moerdyk (2015)
measures. (Chapters 10, 11, 12,
 Identify and discuss the nature and purpose of specific 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18)
psychometric measures applicable to the assessment of
cognitive abilities, aptitude, intelligence, achievement and Laher and Cockroft
learning potential. (2013) (Chapters 10,
 Identify discuss the nature and purpose of specific 11, 14-17, 20)
personality. Recommended articles
 Identify and discuss the nature and purpose of specific
attitudes, interests, values and beliefs.
 Evaluate the theory and principles of assessment centres
critically in relation to fair assessment.
 Critically review various types of assessment activities (other
than psychometric measures) such as interviews, reference
checking, autobiographical data analysis and 360-degree
assessment.
 Debate the nature and value of computer-based
assessments and of other interactive assessment critically.
 Recognise different areas of application for psychological
assessment, such as career counselling, career
development, selection, management and leadership
development, performance management, organisational
development and employee and organisational wellness.
 Have knowledge of different types of psychological
assessment measures and the application thereof in diverse
work environments
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Study theme: Professional, legal and social questions in psychological assessment

(section 5.6)
Learning outcome 5: Critically evaluate and reason about the legal and professional
requirements to ensure fair psychological assessment from the perspective of various
relevant graduateness-related roles the student may fulfil in real-life (personally, socially
and professionally)
 Critically explain the role of moderator variables on Moerdyk (2015)
psychological assessment results in the diverse African and (Chapters 7, 8, 9, 14 &
multicultural (and multilingual) South African context. 18)
 Understand the requirements, roles and responsibilities of the Foxcroft and Roodt
relevant professional bodies. (2005, Chapter 2 & 16)
 Thoroughly explain the qualification and competency
requirements for a psychometrist and psychologist. Laher and Cockroft
 Understand the scope of practice for a psychometrist and (2013, Chapter 28)
psychologist.
Recommended articles
 Understand the Professional Board of Psychology
classification system of psychological measures.
 Discuss the ethical codes that prescribe and regulate
psychological assessment practices.
 Describe and evaluate ethical psychological assessment
administration requirements.
 Comprehensively discuss and interpret the legal context that
governs psychological assessment in South Africa.
Study theme: ALL THEMES
Learning outcome 6: Integrate and apply knowledge of psychological assessment
measures and best practice in designing a fair assessment battery from the perspective of
various relevant graduateness-related roles the student may fulfil in real-life (personally,
socially and professionally).
 Recognise and integrate job relevant assessment criteria All prescribed and
(identified through job analysis techniques) in a competency recommended books
model. and articles.
 Evaluate and identify psychological measures to be applied
in a selection context.
 Integrate and apply core legal, ethical and psychometric
requirements towards ensuring fairness and best practice in
psychological assessment.
 Review the value of psychological measures to develop
employees and community-based audiences.
3 CONTACT DETAILS
3.1 Lecturers
Direct only academic-related enquiries concerning the module content to lecturers. We

have found that e-mail communication is usually the most efficient way of contact.
Lecturers will visit the IOP4861 website on myUnisa with regular intervals and respond
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to issues you raise in discussion forums, but please note that the purpose of the
discussion forum is to provide a platform for students to interact with each other. We
will post announcements and initiate discussions related to the module content in order
to facilitate your learning.
Prof S Grobler (Primary lecturer)

grobls@unisa.ac.za
012 429 8272
Prof R M Oosthuizen
oosthrm@unisa.ac.za
The lecturers for this module will be available to take phone calls (during office hours)
on academic matters and/or to attend to students who may prefer to visit personally
for academic engagement. Please phone and/or e-mail to arrange appointments to
visit the lecturer’s office for academic enquiries/engagements. The lecturers will
respond to e-mails as soon as possible.
3.2 Department
The department is situated on the third floor of the AJH van der Walt Building on the
UNISA New Muckleneuk campus in Pretoria.
You can e-mail the department at DeptIOP@unisa.ac.za or contact the departmental

helpdesk at 012 429 8033 / 012 429 8054 for non-content related enquiries.
3.3 University
The contact addresses of the various administrative departments are included in the
Study @ Unisa booklet. All questions and enquiries related to administrative matters,
for example receipt of study material, registration, study finances, the assignments,
examinations and library and so forth should be addressed to the relevant
administrative departments – a list of emails is provided below for your convenience.
Please forward enquiries to the correct email address based on the type of query you
have. If you do not know which e-mail address to use, send your enquiry to
info@unisa.ac.za.
REMEMBER to include your name, surname, student number and a brief

summary of the enquiry in the e-mail.
Description of enquiry: E-mail address:

Application and registration enquiries study-info@unisa.ac.za
Assignment enquiries assign@unisa.ac.za
Examination enquiries exams@unisa.ac.za
Study material enquiries despatch@unisa.ac.za
Student account enquiries finan@unisa.ac.za
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Description of enquiry: E-mail address:

Graduation enquiries gaudeamus@unisa.ac.za
Assistance with myUnisa myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za
Library assistance +27 12 429-3206
4 RESOURCES
For all assessment (assignments and examination) purposes, you should use the
following resources:
 the prescribed book

 the recommended book
 the e-resources (articles & three chapters) provided to you for download from
UNISA library page
 professional documents listed in section 4.4.1 of this tutorial letter
4.1 Prescribed book
You should obtain the following prescribed book:
Moerdyk, A. (2015). The principles and practice of

psychological assessment. 2nd Ed. Pretoria: Van
Schaik.
You will use this book for the assignments, and you need to study all the chapters in
this book to pass the examination, except Chapter 1, sections 1.2, 1.4–1.7 and 1.9, as
well as Chapter 2 (the whole chapter).
Prescribed books can be obtained from the university’s official booksellers. Please
refer to the list of official booksellers and their addresses in the Study @ Unisa booklet.
If you have difficulty in locating your book(s) at these booksellers, please contact the
Prescribed Book Section at Tel: 012 429-4152 or e-mail vospresc@unisa.ac.za.
If you have the 1st edition of this book you may use it. Please take note of the
differences between the 1st and 2nd edition listed in the table below:
Chapter 5 2nd Content added

edition
Validity 5.2.6 Incremental validity added
5.2.7 Synthetic validity added
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edition
Whole chapter added Assessing in a multicultural context
edition
9.5 Statutory control of psychological 9.5.1 South Africa
techniques 9.5.2 Britain
9.5.3 Europe
9.5.4 US/Canada
9.5.5 Australia and New Zealand
9.5.6 China
9.6 The classification of psychological 9.6.1 Test type
tests
9.6.2 Setting
9.6.3 Purpose and use
9.6.4 Administration versus interpretation
9.6.5 South Africa
9.6.6 Britain
9.6.7 The US
9.7 Psychological testing on the 9.7.1 South Africa
Internet
9.7.2 Britain
9.8 Protection of minority groups 9.8.1 South Africa
9.8.2 Britain
9.8.3 The US
9.8.4 Europe
9.8.5 Australia
9.9 South Africa in relation to other
parts of the world
edition
10.3 10.3.2 Thurstone’s theory of primary mental abilities
(1930s)
10.3.3 Raymond B. Cattell (1960s-1970s)
10.3.4 Philip Vernon (1950s-1970s)
10.3.5 J.B. Carrol (1930s-1970s)
10.3.6 J.P. Guilford (1950s-1980s)
Chapter 10 (1st ed) and 11 (2nd ed) 2nd Content
edition
10.4.5 10.4.5 Integrity testing left out in 2nd edition
edition
11.3 11.3.7 The five-factor theory
edition
Whole chapter added Assessing integrity and honesty in the
workplace
edition
17.4 17.4.4 Gender differences
edition
18.2 18.2.8 Bespoke (tailor-made) tests
18.2.12 Translation, adaptation and development of
culture instruments
18.3 18.3.3 Generation of norms
18.3.10 Other new technologies
18.4 18.4.4 Greater environmental involvement and
activism
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4.2 Recommended book
The recommended book is a useful source on the different types of psychological

measures we use in the SA context. The recommended book is:
Laher, S. and Cockroft, K. (Eds). (2013). Psychological

assessment in South Africa: Research and applications.
Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
It is, however, not compulsory if you are able to obtain information on different types
of measures from other reliable sources such as articles or psychometric distributor
websites. The recommended book can be borrowed from the library, but is subject to
availability.
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-reserves):
Articles and three chapters have been loaded as e-reserves that you should use when
completing assignments. You can access these articles by following these steps:
 Go to: http://www.unisa.ac.za/
 Click on Library
 Click on Find course reading material
 Type in your module code (i.e. IOP4861)
 Select Electronic Reserves 2020
Use your student number and myUnisa password to access and download the articles.
The following e-reserved articles are prescribed in this module:
Bartram, D. (2004). Assessment in organisations. Applied Psychology: An

International Review, 53(2), 237-259.
Bedell, B., Van Eeden, R. & Van Staden, F. (1999). Culture as moderator variable in
psychological test performance: issues and trends in SA. SA Journal of Industrial
Psychology, 25(3), 1-7.
Campion, M.A., & Fink, A.A., Ruggeberg, B.J., Carr, L., Phillips, G.M., & Odman, R.B.
(2011). Doing competencies well: best practices in competency modelling.
Personnel Psychology, 64, 225–262.
Claassen, N.C.W. (1997). Cultural differences, politics and test bias in South Africa.
European Review of Applied Psychology, 47(4), 297-307.
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Foxcroft, C.D. (2004). Planning a psychological test in the multicultural South African
context. SA Journal of industrial Psychology, 30(4), 8-15.
Foxcroft, C. D. (2011). Ethical Issues Related to Psychological Testing in Africa: What

I Have Learned (So Far). Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(2).
http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1022
Görgens-Ekermans, G., & Herbert, M. (2013). Psychological capital: Internal and

external validity of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) on a South
African sample. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(2), Art. #1131, 12 pages.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ sajip.v39i2.1131
Hambleton, R.K. & Slater, S. C. (1997). Item response theory and testing practices:
current international status and future directions. European Journal of
Psychological Assessment, 13(1), 21-28.
Joiner, D.A. (2000). Guidelines and ethical considerations for assessment centre
operations. Public Personnel Management, 29(3), 315-331.
Joubert, T., & Kriek, H. (2009). Psychometric comparison of paper-and-pencil and

online personality assessments in a selection setting. South African Journal of
Industrial Psychology, 35, 1-11.
Laher, S. & Cockroft, K. 2014. Psychological assessment in post-apartheid South

Africa: the way forward. South African Journal of Psychology, 44(3) 303– 314.
doi: 10.1177/0081246314533634
Levashina, J., Hartwell, C.J., Morgeson, F.P. & Campion, M.A. (2014). The structured
employment interview: narrative and quantitative review of the research
literature. Personnel Psychology, 67, 241–293.
doi: 10.1111/peps.12052
Murphy, R. & Maree, D.F. (2006). A review of South African research in the field of
dynamic testing. South African Journal of Psychology, 36(1), 168-191.
Paterson, H. & Uys, K. (2005). Critical issues in psychological test use in the South
African workplace. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 31(3), 12-22.
Potgieter, T.E. & Van der Merwe, R.P. (2002). Assessment in the workplace: a
competency-based approach. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 28(1), 60-66.
Rupp, D. et al. (2015). Guidelines and Ethical Considerations for Assessment Centre
Operations. International taskforce on assessment centre guidelines. Journal of
Management, 20(10), 1-30.
doi 10.1177/0149206314567780.
Tett, R.P. (2009). The use of personality test norms in work settings: effects of sample
size and relevance. Harvard Theological Review, 82, p. 639-659.
Theron, C. (2007). Confessions, scapegoats and flying pigs: psychometric testing and
the law. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 33(1), 102-117.
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Tippins, N.T. (2009). Internet alternatives to traditional proctored testing: where are
we now? Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2, 2–10.
Van de Vijver, A.J.R. & Rothmann, I. (2004). Assessment in multicultural groups: the
South African case. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 30(4), 1-7.
The following three chapters from Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) have been uploaded for
you in the e-reserves of this module. Please note that later editions of Foxcroft and
Roodt are available at bookstores and in libraries – you may use the relevant three
chapters from the newer editions, but here are the referenced chapters, the copies of
which we have uploaded for you on the e-reserves:
Foxcroft, C.D. (2005) Psychological assessment: a brief retrospective overview. In

C.D. Foxcroft and G Roodt (Eds.). An introduction to psychological assessment
in the South African context. (2nd Edition). (Chapter 2 pp. 8-23). Pretoria: Oxford.
Foxcroft, C.D. (2005). What the future holds for psychological. In C.D. Foxcroft and G
Roodt (Eds.). An introduction to psychological assessment in the South African
context. (2nd Edition). (Chapter 17 pp. 242-257). Pretoria: Oxford.
Grieve, K.W. (2005). Factors affecting assessment results. In C. Foxcroft and G Roodt
(Eds.). An introduction to psychological assessment in the South African context.
(2nd Edition). (Chapter16. pp. 224-241). Pretoria: Oxford.
PLEASE NOTE: Consult the Study @ Unisa booklet for information regarding library
requests and other library services and procedures.
4.4 Additional recommended information
Various other documents are essential for understanding the practice of industrial
psychological assessment in the South African context. Information contained in these
documents has legal and ethical implications and you should incorporate this
information into your assignments where relevant.
It is important to note that this module in industrial psychological assessment

does not allow your automatic admission to a psychometrist practicum.
According to the Professional Board for Psychology, under the auspices of the Health
Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) registration as a Psychometrist is
contingent on completion of an accredited 4-year BPsych or a B Psych equivalent
degree accredited by the board that incorporates an approved 6 month/or 720-hour
face-to-face practicum.
After having completed your honours at UNISA, you should thus apply for professional
training at an accredited institution and complete a six-month practicum. IOP4861,
however, forms the theoretical basis necessary for obtaining a relevant honours
degree as a prerequisite for doing professional training and a practicum and future
registration as a psychometrist with the HPCSA. You are required to access the
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professional publications of the Professional Board of Psychology that are relevant to

psychological assessment and registration as a psychometrist.
4.4.1 Professional documents
You are required to obtain the following documents from the HPCSA, by visiting their
website at www.hpcsa.co.za and accessing the link to the Professional Board for
Psychology, or by contacting them directly:
i. Ethical Rules (Annexure 12): Ethical code of professional conduct (Form 223)–
of specific relevance are:
Chapter 1: Professional Competence
Chapter 2: Professional Relations
Chapter 3: Privacy, Confidentiality and Records
Chapter 5: Assessment Activities
ii. Regulations regarding the scope of the profession of psychology (GN
R263/GG33080/20100406): Scope of practice for psychometrists (pp4-5)
iii. Training and examination guidelines for psychometrists: Framework for
education, training, registration and scope for psychometrists (Form 94)
iv. Policy on the classification of psychometric measuring devices (Form 208)
v. List of classified tests (Board Notice 93 of 15)
Link to HPCSA website to guide you to the relevant documents:
http://www.hpcsa.co.za/PBPsychology/Guidelines
http://www.hpcsa.co.za/PBPsychology/Rules
The contact addresses for the relevant professional bodies, the Health Professional
Council of South Africa (HPCSA), Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) and
the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology (SIOPSA) are as follows:
 The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA):

Web page: http://www.hpcsa.co.za
 The Professional Board of Psychology

PO Box 205, Pretoria, 0001; Tel: (012) 338-9300/1;
Web page: http://www.hpcsa.co.za
 Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology (SIOPSA)

Tel: 0833046068;
Web page: www.siopsa.org.za
 The Psychological Association of South Africa (PsySSA).

PO Box 66083, Broadway, Johannesburg, 2020;
Web page: www.psyssa.com
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4.4.2 Legal documents relevant to psychological assessment
Industrial Psychological assessment is practised within a bigger societal context.

Since your studies entail psychological assessment in general, with specific reference
to the South African context, you will benefit from insight into legal and socio-political
information. This information can be found on the relevant labour laws’ websites and
you would be able to obtain the relevant acts from your employer. If not, we have
provided you with the addresses from which you may obtain this information. Note that
you should be able to use this information in other fields and applications in the work
environment, and you may find it useful in some of your other subjects as well.
You can obtain relevant legislation from the Government Printers, Tel: (012) 334-4500
or fax: (012) 323-0009. These documents can be viewed at the following internet
addresses:
 South African Communications Service: http://www.gcis.gov.za

 Parliament: http://www.parliament.gov.za
 Acts: http://www.parliament.gov.za/acts/index.asp
Of particular relevance to industrial psychological assessment in South Africa

is the Employment Equity Act (EEA) 55 of 1998 (amended 2014).
(Please note that the last 2014 amendment was declared null and void in a 2017 ATP press
release. You should however always mention the 2014 amendment as well as the 2017 press
release.)
Other government documents that may be of interest to you are:
 the South African Qualifications Authority Act (SAQA) 58 of 1995

 the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the Standards Bodies
Regulations (regulations under the South African Qualifications Authority Act
[SAQA] as stipulated in the Government Gazette of March 1998)
 the Skills Development Act 1998
4.4.3 Psychometric measure developers and distributers
The following South African businesses consult in psychological assessment, publish,

and distribute psychological measures:
 Jopie van Rooyen & Partners (distributors and researchers)

16 Hunter Avenue, Ferndale, Randburg, 2194
P.O. Box 2560, Pinegowrie, 2123
Tel: +27 11 781 3705/6/7 Fax: +27 11 781 3703
Web page: www.jvrpsychometrics.co.za
 Mindmuzik Media (Pty) Ltd trading as Careers.co.za (distributors)

140 Gordon road, Colbyn, Pretoria, 0083
PO Box 2904, Brooklyn Square, South Africa, 0075
Tel: +27 12 342 1606 Fax: +27 12 342 2728
Web page: www.mindmuzik.com
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 M&M Initiatives (developer and distributor)

26A Nicolson Street, Bailey’s Muckleneuk, 0181
Tel: +27 12 4609726
Web page: http://www.mminitiatives.com
 Psytech SA (Pty) Ltd (distributors)

PO Box 85401, Emmarentia, 2029
Tel: +27 11 6467010 Fax: +27 11 6467011
Web page: www.psytech.co.za
 Saville and Holdsworth (SHL)

121 Boshoff Street, Pretoria, 0181
Tel: +27 12 3465330
Other information you may find useful is your own organisation's policy on
assessment, appointments, promotion, training, affirmative action, job descriptions,
newspaper articles, networking (enquiries from people and institutions), conferences
you attend, and so forth.
5 DISCUSSION OF STUDY THEMES RELATED TO LEARNING

OUTCOMES
Please note that this information is a study guideline on how the themes relate to the
learning outcomes and this information may not be copied or referenced as a
scientific source in your assignments.
This module is about the theory and practice of industrial psychological assessment
in general and in the South African work context specifically. It involves psychometrics,
which is the standardised scientific and objective method to analyse the characteristics
of individuals, groups and work environments. Psychometrics is used to predict
behaviour in specific situations. In this module, you will learn about the value and
purposes of psychological assessment in the work context; a variety of assessment
approaches and techniques; and the aspects that need to be considered to ensure fair
assessment practices. Industrial psychological assessment should always be applied
in the right, ethical and fair way in a particular context.
The content of this module forms the basis of all the other honours modules, since
psychological assessment is relevant to all the other disciplines. Psychological
assessment can be applied to personnel psychology, occupational psychological
health, organisational psychology and even consumer psychology.
Since psychological assessment is a scientific discipline, you should develop a critical

attitude towards the underlying theoretical concepts, processes and practices as well
as the context in which psychological assessment is practiced. This requires you to
be up to date on legal, professional and ethical frameworks and other controversial
topics (e.g. the fairness of assessment processes and related decisions). The role of
culture in psychological assessment is particularly important in South Africa and,
where possible, you should incorporate the context and note the factors that influence
psychological assessment in South Africa.
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Since this module is theoretical rather than practical, we do not expect you to know
specific measures or techniques in too much detail. We do require that you acquire
knowledge about the general nature, usefulness and applications of at least four
personality and four cognitive measures, and have a good grasp of various
examples of behavioural assessments. You will also find that your study material
and assignments include practical application of theory.
The theoretical content of this module is, furthermore, of critical importance to your
further studies (e.g. Master's studies) and if you later wish to register as a
psychometrist and ultimately an Industrial Psychologist. If you intend to register as a
psychometrist, you have to complete a professional training module and practicum in
the use of psychological measures after you have completed your honours degree.
You should study the specific study themes as they relate to the study outcomes and
assessment criteria depicted in Table 2 above, using your prescribed and
recommended sources, stipulated in Section 4.
Below, in the discussion of each study theme, we indicate the relevant prescribed and
recommended sources you need to consult. The study themes overlap, so many of
the sources will be useful and applicable to more than one theme. You may also add
your own additional resources as long as they are scientific (i.e. not Wikipedia) and
relevant to the study theme.
5.1 Origin and development of psychological assessment
The origins of psychological assessment serve an important purpose in tracing its

evolution and current development. Without reflection on the historical development,
it would be difficult to appreciate the progress that is being made and the modern
developments in psychological assessment. The origin and development of
psychological assessments help current-day psychological assessors understand the
value of psychological assessment (WHY), the different constructs or psychological
attributes that are assessed (WHAT), and the different methods and technologies
(HOW) that have evolved in assessing psychological constructs.
Developments in psychological theory show how psychological assessment measures

and principles have changed to keep abreast of changes in the way that psychologists
understand human behaviour and transformed socio-cultural paradigms and their
concurrent measurement challenges. As such, developments in psychological
assessment highlight a continuous stream of newly developed psychological
assessment measures and techniques as well as progressive thinking about the
ethical and social consequences of psychological assessment. Initially, developments
in psychological assessment were focused on giving psychological assessment a
purpose and value. Later, theories on human behaviour and especially cognitive ability
(formerly only referred to as IQ) gave rise to the development of psychological
assessment measures based on the statistical method.
In Chapter 2, Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) provide a comprehensive description of the

origins and development of modern psychological assessment.
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5.1.1 History of psychological assessment in the SA context
The development of psychological assessment in South Africa can be traced back to

the events of the First World War and countries such as the United States and
European countries. Psychological development in South Africa has been influenced
by its political, cultural and legal context. Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) give a detailed
account of the early development, as influenced by the government of the day and the
challenges that were brought about by the political dispensation; the reality of cultural
differences; and the legal transformation initiated by the post-apartheid government.
In their discussion of the development of psychological assessment, Claassen (1997)

and Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) focus on political and social (moral) factors that have
influenced the way in which measures have been developed and applied. The authors
make mention of the increased interest in psychological assessment and how it was
misused, strongly criticised, disregarded, and then became a valued science that was
used in a variety of contexts. Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) point out how, in the field of
psychological assessment, particular environmental forces such as globalisation,
multiculturalism and information technology gave rise to research and a stronger focus
on particular issues such as fairness and bias, assessment in a multicultural context,
competency-based assessment and computerised assessment. The authors
specifically focus on the development of psychological assessment in South Africa,
and point out how the political and legal developments in the country also influenced
psychological assessment. Ultimately, the question seems to be whether
psychological assessment is still a valuable psychological tool in applied business
settings in modern democratic societies.
Several of the recommended articles also provide good background information on

assessment in the South African context. In some of the articles, for example, those
by Claassen (1997), Paterson and Uys (2005) and Van de Vijver and Rothmann
(2004), more recent South African trends in psychological assessment are discussed.
Foxcroft (2011) and Rupp et al. (2015) specifically discuss the evolving developments
pertaining to ethical standards for psychological assessment in South Africa. Theron
(2007) outlines the legal context and the professional bodies responsible for
psychological development in South Africa. These articles also make mention of
current and future issues that need to be dealt with in the South African context of
psychological assessment.
The development of psychology and psychological measures in South Africa are

covered more specifically in Laher and Cockroft (2013, Chapters 9, 10 and 11) and
Murphy and Maree (2006). Here you can see the different types of measures and how
their applications originated; and how psychometric properties such as reliability and
validity have always been, and still are, important for effective assessments.
5.1.2 History of cognitive assessment
The measurement of cognitive functioning has been an integral part of the

development of psychology as a science. In Chapter 10, Moerdyk (2015) discusses
the history of cognitive assessment under the historical development of the concept of
intelligence. Laher and Cockroft (2013, Chapters 9, 10 and 11) explain how the
contribution of early scientists and researchers can be appreciated to a greater extent
in light of some of the more recent trends in cognitive assessment – the content used;
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the general approach that is adopted; and the specific techniques that are applied.
These chapters and Murphy and Maree (2006) provide valuable information on the
development of cognitive theory and its application in cognitive assessment measures.
5.1.3 The history of personality assessment
The historical development of personality assessment is discussed in Moerdyk (2015)

Chapter 11, section 11.2, under the different theories that gave rise to personality
assessment. In Laher and Cockroft (2013, Chapters 14, 5, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 24)
overviews on the historical development of different personality measures in South
Africa are presented. Potgieter and Van der Merwe (2002) also provide information on
the history personality assessment.
5.1.4 Evolvement of behavioural assessment techniques
The evolvement of competency-based assessment and the assessment centre

approach are important developments of behavioural assessment. Of relevance here
are Chapters 12 and 17 of Moerdyk (2015) as well as the article by Potgieter and Van
der Merwe (2002).
5.1.5 Current and future challenges in assessment practice
In Chapter 18, Moerdyk (2015) examines a variety of evolving issues, which include
the computerisation of the assessment process and assessment via the internet.
Computer-based assessment and report generation are now increasingly used in
many assessment methods. There are advantages and disadvantages to
technologically based assessment. The bottom line is that we cannot distance
psychological assessment from the reality of globalised technological advancement.
We should rather find ways to capitalise on the advantages thereof and continue to do
research and explore problematic issues in order to circumvent or minimise their
effect. Tippens (2009) and Joubert and Kriek (2009) provide important information on
best practices for online assessment. In Laher and Cockroft (2013) also discuss the
evolvement of computerised and online assessment and clarifies the benefits and
disadvantages (Chapter 29).
Another development in the field of psychological assessment is its application value

and the different areas of application, which are discussed throughout the works of
Moerdyk (2015) and Foxcroft and Roodt (2005, Chapter 17) who contend that a
number of factors that have an effect on the role of assessment in organisations.
These factors can be divided into general issues and others, which are more
specifically associated with pre- or post-hire assessment.
5.2 The nature of psychological assessment
The basic concepts of psychological assessment were covered in the undergraduate

modules, for example, what psychological assessment entails and why it is
administered in a work context. The study field of psychological assessment is fairly
complex and, therefore, we need to ensure that you have a comprehensive conceptual
understanding of the nature of psychological assessment before you continue with the
course work. Your conceptual understanding should include the ability to
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conceptualise psychological assessment and distinguish it from related terms (see

section 5.2.1 below). If you are able to conceptualise psychological assessment and
related core concepts in the field, you will also be able to substantiate the use of
assessments (WHY we assess – section 5.2.2 below) and discuss WHAT is actually
being assessed (see section 5.2.3 on measurement constructs). Lastly, when forming
a perception of the nature of psychological assessment, it is important to understand
the process underlying any assessment (section 5.2.4 below); since it also highlights
various concepts such as assessment criteria, you will need to apply when designing
an assessment battery.
5.2.1 Conceptualise psychological assessment
When reflecting on the nature of psychological assessment, Moerdyk (2015, Chapter

1) defines assessment and other related concepts such as psychometrics,
assessment, measurement and evaluation. For example, are you able to distinguish
between psychometric measures and psychological assessment? The article by
Paterson and Uys (2005) will also provide you with more clarification.
There are numerous other basic concepts that integral to psychological assessment
theory and practice and you will come across them in the discussions. Make sure you
understand each of these concepts. Some examples include assessment centres,
competency-based assessment and psychometric characteristics such as validity and
reliability. You should also be able to demonstrate your understanding of core
concepts such as “standardisation”, “norms”, “bias” and “fairness”. References to help
you understand these concepts are provided throughout section 5 of this tutorial letter.
Apart from the concepts, you need to understand, psychological assessment theory
and practice are built on various approaches and theories to the development and use
of assessment measures. As such, you need to take cognisance of the theories that
underlie the development of cognitive, personality and behavioural assessments.
Different approaches to assessment measures development such as item response
theory and classical test theory as well as ideographic and nomothetic approaches to
assessment should form part of your foundational knowledge in this module. These
theories and approaches are highlighted in the thematic discussion in section 5.3 and
the psychological theory in 5.4 below.
5.2.2 The purpose of psychological assessment
Psychological assessment is more than just the administration of psychological

measures. It involves various ways of assessing and evaluating human behaviour and
potential in order to better understand, describe and predict people's behaviour. In
section 1.3 of Chapter 1, Moerdyk (2015) provides a general overview of the purposes
of assessment. More particularly, in Chapter 14 he comprehensively discusses the
reasons for assessment in industry. It is evident that psychological assessment in
industry has various purposes at individual, group and organisational level. The
purposes that Moerdyk (2015) lists in Chapter 14 are referred to as the application
areas of assessment in this module, and they are discussed in detail in section 5.5.
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5.2.3 Measurement constructs and levels of assessment
In psychological assessment, we assess different psychological attributes such as

personality attributes, cognitive attributes and behavioural attributes. We can
also call them measurement constructs since they present the various aspects of
human behaviour that can be assessed. Psychological measures are categorised
according to the construct that is designed to measure. Therefore, we get personality
questionnaires, cognitive measures and behavioural assessment. When studying
psychological assessment, you will find that the level of assessment is determined
by the purpose of the assessment. As such, behaviour is assessed on individual,
group or organisational level, depending on the purpose, – selection (individual) and
team building (group) or a culture audit (organisation). Refer to Moerdyk 2015, Chapter
14. The measurement constructs of personality, cognition, motivation, intelligence,
ability, aptitude, and so forth can be measured on three different levels:
 Intrapersonal measurement constructs refer to intrinsic personality attributes

and are relevant when the individual is assessed in terms of his or her
personality, motives, interests and cognition. Individual assessment may involve
all the measurement constructs or domains of assessment discussed in
Chapters 10, 11, 13 and 18 of Moerdyk (2015), namely intelligence and other
abilities (cognitive assessment); personality; values; attitudes; drives; interests,
emotional intelligence and integrity (personality assessment); and the
assessment of competence (behavioural assessment). Intrapersonal
measurement constructs may also refer to what constitutes personality
(structure), motivation, development, psychological adjustment and positive
psychology constructs.
 On group level, interpersonal variables refer to relationships with other people

and groups of people. Many social aspects of human behaviour are also
incorporated into measurements of intrapersonal behaviour. They can be
evaluated in other ways: by means of behavioural measurement during
assessment-centre assessment; by using interviews; and by using group
processes. Levashina et al. (2014) and Rupp et al (2015) provide examples of
structured interviewing, leadership, team roles, assessment centres and so forth
 On organisational level, variables of external personality-relatedness (i.e.

shared values and attitudes reflected by the culture or climate of an organisation)
may be assessed. However, this does not form part of the content of this module,
but of Organisational Psychology.
The Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF) inventory, for example, assesses personality
and is, therefore, categorised as a personality-type questionnaire. The Differential
Aptitude Test assesses aptitude as a measurement construct and is, therefore,
regarded as a cognitive measure. A simulation exercise such as an in-basket exercise
assesses behaviour and is categorised as a behavioural assessment.
5.2.4 The process underlying psychological assessment in industry
Psychological assessment entails more than just administering a couple of

psychometric measures. Psychological assessment is a process that entails choosing
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what to assess and then identifying the psychological instruments to assess these
competencies. Choosing what to assess and which instruments to use are determined
by the purpose and the context of the particular assessment. Psychological
assessment is applied for a specific purpose in a specific context. We usually decide
to assess people for a particular reason within a particular organisational or personal
situation. For example, we may want to assess candidates in relation to the specific
job requirements (for selection purposes).
Assessment can be done for career counselling purposes to determine which career
may best suit a person. Depending on the application purpose of the assessment (e.g.
selection/development/performance appraisal), decisions of measures to include in
the assessment battery will be made. You would, for example, have a selection battery
including assessment measures that assess personality, cognitive ability and
behaviour. The job description is used to determine the specific criteria needed to be
successful in a specific post; and this criterion is then measured with the specific
assessment battery. As such, job-analysis techniques have been developed to
describe the contextual purpose of a particular assessment by defining the relevant
assessment criteria/selection criteria. The selection criteria are based on the job
requirements more recently referred to as the job competencies against which people
are assessed.
The job requirements or assessment criteria provide the link between WHAT is being
assessed (the particular measurement constructs) by means of a particular
psychological assessment tool, and what is required in the job. You can refer to
Chapter 14 of Moerdyk (2015) for a better understanding of the process underlying
assessment. Job requirements are determined by doing a job analysis. In terms of the
Employment Equity Act (EEA) (Act 55 of 1998 amended 2014), job analysis has
become a legal requirement for psychological assessment in the work context. In this
module, it is not important for you to know the nature and methods of job analysis –
those topics fall within the subject of Personnel Psychology. What is of importance in
this module, however, is the process that underlies psychological assessment in the
work context with job analysis being an essential step in the process.
Bartram (2004); Campion et al. (2011); Paterson and Uys (2005) and Potgieter and
Van der Merwe (2002) focus on different approaches to assessment in terms of a
recent area of interest, namely competency modelling. These articles provide sufficient
information for you to understand what competencies are; what the benefits of the
competency-modelling approach are; and how competencies can be developed. Job
analysis is still at the core of the competency modelling process. Job-related
competencies are determined through job analysis. Competencies refer to the
underlying characteristics of a person that are required for successful performance in
a particular job. Competencies provide the assessment criteria for decision-making in
companies irrespective of the level of assessment (individual, group or organisational
assessment).
The article by Foxcroft (2004), as well as Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17 in Moerdyk
(2015) provide adequate information for you to develop a clear understanding of the
steps to follow in any assessment process, which is of particular importance in
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5.3 Approaches and assumptions in psychological assessment
The majority of measures or techniques used in psychological assessment are based

on a theoretical rationale that determines which measurement concepts are
emphasised; how assessment is done; which methods are used; and how findings are
interpreted. In the psychological disciplines, assessment of cognition, personality and
behaviour are based on the assumptions of the primary theoretical paradigms in
psychology, which are generally derived from the main schools of psychology and
personality psychology.
5.3.1 Approaches and assumptions in the assessment of cognition
Various theories used to conceptualise intelligence can be grouped under two

approaches, namely the structural (factor analytic) approach and the cognitive
approach. The structural (factor analytic) approach, also known as the psychometric
approach, merely describes the structure of intelligence without explaining the process
involved in thinking. This resulted in the development of the cognitive or information-
processing approach to understand what the component processes of thinking,
problem solving and information processing are. The cognitive approach includes
several theories such as Hunt’s cognitive correlates approach, Sternberg’s
componential theory; Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence; and Gardner’s theory
of multiple intelligences, as well as emotional intelligence proposed by Mayer and
Salovey and popularised by Goleman. Different cognitive theories are discussed in
Moerdyk (2015) Chapter 10. Here a thorough discussion is presented on the historical
development of cognitive theories and how each gave rise to a particular way of
measuring cognition; and reference is made to the development of specific cognitive
measures such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales. Moerdyk (2015) however,
focuses more on specific types of items that are usually included in measures of
intellectual or cognitive ability.
The cognitive approach broadened our understanding of intelligence to include

abilities evident in daily life and emphasised that intelligent behaviour is defined within
personal, cultural and historical contexts. This highlighted the importance of assessing
potential when people have different – and even unequal – social and educational
opportunities and gave rise to more dynamic cognitive theories like that of Feuerstein
and resulted in the development of dynamic assessment and potential assessment.
Potential is defined as the readiness to demonstrate or acquire a particular
competency and is assessed through dynamic assessment. The article by Murphy and
Maree (2006) provides a thorough overview of dynamic assessment in the SA context.
SA research, in particular, highlighted the importance of moderating factors that biased
cognitive results; and non-verbal approaches to cognitive measurement development
was one of the approaches employed to deal with the effect of for example language
(Foxcroft & Roodt, 2005, Chapter 1). You can also refer to Chapters 9, 10 and 11 in
Laher and Cockroft (2013) which focus on dynamic assessment, the assessment of
learning potential and different measures that have been developed in SA in this
regard such as the LPCAT, APIL, TRAM-1 and TRAM-2 measures.
The theory of emotional intelligence (EI) has also sparked different perspectives to
how EI is defined and measured. EI is mostly viewed from a competence perspective
and popular measures of EI, therefore, focus more on the construct from a
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competency-based assessment perspective, such as the BarOn EQ-i (Moerdyk, 2015,

Chapter 10).
5.3.2 Approaches and assumptions in the assessment of personality
Personality leads people to behave in certain ways in different circumstances; and

various theories have been developed over the years to explain what personality
entails; how it develops; and how it explains our behaviour.
Today we use personality measures to make predictions about how we expect people
to behave in the work place. Different perspectives of personality have also given rise
to the development of a variety of personality theories and personality measures as
discussed in Chapter 11 of Moerdyk (2015).
Two different perspectives can generally be identified in all approaches and theories
of personality, namely the ideographic and nomothetic approaches. The
ideographic view emphasises the uniqueness of the individual and focuses on
describing a person’s unique behaviour and preferences with no attempt to compare
people to one another or a generalised set of personality categories.
The ideographic perspective primarily uses case studies to form an in-depth

understanding of human behaviour, whereas the nomothetic view focuses on
describing people in relation to the assumption that personality characteristics can be
classified or structured into well-defined categories of behaviour, and these
characteristics or traits are common to all people. The nomothetic approach assumes
that people behave on a continuum of particular behavioural characteristics (for
example, extroversion and introversion), displaying more or less of either of the poles
on the continuum. Nomothetic approaches, therefore, compare people using self-
report personality questionnaires, factor analysis and other trait-based methods to
determine general norms about human behaviour. You should specifically study the
article by Tett (2009) to improve your understanding of the importance of norms in
personality assessment in the work place.
You can consult Moerdyk (2015), specifically Chapter 11, for a thorough review of
different theories of personality. It is interesting to see how the primary psychological
approaches/theories such as the psychoanalytic; the humanistic (including the
phenomenological and existential); need theory and the dimensional, trait or factor
theory/approaches have all determined different personality assessment techniques.
Examples of different personality assessment techniques can be found in section two
of Laher and Cockroft (2013) and Moerdyk (2015), Chapter 11. Personality measures
used in the SA work context are particularly more nomothetic by nature, such as the
16PF, 15FQ+, the MBTI, the BTI and OPQ (Moerdyk 2015, Chapter 11 and Laher &
Cockroft, 2013, Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20). Ideographic measures pertain to
projective techniques and are rather used in clinical and diagnostic settings. Therefore,
you do not need to not know these measures.
From studying different perspectives on personality theory, we know that individuals

differ from one another; people may act similarly or differently at different times and in
different situations; and that, despite this, people's behaviour can be evaluated
because it is constant. The developmental approach has given rise to the
development of various career orientation or interest inventories discussed in
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Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 15) and the assessment of particular personality

characteristics such as integrity and honesty has become quite important in work
place assessments (Moerdyk, 2015 Chapter 13). Lastly, the evolvement of positive
psychology as a psychological approach has given rise to the assessment of strengths
and positive capabilities with the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) as
discussed in the article by Görgens-Ekermans and Herbert (2013).
5.3.3 Approaches and assumptions in behavioural assessment
The competency-based approach to psychological assessment has developed as a

primary way of assessment in organisational settings. Competency-based
assessment is underpinned by the assumption that noticeable behaviour can be
measured and that it is a good predictor of future work performance and success in
other non-work, social situations. A person’s competencies are linked with his or her
ability to demonstrate particular behaviour – knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
(KSAV) that is required to successfully perform a task in work and non-work settings.
In Chapter 12, Moerdyk (2015) discusses competencies and competency-based
assessment and explains how to construct a competency-based assessment. The
competency-based approach is of particular importance when assessing potential;
and in the SA context, it helps us to align our assessment batteries with the inherent
requirements of the job as required by the Employment Equity Act. In this regard, best
practices in competency-based assessment design are highlighted in the articles by
Campion et al. (2011) and Potgieter and Van der Merwe (2002).
Assessment Centres (ACs) entail a particular process of psychological assessment

that is based on the competency-based approach. ACs are covered in Chapter 17 of
Moerdyk (2015) – what they entail; the measures that are included; their benefits,
uses; and how to design an AC. Moerdyk (2015), furthermore, distinguishes between
development centres (DC) and traditional ACs. A further discussion by Rupp et al
(2015) will increase your understanding of an AC as a behavioural or competency-
based way of assessing people and focusing your attention on best practices and
ethical guidelines. Lastly, the competency-based interview is also an important
application of competency-based assessment. The competency-based interview is
also referred to as a structured interview and thoroughly discussed in the article by
Levashina et al (2014) and Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 16) in relation to other types of
interviews.
5.4 Psychometric theory
Psychological measures are developed from particular theories, and the relevant
theoretical concepts are operationalized as measurement constructs. Psychological
measures then measure the extent to which the theoretical constructs (measurement
constructs) are evident in people’s behaviour.
Psychometric theory entails the practical and statistical techniques used for
developing measures by analysing whether the measure assesses the relevant
measurement constructs with the best possible degree of certainty. Psychometric
theory proposes many assumptions or principles used in studying, measuring and
researching human behaviour. You should have knowledge of the two approaches
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that fall under psychometric theory, namely classical test theory and item response
theory.
Classical test theory is used in the development of static psychometric assessment

instruments. Classical test theory helps you to understand the essential and required
psychometric characteristics of psychological assessment instruments and provides
you with the basic skills necessary for evaluating the credibility of a psychological
measure. Psychometric concepts such as reliability and validity, norms,
standardisation and bias are all important concepts you need to understand.
In this regard, Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of Moerdyk (2015) contain essential information

you need to study. Chapters 7 and 8 contain crucial information that will enhance your
understanding of fairness and bias and the important role they play in the development
and application of measures in a multicultural context.
Item response theory is mostly used in the development of dynamic psychometric

assessment instruments. The relationship between the ability level of a test taker and
the characteristics of a measurement item forms the basis of IRT assessment. A
basic assumption of IRT is that the higher your math ability level, the greater your
chances of getting a math item correct. This relationship is graphically represented
by the item characteristic curve (ICC).
The three parameters used are the discrimination index (a-parameter), the difficulty
index (b-parameter) and the guessing index (c-parameter). The difficulty index is the
proportion of individuals who answer the item correctly while the discrimination index
indicates the extent to which the item can discriminate between high and low
performers. Hambleton and Slater (1997) highlight some applications of IRT.
The following psychometric properties and characteristics are fundamental to

psychological assessment practice (note the references to articles you should consult
in the discussion of each):
5.4.1 Test validity
Validity refers to the extent to which a technique measures what it is supposed to

measure. In Chapter 5, Moerdyk (2015) discusses various forms of validity, and it is
important to understand and to what content validity and criterion validity is and how
to apply it in the workplace. Bartram (2004) also expands on the concept of validity
and the impact of meta-analysis in clarifying issues of validity in relation to other
selection measures. Görgens-Ekermans and Herbert (2013) further provides an
insight into the internal and external validity of the Psychological Capital
Questionnaire (PCQ-24) on a South African sample.
5.4.2 Test reliability
Reliability is a measure of the consistency of a measuring instrument. In Chapter 4,

Moerdyk (2015) discusses reliability and its various forms, as well as various sources
of error in measuring a psychological attribute, including factors affecting reliability.
With measurement reliability, you have to prove that the psychological assessment
technique remains an accurate and useful tool every time it is used.
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5.4.3 Norms and standardisation
In order to understand norms, you first need to understand standardisation.

Standardisation is the process of assessment a group of people to see the scores that
are typically attained on the measure. The participant can then compare his/her score
to the standardised group's performance (norm) when using the standardised
measure. With standardisation, the normative group must reflect the same variables
(for example age, race) of the population for which the measure was designed.
Many major psychological measures are norm-based which means that the scores for
individuals are interpreted by comparing them with those of another group of people
previously defined as the norm group. Norms are empirically obtained by determining
how well a representative group of people performs in the specific assessment.
The group's performance is the basis for the norms of the measure. Moerdyk (2015,
Chapter 6) explains the use of norms when interpreting psychological scores and how
norms are defined, developed and reported. Claassen (1997) elaborates on concerns
about measurement norms in the study of cultural differences. Tett (2009) provides a
discussion on the importance of sample size during the development phase of norms
for personality measures.
You need to gain a proper understanding of the relation between norms, reliability and
validity.
5.4.4 Measurement errors
The theory of measurement highlights that no measure is ever 100% accurate;

therefore, we need to make provision for some errors. Every measurement will contain
an error component (standard error of measurement – SEM) and in Chapter 4 of
Moerdyk (2015) the character of the error component, and the reasons why it occurs,
are discussed.
Errors in psychological measurement occur for a number of reasons, for example, the
error may be technical – biased items or poor items that fail to give a valid or
consistent measurement of a construct. Errors may also be the result of the
assessment process in administering, scoring and interpreting measures and data.
The ‘human-nature’ factor, for example, the attitude of respondents towards the
measure; prejudice on the part of measurement instrument users or measurement
errors (e.g. the ‘halo effect’). As you probably know, coefficients of reliability and
validity also refer to error variances.
5.4.5 Bias
When using psychological measures, one of the core issues in comparing individuals
and groups is to ensure that bias is investigated in order to minimise inappropriate
interpretations. The Employment Equity Act (EEA) 55 of 1998 (amended 2014) states:
“Psychological testing and other similar assessments of an employee are prohibited

unless the test for assessment being used:
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 has been scientifically shown to be valid and reliable

 can be applied fairly to all employees
 is not biased against any employee or group, and
 has been certified by the HPCSA established by section 2 of the Health
Professions Act, 1974 (Act no 56 of 1974), or any other body which may be
authorised by law to certify those tests or assessments”
release.)
Bias is closely linked with validity and, thus, the relevance of the measurement
technique to measure what it is supposed to measure. A measurement technique may
be systematic and consistent, but if it does not measure what it is supposed to
measure, it becomes biased. Moerdyk (2015) briefly clarifies the term in Chapters 5
and 7; he regards bias as the ability of an assessment procedure to predict future
behaviour, irrespective of group membership.
According to Bedell et al (1999), bias is determined by means of objective and

statistical indices that indicate if the measurement score has the same or a different
meaning, or implications for different subgroups. Claassen (1997) describes the issue
of bias in assessment in light of political developments in South Africa, which were
characterised by racially biased assessments.
It is very important to distinguish between bias - which is a technical and statistical

matter that can be measured objectively - and fairness – which often concerns
subjective contextual assessment. A significant feature of fairness is that it cannot be
described in absolute terms. You cannot refer to a measure as fair or unfair, it should
rather be described as fair to a greater or lesser degree. Apart from the contextual
issues that have to be dealt with in different ways, you can try to investigate the
accusation that measures are biased by examining the measurement items
themselves without reference to external criterion measures. Testing item bias
typically refers to some form of systematic error and involves the psychometric
properties of an item, which indicate that it does not measure equally for different
subgroups (for example different races). A measurement item is unbiased when
performance on the item is the same for equally able testees, regardless of their
subgroup membership. When measures are labelled as ‘biased’, the accusations often
have to do with the measures that are chosen for a particular context; the way in which
these measures are administered; or the way in which the results are interpreted. The
broader issues are often far removed from the actual instrument itself and its inherent
properties. The social consequences of measures used in general and the predictive
validity of results in particular, are not discussed here.
Equivalence is related to bias – if scores are unbiased, they are equivalent and can
be compared across cultures. Four types of equivalence can be identified, namely
construct, structural, measurement unit and scalar (full score) equivalence. The study
of bias and equivalence of data (measurement scores) obtained in different countries
and for different cultures can enhance the quality of multicultural measuring
instruments (see the article in Van de Vijver & Rothman, 2004).
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Another term that is often used when item bias is investigated is "Differential Item
Functioning (DIF)", which specifically refers to differences in performance on an item
when different subgroups (of the same ability) are compared.
Psychometric techniques (specifically IRT methods) allow for more sophisticated

investigation of bias. Factors that typically need to be considered as causes for item
and/or measurement bias are culture, socio-economic status, level of education or
language. The constructs measured need to be confirmed (construct comparability)
as a fundamental issue – it concerns the nature and essence of what is being
measured; the different scores (score comparability) can then be investigated
meaningfully. Construct comparability can be assessed by factor analysis and by
comparing reliabilities for different groups. The article by Claassen (1997) highlights
some of the important issues that need to be considered in the South African context.
5.4.6 Test development
Psychologists and/or measurement developers draw up a scale or measurement

instrument in which the items are carefully designed to assess the construct they are
interested in. A psychological measure is a scientifically designed and interpreted form
of observation. As students, you should be able to describe the steps involved in
developing a measurement instrument. Moerdyk (2015) describes measurement
development and various scoring formats. Moerdyk (2015), furthermore, differentiates
between ipsative and normative approaches to scale construction in Chapter 3. He
also outlines the steps involved in measurement development, in Chapter 6. There are
different approaches to measurement instrument construction, such as the
classical test theory on which most measures were based and the more dynamic or
interactive approaches and applications of, for instance, the item response theory
(IRT). The approaches to measurement construction and processes involved in,
measurement construction may be found in the articles by Hambleton and Slater
(1997) and Foxcroft (2004).
Over and above the steps to be taken when developing a psychological measure, you
need to be aware of cultural influences on measurement instrument development.
Several of the recommended articles elaborate on the challenges of assessment in a
multicultural environment (Bedell et al., 1999; Claassen, 1997; Foxcroft; 2004;
Foxcroft 2011; Paterson & Uys, 2005; Rupp et al., 2015; Van de Vijver & Rothman,
2004).
5.5 Different psychological measures and areas of application
This section focuses on the different types of psychological measures used to assess
different psychological constructs as well as the various areas of application for which
psychological assessment is used in the work context.
5.5.1 Types of psychological measures
You need to have knowledge of a number of psychological measures that are available
for use in the work context. Apart from the various chapters in Moerdyk (2015), you
can read about South African measures and applications in Laher and Cockroft (2013),
in the brochures and on the web pages of measurement instrument distributors (see
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section 3.2.3 of this tutorial letter). Psychological measures are broadly classified
according to the measurement construct they measure:
5.5.1.1 Cognitive measures
Firstly, there are measures for cognitive assessment, such as intelligence, aptitude,
performance, cognitive/learning potential and psychomotor characteristics. Standard
measures for cognitive ability mostly measure the products of prior learning (or what
we refer to as crystallised intelligence) and, therefore, rely heavily on the assumption
that all examinees have had comparable opportunities to acquire the skills and abilities
that are being measured. Perusing the websites of various distributors such as
Psytech and SHL will also lead you to different cognitive batteries for assessing verbal,
numerical and abstract reasoning measures, which we often use in the SA work
context. Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 10) also mentions a few such as the WAIS-III (Laher
& Cockroft, 2013, Chapter 2 for more detail).
This assumption underlying the assessment of crystallised intelligence is not true

when individuals from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds are
compared.
Whereas ability refers to that which is available on demand, potential is concerned

with what could be and is based on the possibility of change. Since 1994, the
assessment of non-verbal ability and learning potential has become a major focus that
has largely been dealt with through dynamic assessment. Learning potential refers to
an overall cognitive capacity and includes both present and improved future
performance. Implied in the use of the term is the assumption that intelligence, which
is measured with psychometric measures, is changeable as indicated by changes in
scores obtained with standard measures. By looking beyond current performance and
acknowledging the possible influence of other factors on performance, more realistic
measures and descriptions of cognitive development and reasoning ability can be
obtained. This kind of assessment is often referred to as dynamic assessment – the
test-train-retest method of assessing learning potential. See the articles on dynamic
assessment by Murphy and Maree (2006) and Chapter 9 in Laher and Cockroft (2013).
Examples of South African cognitive measures based on the dynamic principle and
aimed at assessing cognitive/learning potential include the APIL-B, the TRAM-
series and the LPCAT. Researchers have employed different approaches,
procedures, techniques and measures in their use of dynamic assessment for the
measurement of learning potential. The common link between all these is that they
involve some form of assistance to the person being assessed with a view to providing
a more accurate assessment of individual differences than can be obtained with
standard measurement scores. The pre-test performance indicates the present
(actual) level of development, whereas the post-test performance, which follows
relevant training, reflects the future (potential) level of development.
We have not prescribed any articles discussing specific measures, because various
chapters in Laher and Cockroft (2013) are dedicated to specific cognitive measures.
Of specific interest for potential assessment in the work context are Chapters 10 (the
LPCAT) and 11 (APIL and TRAM-series). Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 14) also refers to
the measurement of cognitive complexity through the Career Path Appreciation (CPA)
measure. Prepare at least four cognitive measures as part of your assessment
‘toolkit’, so that you will be able to choose one or more of them when you are required
to propose an assessment battery in an assignment, in the examination or in practice.
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5.5.1.2 Personality assessment instruments
Personality assessment is broadly divided into measurements developed from

different approaches or theories of personality (Moerdyk 2015, Chapter 11). In the
same chapter, Moerdyk (2015) refers to specific personality measures that are
frequently used in the work context to measure personality as a broad construct, such
as the 16PF, the NEO-PI-R and the MBTI. More specific aspects of personality such
as locus of control and Type A/B personality are also mentioned, but are not so
important to you at this stage. Important measures mentioned in Laher and Cockroft
(2013) include the 16PF (Chapter 14), 15FQ+ (Chapter 15), the BTI (Chapter 16), the
MBTI (Chapter 17), the NEO-PI-R (Chapter 18) and the OPQ (Chapter 20). Clinical,
diagnostic and projective measures (e.g. MMPI, and CPI) do not fall in the scope of
this honours module and you only need to take note of these measures to know they
are not applicable in the work context.
Personality measures also include the measurement of constructs such as interests,

attitudes and values (see Moerdyk 2015, Chapter 15) which are important in
assessments for the purposes of career development and counselling. Integrity
assessment (Moerdyk, 2015, Chapter 13) is another construct that can be assessed
with a personality type measure; yet you do not have to study it for the examination. A
Measure of emotional intelligence that is well known in South Africa includes the
BarOn EQi (see JvR website if you are interested).
We have included the article by Görgens-Ekermans et al (2013) on the PCQ-24, a

personality-based self-report questionnaire measuring positive psychological
strengths and used in the assessment of employee wellness.
Prepare at least four measures of personality as part of your assessment ‘toolkit’

so that you will be able to choose one or more measures when you are required to
propose an assessment battery in an assignment, the examination or in practice. Note
that we use different personality measures to measure different personality constructs,
which also differ in their applicability to different situations.
5.5.1.3 Behavioural assessment or competency-based assessment
The assessment of behaviour is based on specific principles of measurement such as

the assumption that behaviour is observable and can be measured and that past
behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour. The entire competency-based
assessment approach is based on the principles of behavioural observation and is
thoroughly discussed in Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 12). Additional articles on
competency-based assessment have been recommended, namely Bartram (2004)
and Potgieter and Van der Merwe (2002). It is important for you to understand what a
competency is and how this assessment approach is practiced in the work place.
As we have indicated previously, that there are certain advantages to the competency-
based approach (such as job-relatedness), which have made it a popular approach to
ensure fair assessment. As such, behavioural assessment or competency-based
assessment may have a wide range of applications in more work-related contexts.
Behaviourally based or competency- based assessments include, for example,
simulation exercises and interviews. Bartram (2004) may also shed some light on
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this. Refer to the article by Levashina et al. (2014) as well as Chapter 16 of Moerdyk
(2015) for information on structured (or competency-based) interviewing as a
method of assessing behavioural tendencies. The assessment centre approach has
also become a popular and very useful method of holistic competency-based
assessment, because it incorporates behavioural assessment techniques with other
psychometric measures of personality and cognition. Chapter 17 of Moerdyk (2015)
and some articles comprehensively describe the nature and principles underlying
assessment centres – also see Rupp et al. (2015). As far as assessment centres are
concerned, you should pay particular attention to the following:
 the distinctive characteristics of an assessment centre

 the uses and proven worth of assessment centres (e.g. validity and reliability;
advantages and disadvantages)
 the processes used during assessment centre assessment
 the behavioural and managerial dimensions that are evaluated
 types of exercises and measures used in assessment centres
 how to develop an assessment centre
 management or administration during assessment centre assessment
 ethical considerations and policy formulation
5.5.1.4 Other psychological assessments and what you need to study
Psychological assessments in the work context involve not only psychological

measures, but also other methods such as 360-degree assessments. 360-degree
assessments also form part of personality and behavioural-style assessments and
are sometimes included in assessment centre technology. A 360-degree assessment
questionnaire is based on evaluations of a person by peers, subordinates, superiors
and, sometimes, also by the self; and 360s are mainly used for developmental
purposes and in assessments related to performance appraisal. You do not need to
know 360s for examination purposes, but you need to take note of performance
appraisal as an area of application.
Psycho-physiological and psycho-neurological assessments are used less often

than other forms of assessment but are, nevertheless, used quite frequently in clinical
and forensic or medico-legal applications. For the purposes of this module, you do
not need to study these types of assessments.
NOTE: Prepare at least four examples of measures for personality and four for
cognition for examination purposes. Study various examples of behavioural
assessment such as simulations used in assessment centres and the
structured/competency-based interview. Although you do not have to know the
‘technical detail’ of the instrument, you should be familiar with the general nature
and rationale on which a measure is based – you should know which measurement
construct is assessed, the broad nature of the measure (e.g. it measures Big 5
personality factors, or learning potential by assessing speed and accuracy etc). You
should also be able to identify for what these measures are used in the work context,
for example wellness assessment, career-counselling, selection and so forth. You
can expect questions such as the following:
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 Discuss various areas in which psychological assessment is applied in the work

context and provide examples of the types of measures you could use in the
different areas of application.
 Identify and discuss the measures appropriate to conduct assessment in a
particular case study – substantiate your choice of measures in this situation.
 Discuss the nature, use and value of assessment centres or the structured/
competency-based interviews.
 Compare different types of interviews with one another.
 Discuss at least three cognitive/ personality measures applicable in a case study.
5.5.2 Areas of application of psychological assessment
The techniques we discussed in the previous section are applied in a wide variety of
industrial psychology and human resource practices in the work context. These areas
of application are referred to throughout the discussions (i.e. in the literature) of the
different techniques, but the application of these techniques in the work context are
emphasised mainly by Moerdyk (2015, Chapters 14 and 15) and by Bartram (2004).
The primary uses of psychological assessment in the work context pertain to the
selection and development of employees. Different measures are used for selecting
employees on different levels (individual, group and organisational levels) of the
organisation. In terms of development, organisations assess employees to identify
their learning potential and trainability, but also their general leadership potential.
Career assessments are directed at empowering people’s career choices and
developing their strengths as does assessments of wellbeing such as the PCQ.
Assessment centres are an important aspect of applied assessments, especially in
the assessment of managerial development and selection (Moerdyk, 2015, Chapter
17).
You should be able to write about the types of applications in more detail; and to
indicate relevant measures in different areas of application. You should also study the
following applications of psychological assessment in the work context:
 Personnel selection as discussed in Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 14) and Bartram

(2004). This particular application includes the full spectrum of psychological-
assessment practices. Depending on the specific purpose of the assessment.
The assessment for personnel selection includes the measurement of
personality, intelligence and aptitudes as well as behavioural assessments (e.g.
the interview or simulations). A measure that is used frequently is the
measurement of personal integrity or morality. Naturally, interviews and bio-data
often play a prominent role in the selection processes.
 Work-performance assessment, assessment for training purposes and team

assessments as discussed in Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 14).
 Management and leadership assessment and development (see Bartram, 2004).
 Measurement of career-development concepts, values, interest for career

counselling and career development purposes (Moerdyk, 2015, Chapter 15).
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 Assessment in areas related to wellness such as the assessment of emotional

intelligence and other positive psychology constructs (Moerdyk 2015, Chapter
18) and Görgens-Ekermans and Herbert (2013).
 Assessment for the purposes of team or organisational development, for

example team role assessments and climate studies (Moerdyk 2015, Chapter
14).
Assessment for developmental and selection purposes is extremely important in this

module. Therefore, case studies in examination and assignment questions will always
be related to a selection or a training and development context.
5.6 PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL

ASSESSMENT
Psychological assessment always occurs in a particular context and there are a

variety of contextual factors that have an impact on the value and utility of
psychological assessment. Socioeconomic influences, political ideology, educational
status, age and gender are all known to be moderators in psychological measurement
(Bedell, Van Eeden & Van Staden, 1999; Claassen, 1997; Foxcroft & Roodt, 2005,
Chapter 16). More examples of moderators are the influence of European and
American culture, theories and practices. This influence has definitely been valuable
in the development of psychological assessment and can often be directly applied to
the South African context. However, we need to be aware of the way in which such
cultural influences can affect psychological assessment and the status of
psychological assessment — particularly in South Africa (Foxcroft & Roodt, 2005,
Chapter 2). In fact, factors such as these often lead to controversy about the place
and value of psychological assessment. Below follows a discussion of significant
cultural factors (including acculturation) the controversies that influence psychological
assessment and the guidelines and governing principles that were developed to
control moderating factors (Moerdyk 2015, Chapter 8).
5.6.1 Fairness: the influence of culture, discrimination, prejudice, bias and

unfair assessment practices
Scientific psychological assessment is a process that enables you to distinguish fairly

between people in order to make certain employment decisions. When psychological
assessment and the decisions based on the results are made unfairly, it constitutes
unfair discrimination and is inexcusable. Various aspects need to be considered in
assuring fair assessment. Firstly, though it is important to distinguish between bias –
which is a technical and statistical matter that can be measured objectively,
discrimination – which means treating some people differently from others owing to
group membership, and fairness – which often concerns subjective contextual
assessment.
As a rule, bias in psychological assessment is the result of statistical or technical errors

or shortcomings. Unfairness in assessment processes is the result of human factors
such as ideologies, emotions and prejudices. You will find references to these
concepts and suggestions on how to solve problems of bias in Moerdyk (2015),
especially in Chapter 7, while the articles by Claassen (1997) and Bedell, Van Eeden
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and Van Staden (1999) contain a discussion of various factors concerning prejudice
in psychological assessment, in general, particularly in South Africa.
In Chapter 7, Moerdyk (2015) refers to fairness as equal outcomes for all groups;
equitable treatment – including reasonable accommodation – of all groups during
assessment; participants having equal opportunity to experience and learn aspects
that, at a later stage, may affect their performance during assessment; and the
absence of predictive bias. A significant feature of fairness is that it cannot be
described in absolute terms. Therefore, you cannot refer to a measure as fair or unfair;
it should rather describe it as fair to a greater or lesser degree. The individual, social
and organisational consequences of fairness in general, and the predictive validity of
results in particular, are discussed in Chapter 7 of Moerdyk (2015). This chapter
provides a detailed discussion of approaches to ensure fairness in assessment.
In South Africa, affirmative action is being applied to redress unfair previous

practices in human-resources management. You should also be able to evaluate the
fairness of practices such as affirmative action and the role of psychological
assessment in this practice. Van de Vijver and Rothman (2004) introduce the concept
"equivalence" in multicultural assessment that is related to bias – it focuses on the
comparability of measurement scores obtained in different cultural groups.
In this light, discrimination is acceptable if it is an inherent requirement of the job

(stipulated in the Employment Equity Act) or for reasons of social redress aimed at
undoing previous discriminations (stipulated in the Employment Equity Act 1998 and
the South African Constitution 1996). In Chapter 7, Moerdyk (2015) makes a useful
distinction between three forms of discrimination, namely disparate treatment, adverse
impact and pre-market discrimination.
5.6.2 Professional, legal and ethical principles that govern psychological

assessment
5.6.2.1 Professional and ethical guidelines
Psychological practice in South Africa is regulated by law and governed by the HPCSA
under which the Professional Board for Psychology falls and also by the Board for
Personnel Practitioners (Tel: 011 488-8045; e-mail: sabpp@pixie.co.za). The
regulatory documents published by the HPCSA for professionals registered under the
HPCSA Act prescribes the scope of practice of psychologists in general by specifying
their right to perform certain tasks and their accountability in practicing the profession.
As such, psychometrists and psychologists practicing psychological assessment need
to adhere to HPCSA guidelines in terms of ethical conduct, training and registration
requirements and the use of registered psychological measures. These guidelines are
stipulated in the following documents (see also section 4.4.1) which can be obtained
from www.hpcsa.co.za and follow the link to the Professional Board of Psychology:
 Ethical code of professional conduct (Form 223)
Testing can be regarded as a systemic process including various phases in the

assessment - from the choosing of assessment measures; to administration and
scoring; the interpretation of results; the use of results (decision-making); the
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communication of results through oral or written feedback as well as the security of

assessment material and data. We cannot use assessment data effectively if we do
not plan the processes and procedures properly, administer them professionally and
collect and use the data in an ethical manner. Chapters 1,2,3 and 5 in the ethical code
of professional conduct explains rules of ethical conduct that guide professionals in
their fair assessment practice in terms of the whole assessment process.
Laher and Cockroft (2013, Chapter 28) as well as Moerdyk (2015, Chapter 9) also
discuss these ethical conduct requirements.
 Scope of practice for psychometrists (Government Gazette, No. 34581,

Sept 2011) and the Framework for education, training, registration and
scope for psychometrists (Form 94)
As you work through the study material, you should compile a competency profile
for the psychometrist or psychological assessor. In other words, the knowledge,
thought processes, skills and other characteristics such a person should possess if he
or she is to be a successful psychometrist or assessment practitioner. Consult Form
94 for information about the requirements to register as a psychometrist. Only
registered psychologists may practise certain therapeutic or counselling methods.
They may use all levels of measures if they have had the required training and may
control all assessment activities carried out by psychometrists and registered
counsellors. Registration as an industrial psychologist requires a master's
qualification with 12 months' practical training (internship) in various industrial
psychological or human resource activities (Moerdyk, 2015, Chapter 9).
Registration as a psychometrist or psychological counsellor requires a BPsych degree

(or relevant honours with additional professional training) that includes a six-month
internship. However, it is important to understand the difference between a registered
counsellor and a psychometrist as discussed in Chapter 9 of Moerdyk (2015). The
psychological counsellor can do basic short-term supportive counselling; basic
psycho-educational training; and the promotion of primary psychosocial wellbeing
whereas the psychometrist can administer, score and interpret measures and give
feedback on these results (excluding projective techniques), specialist
neuropsychological measures and measures used for the diagnosis of
psychopathology.
Registered industrial psychologists, psychological counsellors and psychometrists

must keep abreast of new developments in psychological assessment through
continuous professional development (CPD). The Board of Psychology (Moerdyk,
2015, Chapter 9) monitors this.
 Policy on the classification of psychometric measures, methods and

techniques (Form 208) and List of measures classified as being
psychological measures (Form 207)
You should also be aware of the ways in which psychological measures are classified
by the Professional Board of Psychology. In this regard you can also look at Moerdyk
(2015, Chapter 9) to gain an understanding of how measures classification has
evolved in the South African context. The classification of a measure as a
psychological measure regulates matters such as how and by whom these
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instruments may be used in training or in practice. Currently, a measure is classified

as being either a psychological measure or not and the categories for classification in
South Africa are as follows:
Psychological measures: measures that may be used by psychometrists under

supervision of a psychologist with regard to (i) the choice of a measures, (ii)
administration and scoring, (iii) interpretation and (iv) report writing.
Other prescribed measures for use by professionals such as speech, occupational
and physiotherapists.
5.6.2.2 Legal guidelines
You should also take note of the latest legislation on assessment in South Africa,
especially legislation relating to applications in the work context. Take special note of
the role of psychological assessment for the purpose of employment and employment-
related decisions (Laher & Cockroft, 2013, Chapter 28; Theron, 2007). You may obtain
a copy of this legislation from your employer or request it from the relevant state
department (see 4.4.2). The most important assessment related regulations are
contained in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA) (Act 55 of 1998 amended
2014). This Act covers unfair discrimination in detail and determines, specifically, that
“Psychological testing and other similar assessments of an employee are prohibited

unless the test for assessment being used:
 has been scientifically shown to be valid and reliable

 can be applied fairly to all employees
 is not biased against any employee or group, and
 has been certified by the HPCSA established by section 2 of the Health
Professions Act, 1974 (Act no 56 of 1974), or any other body which may be
authorised by law to certify those tests or assessments”
release.)
With relevance to psychological assessment and specifically competency-based

assessment, the EEA further allows fair discrimination by stating that “it is not unfair
discrimination to:
 take affirmative action consistent with the purpose of the Act; or

 distinguish, exclude or prefer any person on the basis of an inherent
requirement of a job”
With relevance to psychological assessment and specifically potential assessment,

the EEA further states that for purposes of the Act, “a person maybe suitably qualified
for a job as a result of any one of, or any combination of that person’s:
 formal qualifications;
 prior learning;
 relevant experience; or
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 capacity to acquire, within a reasonable time, the ability to do the job”
Other Acts, such as the Health Professions Act of 1974 have a bearing on who can
practice psychological assessment and the Skills Development Act of 1998 has a
bearing on how we practice psychological assessment.
As such, competency-based assessment and potential assessment have become

increasingly important in the South African context when it comes to assessing people
so that they may develop to their maximum potential.
5.6.3 Integration and application
On completion of this module, you should not just be able to discuss the theoretical
aspects of the module, but also integrate information across themes and apply it in
practical, real-life problems in the work context. You should be able to integrate and
apply your knowledge of various types of measures, of psychometric requirements
and of the legal and ethical context that affect how we assess in various areas of
application. Look at the assessment criteria of outcome 6 – they all relate to the
integration and application of knowledge and theory you gained in this module.
6 STUDY PLAN
In your Study @ Unisa booklet, you will find guidelines and a schedule for general time
management and planning skills. Below is a brief study plan you should follow for
IOP4861 to ensure that you keep abreast of the learning process as the year
transpires. Note that the activities commence on registration:
Activity Timeline
Log on to myUnisa and obtain a library pin Before 30 March 2020
Download Tutorial Letter 101 and read it carefully By 15 April 2020
Obtain the prescribed book By 30 April 2020
Request recommended book from the library
Download e-reserves (articles and Foxcroft & Roodt 2005,
Chapters 2, 16 and 17)
Read section 5 in Tutorial Letter 101 again (study themes)
Read through Assignment 1 and identify relevant 15 May 2020
resources from prescribed and recommended material
Engage in a discussion forum on myUnisa as part of
Assignment 1 preparation
Complete Assignment 1 Due on 25 May 2020
Work through the feedback on your assignment 1 and the 30 June 2020
feedback tutorial letter and make sure that you understand
why marks were allocated or not.
Read through Assignment 2 and identify relevant 15 July 2020
resources from prescribed and recommended material
Engage in a discussion forum on myUnisa regarding
Assignment 1 feedback and Assignment 2 preparation
Complete Assignment 2 Due on 1 September 2020
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
Activity Timeline
Engage in a discussion forum on myUnisa regarding 15 November 2020
Assignment 3 topics
Engage in a continued discussion forum on myUnisa
regarding examination preparation
Prepare Assignment 3 topics as examination preparation By 30 December 2020
Familiarise yourself with Assignment 3 feedback in
Tutorial Letter 202 and do self-evaluation
Prepare for the examination by studying the learning By end of January 2021
themes (section 5) as informed by the prescribed book
and various recommended articles and book chapters
Examination Early February 2021
7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING

There are no practical activities for this module.
This module does not include any practical training in the use of psychometric
measures, which is required for registration as a psychometrist. If you wish to
register as a psychometrist after completion of your honours degree at UNISA,
you should apply for a professional training programme at an accredited
institution. Although this is a theoretical module, we do try to provide you with
as many practical applications as possible (in your study material and in your
assignments).
8 ASSESSMENT PLAN
8.1 Year mark, admission to the examination and final mark
Three assignments are set for this module. Assignments 01 and 02 are used to
constitute your year mark and the year mark contributes 30% towards your final mark
for IOP4861.
The average of your marks for the two assignments makes up your year mark:
Year mark = average (Assignment 01 + Assignment 02)
NOTE: You need a subminimum year mark of 40% for admission to the
examination.
Assignment 03 does not count towards your year mark and should NOT be
submitted. Assignment 03 is a self-assessment and the mark guide for the
assignment will be provided to you.
Your final mark for the module is made up of the year mark (30%) and the examination
mark (70%):
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
Final mark = Year mark (30%) + Examination mark (70%)
The combined weighted average of your year mark and examination mark should be
50% or higher in order for you to pass the subject. However, you have to obtain a
minimum of 40% in the examination, regardless of your year mark. If you obtain
less than 40% in the examination, you will fail.
8.2 Assignments: unique numbers and due dates
The assignments for this module are given in APPENDIX A of this tutorial letter.
Assignments are numbered consecutively per module, starting from 01. Please use
the unique assignment numbers (indicated below) on the cover page of your
assignment:
Assignment Unique number Due date

01 846793 25 May 2020
02 613733 1 September 2020
03 - Self-assessment
Feedback on the first two assignments will be sent to you in a feedback tutorial letter
approximately two weeks after the due dates for these assignments have expired.
8.3 Submission of assignments
You may submit written assignments either by post or electronically via myUnisa.
Keep a copy of your assignment and retain proof of its submission. For detailed
information and requirements as far as assignments are concerned, see Study @
Unisa. To submit an assignment via myUnisa:
 on your computer, save your assignment file as a .pdf document

 Go to myUnisa.
 Log in with your student number and password.
 Select the module from the orange bar.
 Click on assignments in the left menu.
 Click on the assignment number you want to submit.
 Follow the instructions
NOTE:
 Assignments may not be submitted by fax or e-mail to lecturers.
 Extension to assignment due dates may only be granted by the primary lecturer
(grobls@unisa.ac.za) and only for a maximum of 2 weeks after the due date.
Extension of the due date can only be granted to valid application substantiated
with proof. The application for extension of the due date needs to be e-mailed
before the actual due date of the assignment. The e-mail from the primary
lecturer granting extension should be attached to the late submission to avoid
being penalized. Late submissions (without permission of extension) will be
marked with comments but a mark of 0% will be captured.
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8.4 Evaluation of assignments
Assignment questions are based on the prescribed book, recommended book and e-
resources as well as the additional information resources indicated in section 4. When
marking your assignments, we take into account not only your knowledge and
understanding of the theoretical contents and concepts, but also your application
skills and whether you are developing certain attitudes towards your learning
experiences. You should also assess how well you are doing and reflect on the value
of your learning experiences through self-assessment (section 10). Thus, during
assessment the following are important:
 Knowledge and understanding (insight): Do I know the facts and concepts

and can I explain their uses?
 Practical tasks and applied competencies: Can I do certain tasks and skills
based on my knowledge of the study material (applied skills, "deep insight")?
 Attitude or mind-set: Am I responsible? How well do I perform the tasks or
answer questions? For example, why do I receive a certain mark? Do I
complete and submit the assignments before or on the due dates?
 Value: What is in it for me? What is the value of my learning experience to
me, my work or society? How can I make a difference through my practical
contribution?
8.5 Plagiarism
Plagiarism entails taking another person’s work or ideas and presenting it as your own.
Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense and equal to academic fraud. UNISA
regards it as a criminal offense.
You should be aware of what plagiarism involves and refrain from plagiarism
when preparing your assignments. As a registered UNISA student you agree to
adhere to UNISA’s policy on plagiarism and that you are aware of the
consequences of plagiarism for this module. This may include receiving ZERO
for the given assignment or for all your assignments and even failing the module
(depending on the severity of the plagiarism). We can also submit the case for
disciplinary inquiry.
Even if you do not mean to plagiarise, doing it has important consequences. Do not
copy and paste from articles, tutorial letters or the work of fellow students. Rephrase
and structure arguments in your own words. When you do quote or paraphrase
someone’s work from an article or tutorial letters – do it in order to substantiate and
build your own argument and remember to cite the source.
NOTE: You do NOT have to provide references in the examination.
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9 THE EXAMINATION
9.1 Examination period
This module is offered in a year period, which means that you will write the examination
in the January/February 2021 examination period.
PLEASE NOTE: It is your responsibility to confirm the date, time and venue of your
examination. The myUnisa website and the Study @ Unisa booklet contains detailed
information on issues related to examinations such as supplementary examinations
and the contact details of the Examination department. The Examination department
will provide you with more information regarding the examination in general,
examination venues, examination dates and examination times. The examination date
should also be visible on the schedule on myUnisa later during the year.
9.2 Previous examination papers
Examination department will provide an example of previous examination papers on

myUnisa under “official study material”.
9.3 Content of the examination
Although all the assignments may be taken as examples of the types of questions that
may be asked in the examination, we cannot possibly cover all the questions that could
be asked. All the examination questions are based on the study themes and the
learning outcomes.
Examination questions will range between 5, 10 and 30 marks, calculating to a total of

100 marks. You will have three hours to do the examination. Assignment answers are
more comprehensive than your examination answers and you need to acknowledge
the resources you have used in your assignments. You do not have to use
references in the examination as you will not have the theoretical resources with you
and will have to rely on memory and your integrated preparation of the study themes.
Your examination preparation should include the following resources:
 Moerdyk (2015) (the prescribed book).

 The recommended articles (e-reserved articles) – you should download the
e-reserved articles from the library website or myUnisa. You will find that there
are overlaps between the content in Moerdyk (2015) and the recommended
articles. Use these sources in combination to ensure that you are able to
demonstrate your understanding of every theme discussed in this tutorial letter.
 The recommended book (Laher & Cockroft 2013) – use the chapters referred
to in the discussion of the study themes (section 5 of Tutorial Letter 101) to study
specific examples of cognitive (e.g. 2, 9, 10 and 11) and personality (e.g.
Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20) measures. Remember you do not have to
know these measures in detail (see guidelines in section 5) but you need to know
the nature and rationale of at least four examples for each measurement
construct. Chapter 1 (History of psychological assessment in SA), Chapter 28
(Ethics), Chapter 29 (Computer and internet-based assessment) and Chapter 36
(Future trends) may provide you with interesting additional information relevant
to important study themes that are also covered in Moerdyk (2015).
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
 The three chapters from the Foxcroft and Roodt (2005) book (part of e-
resources) – these also contain information you can use to supplement your
preparation on specific themes (history, moderating factors and future trends) for
the examination.
 Recommended documents relevant to the psychological assessment as a
profession (i.e. documents from the HPCSA) - only to the extent that the
information forms part of the study themes. You may find overlaps with Moerdyk
(2015), and your recommended material. These documents will help to deepen
your understanding and knowledge of the training and registration as a
psychometrist, classification of measures and the ethical code.
You will receive more information on the examination in Tutorial Letter 202, which will
be sent to you during the year (after assignment 2’s due date).
10 OTHER EVALUATION METHODS
Note that you will be required to do self-evaluation for each assignment. The lecturers'
assessment of your assignment answers will include an evaluation of your self-
evaluation. The self-evaluation constitutes 10% of your mark for an assignment. The
self-evaluation consists of the questions below which should be attached at the back
of each assignment in no more than 20 words per question:
(1) Give yourself a mark for this assignment and motivate why you give yourself
this mark.
(2) Indicate where in the assignment did you struggle and why?
(3) Which of the prescribed and/or recommended sources did you find most useful
and which additional sources did you use (if any)?
(4) How much time did you spend on the assignment?
(5) How relevant are the sources provided for this paper to the realities, for
example, of industrial psychological assessment in the South African work
context?
(6) Did the assignment tasks add value to the application of your knowledge and
skills in the workplace? Please explain the application value.
(7) What aspects of the module, study material and your learning experience would
you like to improve? How?
(8) How would you describe the quality of the learning material (tutorial letter,
articles, prescribed book and recommended book)?
(9) Do the assignment tasks reflect the learning outcomes?
(10) Was the lecturer and/or administrative support of an expected standard?
Please note: These questions will assess your achievement of the outcomes and your
use and/or development of specific competencies.
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please refer to the myUnisa website or the brochure Study @ Unisa booklet for
frequently asked questions (FAQs).
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
12 CONCLUSION
We hope that you will find this module challenging but also rewarding to your career
aspirations. Best of luck in successfully completing it.
Your IOP4861 lecturers
UNISA
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
APPENDIX A: ASSIGNMENTS
Dear Student
This Appendix contains your two assignments (i.e. Assignment 01 and Assignment
02) as well as Assignment 03, which is for self-assessment.
In completing Assignments 01 and 02, please ensure that
You have completed the SELF-EVALUATION questions as directed in Section 10 of

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2020 in no more than 20 words per question.
ASSIGNMENT 01
Marks: 100
Due date: 25 May 2020
Unique number: 846793
This is the first assignment for IOP4861. Refer to section 8.3 in this tutorial letter on
HOW to submit your assignment via myUnisa.
This assignment consists of three (3) sections of which you have to answer all the
questions to ensure you receive a mark out of 100.
Section 1: Short questions (60 marks)

1. Define reliability and the different types thereof. (10)
Furthermore, elaborate on the sources of error influencing reliability.
2. Critically discuss test moderators that need to be taken into account (10)
when testing in a multicultural environment.
3. Critically discuss the primary principles of an assessment-centre. (10)
4. Briefly discuss the different statutory requirements for registration as a (10)

psychological practitioner.
5. Explain test bias and how it may affect the validity of an assessment. (10)
6. Explain whether you think there is value in using personality instruments (10)
for selection. Name at least four personality instruments that can be
used for selection.
Total (60)
Section 2: Long question (30 marks)

1. Distinguish between traditional intelligence assessment and learning (30)
potential assessment by referring to the history and development of
cognitive assessment.
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
Section 3: Self-evaluation questions (10 marks)

1. Give yourself a mark for this assignment and motivate why you give yourself this
mark.
2. Indicate where in the assignment did you struggle and why?
3. Which of the prescribed and/or recommended sources did you find most useful
4. How much time did you spend on the assignment?
5. How relevant are the sources provided for this paper to the realities, for example,
of industrial psychological assessment in the South African work context?
6. Did the assignment tasks add value to the application of your knowledge and
7. What aspects of the module, study material and your learning experience would
8. How would you describe the quality of the learning material (tutorial letter,
9. Do the assignment tasks reflect the learning outcomes?
10. Was the lecturer and/or administrative support of an expected standard?
Total 10 marks
TOTAL: [100]
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
ASSIGNMENT 02
Marks: 100
Due date: 1 September 2020
Assignment unique number: 613733
This is your second assignment, which will constitute your year mark for IOP4861
together with Assignment 01. Remember you require a year mark of at least 40% to
be admitted to the exam. The purpose of this assignment is to guide you through the
module-related theoretical themes and to integrate and apply the theory in a specific
context.
This assignment consists of three (3) sections of which you have to answer all the
questions to ensure you receive a mark out of 100.
Section 1: Short questions (60 marks)

1. Explain why it is important to use norms when interpreting psychological (10)
assessment results.
Furthermore, discuss the four different norm-based approaches for the
interpretation of assessment results.
2. Critically discuss five advantages and five disadvantages of computer- (10)
based assessment.
3. After having completed this module, what would you recommend your (10)
company do to ensure that its psychological assessment practices are
fair and adhere to the requirements of the Employment Equity Act No.
55 of 1998?
4. Explain why it is important for a psychological instrument to be valid. (10)
Identify the different types of validity for a psychological instrument.
5. Discuss special situations you need to consider when assessing. (10)
Elaborate on how you will deal with each of these.
6. Describe the process and steps you will follow for the development of a (10)
new psychological instrument.
Total (60)
Section 2: Long question (30 marks)

1. Critically discuss the primary principles of an assessment-centre. (30)
In your discussion, it should be clear how competency-based assessment
is the predominant assessment approach followed in assessment centre
methodology.
Section 3: Self-evaluation questions (10 marks)

1. Give yourself a mark for this assignment and motivate why you give yourself this
mark.
2. Indicate where in the assignment did you struggle and why?
3. Which of the prescribed and/or recommended sources did you find most useful
4. How much time did you spend on the assignment?
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
5. How relevant are the sources provided for this paper to the realities, for example,
of industrial psychological assessment in the South African work context?
6. Did the assignment tasks add value to the application of your knowledge and
7. What aspects of the module, study material and your learning experience would
8. How would you describe the quality of the learning material (tutorial letter,
9. Do the assignment tasks reflect the learning outcomes?
10. Was the lecturer and/or administrative support of an expected standard?
Total 10 marks
TOTAL: [100]
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IOP4861/101/0/2020
ASSIGNMENT 03: Self-assessment
Assignment 03 is a self-assessment assignment. We will provide you with guidelines

on how you could have answered this assignment in a feedback tutorial letter. This
assignment is also a guide to how questions can be formulated in a different manner
to how it was done in Assignments 01 and 02 for examination preparation purposes.
Assignment questions
1. Critically discuss the important professional and ethical issues pertaining to

psychological assessment in the South African context, including:
 The classification system of psychological measures
 The role of various professional bodies in the regulation of psychological
assessment practice
 Registration categories of people who are allowed to use psychological
assessments
 The ethical code guiding fairness in psychological assessment. (30)
2. Present, in table format, a thorough analysis of various psychological

instruments, giving appropriate examples and indicating all the possible areas
where psychological assessment can be applied. Structure your answer
according to the different measurement constructs. (30)
3. To stay relevant and current, psychological assessment need to advance with

new developments. In line with this statement, present discussions on the
following matters:
3.1 Critically discuss computer-based and online psychological assessment.
(15)
3.2 Analyse new trends and developments in the constructs, technologies
and theories pertaining to psychological assessment. (15)
[30]
4. In psychological assessment practice, a number of trends around psychometric

theory have emerged. In order to enhance the line mangers’ understanding of
these trends:
4.1 Explain why a transition took place that replaced the use of classical test
models with that of item response theory (IRT) models. (15)
4.2 Motivate to the line managers the importance of using the LPCAT to
assess the cognitive potential of supervisors on the factory floor for
promotion purposes. In your motivation, explain why the LPCAT (or any
other cognitive potential evaluation tool you may prefer) is in line with
EEA requirements to ensure fair and unbiased assessment of the
cognitive potential of the supervisors. (15)
[30]
©
UNISA 2020
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IOP4861/101/0/2020

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2020

Industrial Psychological Assessment

Department of Industrial and Organisational

This tutorial letter contains important information

1.1 Tutorial letters............................................................................................................. 4

1.2 myUnisa ..................................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Module layout and content.......................................................................................... 5

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ....................................................................................... 6

2.1 Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................... 6

3 CONTACT DETAILS ..................................................................................................... 9

3.1 Lecturers .................................................................................................................... 9

3.2 Department .............................................................................................................. 10

3.3 University ................................................................................................................. 10

4.1 Prescribed book ....................................................................................................... 11

4.2 Recommended book ................................................................................................ 13

4.3 Electronic Reserves (E-Reserves): ........................................................................... 13

4.4 Additional recommended information ....................................................................... 15

5 DISCUSSION OF STUDY THEMES RELATED TO LEARNING OUTCOMES ............ 18

5.1 Origin and development of psychological assessment.............................................. 19

5.2 The nature of psychological assessment .................................................................. 21

5.3 Approaches and assumptions in psychological assessment ..................................... 25

5.4 Psychometric theory ................................................................................................. 27

5.5 DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES AND AREAS OF APPLICATION...... 31

5.6 Professional, legal and social issues in psychological assessment........................... 36

6 STUDY PLAN .............................................................................................................. 40

7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................... 41

8.2 Assignments: unique numbers and due dates .......................................................... 42

8.3 Submission of assignments ...................................................................................... 42

8.4 Evaluation of assignments ........................................................................................ 43

8.5 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................ 43

9 THE EXAMINATION .................................................................................................... 44

9.1 Examination period ................................................................................................... 44

9.2 Previous examination papers ................................................................................... 44

9.3 Content of the examination ....................................................................................... 44

10 OTHER EVALUATION METHODS .......................................................................... 45

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ...................................................................... 45

APPENDIX A: ASSIGNMENTS .......................................................................................... 47

Welcome to the honours module in industrial psychological assessment. A primary

1.1 Tutorial letters

 This tutorial letter, IOP4861/101/0/2020

This tutorial letter (IOP4861/101/0/2020) contains:

 important administrative information to assist you in your communication with

To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main UNISA website,

NOTE: Direct all your myUnisa enquiries to myUnisahelp@unisa.ac.za and NOT to

1.3 Module layout and content

Finally, the three assignments for IOP4861 are given in Appendix A.

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

The purpose of this module is to gain comprehensive knowledge, to develop a critical

On completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Critically review the history and development of psychological assessment theory

TABLE 2: LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Study theme: Origin and development of psychological assessment (section 5.1)

Study themes: The nature, approaches and assumptions in psychological

Study theme: Psychometric theory (section 5.4)

Study theme: Professional, legal and social questions in psychological assessment

Direct only academic-related enquiries concerning the module content to lecturers. We

Prof S Grobler (Primary lecturer)

You can e-mail the department at DeptIOP@unisa.ac.za or contact the departmental

REMEMBER to include your name, surname, student number and a brief

Description of enquiry: E-mail address:

Description of enquiry: E-mail address: