TESTS USED IN SPAIN

It is saids that developments of psychological assessment (psychological testing) runs separately from general psychology (see Anastasy, 1967). In our review of university programs, congresses, journals and tasks which are being carried out by Spanish psychologists, not only can we conclude that psychological assessment in Spain covers all areas of psychology, but we can also say that our discipline cannot be reduced --in teaching, research and practice-- to the mere application of tests and other psychological measurement devices. We can therefore say that it relies on specific theoretical bases, in conjunction with other basic areas of psychology (learning, cognitive psychology, personality, neuropsychology, psychophysiology, psychopathology, environmental psychology, etc.). It is obvious that upon carrying out a specific psychological evaluation we are handing basic assumptions, methods and tests that have been developed from different theoretical scopes. As I was stating at the beginning of this paper, tests and other methods are obviously important in that phase of the assessment process in which hypothesis about the client should be tested; but testing (administration, correction, interpretation) is not equivalent to psychological assessment. This is because not only does it represent the means to accomplish one of the phases of the assessment process, but also because technology is also important to the different scientific fields of psychology in which psychological assessment is based. An overview of psychological assessment would not be complete without making some reference to the tests more frequently used by Spanish psychologists.

First of all, we must point out that psychological tests can not be used in Spain by professions other than psychologists. A Psychology licence is required by Publishers in order to sell psychological tests. Also we can state that the most important tests published and used in other countries (mainly in USA) have been translated and adapted into the Spanish context and most of them have Spanish norms and some of them have reliability and validation studies.

We can also state that a large proportion of publised tests have software available for correction and interpretation purposes (TEA, 1992. See on the Appendix 1 (©) marks).

On the other hand, Avila et al. (1990) has carried out a review on the perspectives of diagnosis and psychological assessment in Spain. In this review they describe the efforts made by psychologists involved in psychological assessment and their contribution to psychological technology and testing. Many attempts have been made to compilate psychological tests and techniques used in Spain. The efforts made in 1975 by TEA, MESPA and García Yague (1975) have continued with test catalogues compiled by different test publishers (TEA, 1992; MEPSA, 1992).

Recently, Calonge and Avila (1993) have set up a data base of tests and methods adapted or developed by Spanish Psychologists.

I will refer to two very simple avenues of inquiry. On one had, I will present the survey data which is available, and on the other hand I will supply a list of tests built by Spanish psychologists.

On two separate occasions (1978,1987; see Fernández-Ballesteros 1980, 1989) Spanish psychologists were surveyed in order to find out details of common practice in psychological assessment. On both occasions the response obtained was scarce (in 1978, out of 965 psychologists who were surveyed by mail 68 answered; in the 1987 survey which was published in "Papeles del Psicólogo", only 128 replied). Therefore, the following data taken fron the 1987 survey cannot be representative.

In the sample, 60% of psychologists practicing psychological assessment worked (totally or partially) in the clinical field. 20% worked in the educational area, while another 20% worked in other applied settings such as social services and organizational psychology. (See Quintanilla and Diaz in this issue, in order to gather general data about psychologists in Spain).

The following is a synopsis of the type of tests most frequently used by psychologists who answered the survey. Eighty three per cent of respondents reported (with different degrees of frequency) they used to use some of the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (WAIS, WISC, WPPSI) and 90% reported the utilization of some of the general or factorial intelligence tests (mainly Raven's Progressive Matrixes Tests and Thurstone's PMA). Eighty three per cent also reported to use Cattell's 16 PF and a 50% Hathaway and McKinley's Multiphasic Minnesota Personality Inventory. Forty eight per cent reported they occasionally use Murray's TAT and only 26% the Psychodiagnostic from Rorschach. Finally 50% of those who were surveyed indicated that they use (in different levels of frequency) clinical behavioral tests (the most frequently cited was the Beck Depression Inventory and Wolpe's Fear Survey Scale).

Moreover, in the above mentioned survey, I also tried to find out the opinions of the participating psychologists regarding the future of tests (see Fernandez-Ballesteros, 1991). Aproximately, 50% of the psychologists surveyed stated that both intelligence and personality tests will continue being used in the same line they are used nowdays. Eighty four per cent of psychologists think that behavioral tests will be used more in the future than in the present and a 57% reported projective tests usage will decrease.

So far, there are only tentative results available from the tests most frequently used in Spain, these are tests that have mostly been performed in the United States and that have been adapted (the majority of them standardized) to the Spanish population. That is, we can state that in base on our survey Spanish psychologists use very similar measurement devices than in other countries (Lubin, Larsen& Matarazzo, 1984; Schorr, 1991) and they used to use more foreigner tests than tests developed by Spaniards.

However, there are many psychological tests already developed in Spain by Spaniards that can be examined in Appendix 1. Regretfully, we have no room here to even coment those Spanish measurements devices. I should just like to point out that these tests belong to the larger group of psychological technology, from intelligence measurement to environmental assessment. This can be seen as new proof of the expansion of psychological assessment in Spain.

In summary, in order to present an overview of psychological assessment in Spain, I have undertaken the presentation and outlook of what is taught in the Spanish Universities, which is being researched in applied and basic fields, those tasks are conducted by psychologists regarding psychological assessment and which tests are being used in practice. It is my hope that this will lead towards a better understanding of Psychology in Spain and, above all, towards a greater communication among psychologists throughout the world.

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                           JOSÉ RAMÓN CORREAS GONZALEZ
                      

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