The techniques doctoral level clinical psychology programs use to teach administration and scoring of cognitive assessment measures

ABSTRACT

American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited clinical psychology doctoral programs across the United States were surveyed to gather information on typical practices used to teach administration and scoring of cognitive assessment measures in the introductory cognitive assessment course. The 48-item survey included the following areas program information, instructor information, course setup, cognitive assessment measures and practice administrations, course assignments, feedback and evaluation of students, and teleassessment training. Fifty-three instructors from these programs (21% response rate) completed the survey. Findings indicated that the measures taught with greatest frequency are the most recent versions of the Wechsler scales and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Assignments utilized in the course include observations of administrations, practice administrations, written reports, previously administered protocols, vignettes, manual familiarization assignments, and assignments to increase students' verbal response scoring skills. Programs utilize a variety of methods to provide feedback to students on practice administrations and scoring, including live in-the-moment feedback. Evaluation methods include midterm and final exams as well as other exams and quizzes. The majority of programs also require students to complete a final competency check of their administration and scoring skills. There were no significant differences between the course offered in Ph.D. vs. Psy.D. programs. When compared with previous findings, current results suggest clinical psychology doctoral programs are incorporating training techniques that are consistent with the body of knowledge regarding the teaching of cognitive assessment measures. Generalizability of the results may be limited due to the lower response rate and the current COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)