Intelligence quotient (IQ): A score derived from intelligence tests that theoretically represents a person’s overall intellectual capacity.

clinical test: A device for gathering information about a few aspects of a person’s psychological functioning from which broader information about the person can be inferred.

Empirically supported treatment: A movement in the clinical field that seeks to identify which therapies have received clear research support for each disorder, to develop corresponding treatment guidelines, and to spread such information to clinicians. Also known as evidence-based treatment.

Projective test: A test consisting of ambiguous material that people interpret or respond to.

Psychopharmacologist: A psychiatrist who primarily prescribes medications. Also called pharmacotherapist.

Diagnosis: A determination that a person’s problems reflect a particular disorder.

Reliability: A measure of the consistency of test or research results.

Intelligence test: A test designed to measure a person’s intellectual ability.

Rapprochement movement: An effort to identify a set of common strategies that run through the work of all effective therapists.

Classification system: A list of disorders, along with descriptions of symptoms and guidelines for making appropriate diagnoses.

Syndrome: A cluster of symptoms that usually occur together.

Validity: The accuracy of a test’s or study’s results; that is, the extent to which the test or study actually measures or shows what it claims.

Idiographic understanding: An understanding of the behavior of a particular individual.

Neurological test: A test that directly measures brain structure or activity.

Standardization: The process in which a test is administered to a large group of people whose performance then serves as a standard or norm against which any individual’s score can be measured.

Neuropsychological test: A test that detects brain impairment by measuring a person’s cognitive, perceptual, and motor performances.

Neuroimaging techniques: Neurological tests that provide images of brain structure or activity, such as CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs. Also called brain scans.

Response inventories: Tests designed to measure a person’s responses in one specific area of functioning, such as affect, social skills, or cognitive processes.

Assessment: The process of collecting and interpreting relevant information about a client or research participant.

Psychophysiological test: A test that measures physical responses (such as heart rate and muscle tension) as possible indicators of psychological problems.

Mental status exam: A set of interview questions and observations designed to reveal the degree and nature of a client’s psychological functioning.

Personality inventory: A test designed to measure broad personality characteristics, consisting of statements about behaviors, beliefs, and feelings that people evaluate as either characteristic or uncharacteristic of them.