Psychometrics 3 PSYCH4088

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Psychology and Neuroscience
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

Students will be introduced to the foundational principles of psychological measurement, as well as the development and evaluation of measurement tools. Students will work independently and in small groups to develop a measurement tool that is informed by extant literature and theory.

Timetable

A combination of 50-minute lectures, 2 hour practical sessions and class tests.

Online support via Teams

Requirements of Entry

Entry to Honours Psychology is guaranteed by a B2 average over Psychology 2A and 2B as well as the fulfilment of College regulations.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Set Exercise: A series of individual data skills exercises (40%)

Written Assignment: Group-submitted measurement tool test manual (60%)

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

This course will introduce students to the foundational importance of rigorous measurement principles in psychological research and practice. This course supports students in developing skills in both research and application with a bottom-up journey through the principles underlying the design and creation of measurement tools and their role in measuring psychological phenomena. Activities within this course will support progression to PSYCH4037 and compliment the activities therein.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify and describe the foundational principles of psychological measurement (e.g. Classical Test Theory, reliability and validity)

■ Understand and practice data skills relevant to psychometrics using the programming language R.

■ Critically evaluate the relevance, applicability and psychometric properties of measurement tools both qualitatively and quantitatively

■ Design and generate a measurement tool

■ Compose and write a test manual to describe their measurement tool.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.