PSYC37H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter Clinical Assessment - A Multicultural Perspective: Acculturation, Intercultural Competence, Nonverbal Communication
Document Summary
Charges of cultural bias and questions regarding equivalence, reliability, and validity have been raised as usage of the most popular measures have spread to new populations for which the tests were not originally designed. Many test developers make concerted efforts to create measure that are applicable to different racial and ethnic groups. Cultural competence requires that the examiner possess cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. One of the greatest challenges facing clinicians has been the integration of cultural context into the process of assessment: the complexity of the clinical assessment process is amplified by the multiple and subtle nuances of culture. Culture affects the measurement of all psychological phenomena. Difficulties in operationalizing the definition of culture complicate the assessment process. All psychological measures are developed within particular cultural contexts: problems have arisen when measures are used with different cultural groups and assumed to have multicultural or universal application. Assessment should be tailored to the unique characteristics of the individual being assessed.
